Abstract
The rapid growth of mobile communication technology and the corresponding significant increase in the number of cellular base stations (BSs) have increased operational expenses (OPEX) for mobile operators, due to increased electricity prices and fossil fuel consumption. Thus, identifying alternative solutions to reduce OPEX has become a major priority of mobile operators. Solar energy is considered an economically attractive and eco-friendly option. This paper examines solar energy solutions for different generations of mobile communications by conducting a comparative analysis of solar-powered BSs based on three aspects: architecture, energy production, and optimal system cost. In addition, the economic feasibility of the solar energy solution compared with conventional sources is discussed. The simulation results suggest that solar-powered BSs would be a suitable long-term solution for the mobile cellular network industry.
Highlights
To date, mobile communication is considered one of the most significant technological innovations of modern history
A PV/WT hybrid power system for long term evolution (LTE) base stations (BSs) was examined in [22]; the findings of this study indicated that this hybrid system could save up to 48.52% operational expenses (OPEX) compared with that of a Diesel generators (DGs) system
A comparative analysis of the various cases is conducted, as the generation of solar energy depends on several factors, including solar radiation, sunlight intensity, and solar panel geolocation, among others
Summary
Mobile communication is considered one of the most significant technological innovations of modern history. Four generations of mobile communication systems have been adopted. The number of mobile subscribers has increased dramatically over the years given the enormous development and rapid growth of this technology. In Q3 2016, the total number of mobile subscribers in South Korea was more than 60.8 million distributed among the four major mobile operators: the operator SK has reached approximately 26.7 million, the operator KT is in second place with. As fourth generation (4G) technology offers high data rates for executing various data-oriented services, such as online gaming, multimedia, and high-quality video streaming, the number of 4G mobile subscribers ranks first compared to the users of other mobile technologies
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