Feasibility, Architecture and Cost Considerations of Using TVWS for Rural Internet Access in 5G

The cellular technology is mostly an urban technology that has been unable to serve rural areas well. This is because the traditional cellular models are not economical for areas with low user density and lesser revenues. In 5G cellular networks, the coverage dilemma is likely to remain the same, thus widening the rural-urban digital divide further. It is about time to identify the root cause that has hindered the rural technology growth and analyse the possible options in 5G architecture to address this issue. We advocate that it can only be accomplished in two phases by sequentially addressing economic viability followed by performance progression. We deliberate how various works in literature focus on the later stage of this ‘two-phase’ problem and are not feasible to implement in the first place. We propose the concept of TV band white space (TVWS) dovetailed with 5G infrastructure for rural coverage and show that it can yield cost-effectiveness from a service provider’s perspective

Environmental Impact Assessment of Power Generation Systems at GSM (Global Systems for Mobile Communication) Base Station Site

Hybrid power systems were used to minimize the environmental impact of power generation at GSM (global systems for mobile communication) base station sites. This paper presents the comparative environmental impact assessment of a diesel gas (DG) and hybrid (PV/wind/hydro/diesel) power system for the base station sites. The assessment was based on theoretical modeling of the power stations using Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software. The model was designed to provide an optimal system configuration based on hour-by-hour data for energy availability and demands. Energy source, energy storage and their applicability in terms of performance are discussed. The proposed hybrid (solar, wind & hydro) + DG system was simulated using the model which results in eight different topologies: hybrid (solar, wind & hydro) + DG, hybrid (solar & hydro) + DG, hybrid (wind & hydro) + DG, hydro only + DG, hybrid (solar & wind) + DG, solar only + DG, wind only + DG, DG. From the simulation results, it is shown that a 69% renewable energy penetration in the designed hybrid PV/wind/hydro/diesel system reduces the quantity of different air pollutants relative to the case of a diesel-only system. Details of the comparisons are presented

Simulation and Optimization of Hybrid Diesel Power Generation System for GSM Base Station Site in Nigeria

The telecommunications industry requires efficient, reliable and cost-effective hybrid systems as alternatives to the power supplied by diesel generators. This investigation proposes a solar - photovoltaic (PV)/diesel hybrid power generation system suitable for Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) base station site. The study is based on simulation and optimization of a hybrid system for a GSM base station site located in Abuja (FCT), Nigeria with a daily load of 318 kWh d-1. Solar radiation for the design of the system was obtained from NASA surface Meteorology and solar energy website at a location of 9° 00’ N latitude and 7° 00’ E longitude, with annual average solar radiation of 5.45 kWh m-2d-1. Hybrid Optimization Model for Electrical Renewables (HOMER) software was used for the design of the proposed power system. The study evaluates savings associated with conversion of the diesel powered system to a PV/diesel hybrid power system. From the simulation results, the proposed system has total Net Present Cost (NPC) and amount of CO2 as ($995,774; 65.270 tonnes), and saves ($716,397; 57.835 tonnes) when compared with the diesel only system ($1,712,171; 123.105 tonnes). A control system for the hybrid PV-diesel energy system with battery storage was developed to coordinate when power should be generated by PV panels and when it should be generated by diesel generator. This hybrid system could be applied in any other electrical system

Evaluation of PV, Wind, Diesel Hybrid Energy Potential for GSM Tower in Myanmar

Not only GSM, WCDMA but also CDMA technology can be used in Myanmar but GSM pre-dominates in the market. There are over million unique subscribers across the country in 2013. Power supply for telecom becomes main challenges in Myanmar where the electricity can not access in rural area. To minimize deficit of power, the government has set a target to covert some of tower sites to renewable solutions by 2015. This paper proposes the use of a PV, wind and diesel generator hybrid system with storage element in order to determine the optimal configuration of renewable energy in Myanmar.  This paper discusses the development of a renewable energy sources (RES)  that  can  be  used  for  electric  power  supply  of  GSM  base  station  site  at  any  given  time and  considers  the  feasibility  of  developing  Solar  (photovoltaic)-Wind-Diesel  hybrid power  systems  for  supplying  electricity  to  off-grid  rural telecommunication.  The Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) was used  to  simulate  and  generate  feasible  solution  through  combinations of photovoltaic, Wind Turbines and Diesel  Generator with  a  minimum  levelised  cost  of  electricity supply and to  determine  the  technical feasibility of the system

Assessment of radio frequency exposures in schools, homes, and public places in Belgium

Characterization of exposure from emerging radio frequency (RF) technologies in areas where children are present is important. Exposure to RF electromagnetic fields (EMF) was assessed in three "sensitive" microenvironments; namely, schools, homes, and public places located in urban environments and compared to exposure in offices. In situ assessment was conducted by performing spatial broadband and accurate narrowband measurements, providing 6-min averaged electric-field strengths. A distinction between internal (transmitters that are located indoors) and external (outdoor sources from broadcasting and telecommunication) sources was made. Ninety-four percent of the broadband measurements were below 1 V m(-1). The average and maximal total electric-field values in schools, homes, and public places were 0.2 and 3.2 V m(-1) (WiFi), 0.1 and 1.1 V m(-1) (telecommunication), and 0.6 and 2.4 V m(-1) (telecommunication), respectively, while for offices, average and maximal exposure were 0.9 and 3.3 V m(-1) (telecommunication), satisfying the ICNIRP reference levels. In the schools considered, the highest maximal and average field values were due to internal signals (WiFi). In the homes, public places, and offices considered, the highestmaximal and average field values originated from telecommunication signals. Lowest exposures were obtained in homes. Internal sources contributed on average more indoors (31.2%) than outdoors (2.3%), while the average contributions of external sources (broadcast and telecommunication sources) were higher outdoors (97.7%) than at indoor positions (68.8%). FM, GSM, and UMTS dominate the total downlink exposure in the outdoor measurements. In indoor measurements, FM, GSM, and WiFi dominate the total exposure. The average contribution of the emerging technology LTE was only 0.6%

Measuring the Environmental Impact of Power Generation at GSM Base Station Sites

There is a need to quantify the environmental impact of powering macro base transmitter station sites with diesel generators. The energy consumption of diesel generators to power base stations for telecommunication networks is a contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper presents a model for calculating emission generation. The model was used to study the environmental impact of macro radio base stations powered by diesel generators using the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) - optimization and simulation software tool. The environmental impact of powering base stations with diesel generators was assessed by quantifying the emissions generated in terms of pollution and the impact in terms of environmental cost ($200t/yr). From the results of emissions generated from diesel generators and presented in this study [105.96 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), 0.26 tonnes of carbon monoxide (CO), 0.03 tonnes of unburned hydrocarbons (UHC), 0.02 tonnes of particulate matter (PM), 0.21 tonnes of sulfur dioxide (SO2), and 2.33 tonnes of nitrogen oxides (NOX)], the use of diesel generators to power GSM base station sites is concluded to have significant environmental impact

Energy and environmental aspects of mobile communication systems

The reduction of the energy consumptions of a Telecommunication Power System represents one of the critical factors of the telecommunication technologies, both to allow a sizeable saving of economic resources and to realize "sustainable" development actions. The consumption of about one hundred base stations for mobile phones were monitored for a total of over one thousand days, in order to study the energy consumption in relation to the environmental, electric and logistics parameters of the stations themselves. It was possible to survey, then, the role of the mobile communication systems in the general national energy framework and to plot the best areas of intervention for saving energy and improving the environmental impact, showing the role played by air conditioning and transmission equipments. Finally, new transmission algorithms and the use of renewable energy based techniques have been tested.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

A novel method to assess human population exposure induced by a wireless cellular network

<p>This paper presents a new metric to evaluate electromagnetic exposure induced by wireless cellular networks. This metric takes into account the exposure induced by base station antennas as well as exposure induced by wireless devices to evaluate average global exposure of the population in a specific geographical area. The paper first explains the concept and gives the formulation of the Exposure Index (EI). Then, the EI computation is illustrated through simple phone call scenarios (indoor office, in train) and a complete macro urban data long-term evolution scenario showing how, based on simulations, radio-planning predictions, realistic population statistics, user traffic data, and specific absorption rate calculations can be combined to assess the index.</p