Smart Grid Technologies for Future Radio and Data Center Networks

This article explores smart grid technologies that can be applied to a telecommunication network to achieve energy-efficient networking, autonomous operation, and adaptation to real-time electricity pricing schemes. With the fast penetration of renewable energy sources within base stations and data centers, the telecommunication operator can establish an active role in the energy market by adjusting power consumption in real time. In the telecommunications sector, energy management technologies have recently emerged with BS management schemes and virtual machine migration/allocation strategies. In the energy sector, smart grid technologies and new standards enable real-time management and pricing. The only brick missing is the orchestration of the technologies in the two sectors to enable smart telecommunications network operation in terms of energy consumption. In this article, concepts such as demand response, supply load control, and the model of the "prosumer" in the smart grid are correlated to the operation of modern radio and data center networks. The main outcome of the research is to provide new ideas for net zero service delivery and explore the role of the telecommunication provider in the energy market where dynamic electricity pricing is expected to hold a critical role in decision making processes.