Small Cells, Big Impact: Designing Power Soutions for 5G
The need to increase the number of base stations to provide wider and more dense coverage has led to the creation of small cells. Small cells are a new part of the 5G platform that increase
But the analyst firm says a typical 5G base station consumes up to twice or more the power of a 4G base station; it notes that the industry consensus is that 5G will double to triple energy consumption for mobile operators, once networks scale.
Small cells are a new part of the 5G platform that increase network capacity and speed, while also having a lower deployment cost than macrocells. The compact size of a small cell requires that all components – especially power converters – provide high eficiency, better thermals and eventually the best power density possible.
Huawei data from FierceWireless suggest the typical 5G site has power needs of over 11.5kW, up nearly 70 percent from a base station deploying a mix of 2G, 3G, and 4G radios.
Limited space and far few PV modules are required in 5G systems. Thus, RE is a desirable power supply for such communication networks. The RE sources to power individual SCBSs may face geographical issues.
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