Nokia proposes to use mobile communication towers to generate and sell electricity
Nokia has offered mobile operators a new way to earn extra money. The tech giant has proposed to monetize the backup battery on cellular base stations.
The telecommunications equipment giant is offering a tool that can switch cellular base stations from the power grid to backup batteries during peak demand to reduce electricity costs. In addition, the base station will be able to return energy to the power grid to generate profit for the mobile operator.
The software, called Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Controller, creates a new purpose and function for the use of the base station’s backup battery, as it will mostly be idle due to the infrequency of power outages, Nokia says.
The proposal is that by switching from the grid to battery backup, mobile operators can reduce their electricity costs on the spot electricity market. This means that if the price exceeds a certain level, the cellular base station will switch to battery power.
Nokia also notes that in countries with a power reserve market, third parties can bid for power grid stability. Mobile operators can use the backup battery of base stations to supply energy to the market instead of consuming energy from the grid.
The benefit for the operator is that it turns battery backup systems for base stations into an investment with a financial return, Nokia says, while at the same time becoming part of the backup power supply for the grid helps to avoid power outages and can reduce the overall CO2 footprint.
Nokia has completed several tests of the system and plans to make the software available later this year.
