How China Unicom slashing energy cost to improve efficiency

China Unicom for mobile usersChina Unicom, as part of its green initiatives, designated approximately RMB 200 million in 2016 to conduct projects for energy conservation in technology and management, streamlined network and machine room integration, and effectively reduced energy consumption in the telecom network.

China Unicom promoted technical application such as high-frequency UPS and efficient module for switch power supply, improving operating efficiency of power supply by 4-5 percent. The promotion of equipment application such as the smart double-circulation air conditioner and others reduced the energy consumption in air conditioning by 20 percent.

China Unicom, as part of its strategy to reduce energy cost, improved system efficiency by 2 percent by the inspection on power supply switch in the network and UPS configuration, and the closure of over-configured module for switch power supply and UPS equipment.

China Unicom has installed time controller on the indoor distribution equipment targeting in office buildings, stations, large-scale supermarkets, shopping malls and shopping areas. The time controller would reduce power supply by periods and cut energy consumption from 10pm- 6am when there is almost no phone traffic.

There will be automatic reduction during night time when there is low phone traffic and automatic start-up in the morning for double-frequency high configuration stations and high configuration 3G network base stations.

China Unicom Jiangxi Branch, as part of a 3-fold strategy, strengthened management and technical innovation to promote energy conservation and emission reduction with the focus in the large energy-consumed core machine room and basic station.

The first measure is to set up theoretical benchmark for basic electricity consumption, and analyze the difference between actual electricity consumption with the benchmark every month to find out the problems.

The second is to install power supply time controller in indoor distribution equipment, and turn the power off during 0:00am-6:00am every day to accomplish energy conservation.

The third is to adopt underground power storage for outdoor (ground) base stations to extend the service life of the power storage.

Unfolding the waste power storage and replacing the old with the new ones would replenish approximately RMB1.6 million worth of power storage, which helped reducing environmental pollution.

China Unicom Zhejiang Taizhou Branch implemented frequency band and capacity reduction of 2G/3G networks, removing old equipment from the fixed network; independently researched and developed base station air conditioning controller to automatically turn on/off power of the air conditioning according to temperature change in the machine room of base stations.

China Unicom automatically reduced configuration during night idle hours and started up in the morning for macro cellular base stations with extremely low phone traffic; eliminated old electrical equipment in complex buildings, and used energy-saving air conditioning and lighting.

During the year, China Unicom saved 3.987 million KWH of electricity, and reduced 3,975.04 tons of CO2 emission.

China Unicom has set up benchmark value of electricity consumption for machine rooms where various types of base stations, indoor distribution systems and access sites are located. By benchmarking, the difference between electricity consumption in machine room of similar type and the benchmark value could be less than 10 percent.

China Unicom Jiangsu Branch strengthened electricity bill management, especially focused on analyzing and finding out the issues for base station and machine rooms with abnormal difference between actual electricity consumption and theoretical electricity volume.

China Unicom promoted frequency band and capacity reduction of 2G/3G networks, and pushed forward SDR base station to replace old 2G equipment by evaluating energy consumption, continuously urge withdrawal from fixed network of old equipment with high failure rate and high energy consumption.

China Unicom closed 18,556 base stations, added 28,694 SDR base stations, saving energy conservation cost of over RMB200 million during the year.

China Unicom integrated 1,311 stations and 5,705 machine rooms, saved electricity of RMB196 million per year.

Baburajan K