A parametric life-cycle model for assessing environmental impacts of 4G and 5G cellular base stations

Purpose: This paper presents a parametric life-cycle model to assess the environmental impacts of multi-band 4G and 5G sub-6 GHz cellular base stations. While most existing studies emphasize operational energy consumption, our model covers all life-cycle stages with a focus on the production stage. It is designed to support the eco-design of base stations and optimize the deployment strategies of radio access networks as they rapidly evolve to support the dramatic growth in mobile data traffic. Methods: The proposed model is configurable according to variables representing features controlled by network operators and operating conditions imposed by users and follows a parametric functional unit to enhance flexibility. It is organized into parametric modules that differentiate between base station components and life-cycle stages, and comprise multiple foreground processes. The corresponding impact assessment factors are calculated from background modeling using ecoinvent 3.10 with the multi-indicator method Environmental Footprint 3.1. Approximate numerical model parameters are obtained from regression analyses based on detailed component teardowns, manufacturer technical documentation and network operator information, thereby enabling quantitative comparisons between base station configurations. Furthermore, uncertainty in the model and numerical estimates is quantified by estimating variability of regressions and by assessing modeling errors. Results and discussion: Life-cycle assessment results are obtained by applying the model to six typical base station configurations. Among all impact indicators, the results show that energy consumption in the use stage accounts for 80% to >95% of total global warming potential, and that the production stage is the second largest contributor with a range of 1000 to 4000 kg CO2 eq per base station. Conversely, the use of mineral and metal resources is more balanced between the production and use stages. Although macro base stations have a greater impact per unit than micro base stations, they also have greater coverage and capacity, which benefits their impact per communication service provided. Moreover, uncertainty analysis shows an interquartile range of ±20% with respect to the median of stochastic assessments. Conclusions: Thanks to its flexibility, the proposed model can be used to identify trade-offs in mobile network configuration to provide capacity and coverage with minimum environmental impact. Given the importance of use stage contribution, reducing the carbon intensity of the electricity consumed by base stations is critical to reducing their global warming potential. However, it is equally important to consider the production stage if the goal is to reduce the use of mineral and metal resources.

Affiliations

UCLouvainSST/ICTM/ELEN - Pôle en ingénierie électrique

Citations

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Golard, L., Dethienne, R., Louveaux, J., & Bol, D. (2024). A parametric life-cycle model for assessing environmental impacts of 4G and 5G cellular base stations. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. Submitted. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/272376 (Original work published 2024)