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Growing energy consumption is a global problem. The information and communications technology (ICT) industry is in a critical role as an enabler of energy savings in other sectors. However, the power consumption of the ICT sector also needs to be addressed, to contribute to the overall reduction of power consumption and carbon emissions. A new era has begun as the fifth generation (5G) mobile data connection rollouts are advancing globally and are expected to reach a 10% share of end-user devices and connections by 2023. The available references on energy consumption in global mobile networks are rather old and highly averaged — only estimates of energy consumption relative to data volumes are available. There is an information gap regarding the energy consumption of emerging 5G and advanced 4G technologies. Therefore, it has been difficult to understand the actual electricity consumption differences between generations and spatially aggregated electricity consumption once these generations are combined to offer capacity and coverage. This article fills this gap by providing a reference on the energy consumption of base transceiver stations for reported mobile data usage for different Radio Access Technologies; 3G, 4G and 5G respectively. To the best of our knowledge, there is no reference to scientific research on the comparison of energy intensity per square kilometer for 3G, 4G and 5G mobile radio technologies, using actual operator data. The objective of this research was to improve the understanding of the actual energy consumption of different Radio Access Technologies (RAT). The results also give insight to decision makers on when to modernize the operator radio access network. The article reports on the results of field measurements on data and visitor volumes and shares of different RATs. The research contains two statistical RAT combination cases, one representing the European average and the other Finnish mobile networks. The analyses were done f

The University of Oulu’s SINNI project investigated whether the existing and future building stock in sparsely populated areas can be utilized in the production of solar photovoltaic energy. The use of building groups in the vicinity of main roads and power lines was examined as possible platforms for Virtual power plants, and the production potential of solar electricity will be examined. The project investigated whether solar panels installed on the roofs and walls of buildings and in courtyards can be used to generate energy for the needs of changing energy consumption. The research object of the SINNI project is the villages and building groups of Rovaniemi, which are in the vicinity of main roads and power lines and form sufficiently cohesive groups from the point of view of energy production. The Rovaniemi Village Development Foundation and Napapiirin Energia ja Vesi Oy and Rovakaira Oy, which operate in the research area, are involved in the study and in the project steering group. A final report will be compiled on the studies, in which 1) SINNI villages will be defined, i.e. the energy production potential of the sites will be defined, 2) SINNI village indicators (land use, building stock, geographical features and energy potential) will be indicated so that similar impact on regional energy distribution and capacity and on carbon-neutral energy production. The project will result in the SINNI village type, which can be utilized in energy production planning, land use planning and investment plans etc., Tiivistelmä Oulun yliopiston SINNI-hankkeessa selvitetään, voidaanko haja-asutusalueilla olevaa ja sinne muodostuvaa rakennuskantaa hyödyntää hajautetun energian tuotannossa. Kantateiden ja voimalinjojen läheisyydessä olevien rakennusryhmien käyttötarkoitusta tarkastellaan mahdollisina Virtual power plant- alustoina, ja erityisesti tarkastellaan aurinkosähkön tuotantopotentiaalia. Hankkeessa selvitetään, voidaanko rakennusten kattoihin ja seiniin sekä pihapiireihin asennettujen aurinkopaneeleiden avulla tuottaa energiaa muuttuvan energiankulutuksen tarpeisiin. SINNI-hankkeen tutkimuskohteena ovat Rovaniemen kylät ja rakennusryhmät, jotka sijaitsevat kantateiden ja voimalinjojen läheisyydessä ja muodostavat riittävän yhtenäisiä ryhmiä energiantuotannon näkökulmasta. Tutkimusalueella toimivat Rovaniemen kylien kehittämissäätiö sekä Napapiirin Energia ja Vesi Oy sekä Rovakaira Oy ovat mukana selvitystyössä sekä hankkeen ohjausryhmässä. Selvityksistä kootaan loppuraportti, jossa määritellään SINNI-kylät eli määritellään kohteiden energiantuotantopotentiaali, osoitetaan SINNI-kylän indikaattorit (maankäyttö, rakennuskanta, maantieteelliset ominaisuudet ja energiapotentiaali), jotta vastaavia kohteita voidaan kehittää SINNI-periaatteen mukaisesti. Hankkeen tuloksena syntyy SINNI-kylätyyppi, jota voidaan hyödyntää energiantuotantosuunnittelussa, maankäytön suunnittelussa ja investointisuunnitelmissa.