Vodafone Network – Power to the People for Longer

Vodafone is pioneering two smart energy initiatives to keep customers connected for longer during power blackouts while delivering spare energy capacity back to grid.

Both projects use innovative technology to either distribute the energy stored in base station batteries when there is surplus to sell (the Distributed Energy Storage System (DESS)) or conserve it ahead of an abrupt shortage caused by a blackout (Adaptive Power Backup).

They support Vodafone’s aim to maintain vital communication links for customers, wider communities and emergency services in the event of a humanitarian or environmental disaster across Europe and Africa.

Distributed Energy Storage System (DESS)

In Czechia, Vodafone is developing a software-based system that can supply grid providers with spare capacity from the backup batteries housed within its mobile base stations. Called a distributed energy storage system, the pilot scheme is initially testing the concept at a few mobile sites, each containing batteries capable of providing around 7.2 kilowatts per hour of energy.

Vodafone aims to scale the project to many more locations after conducting further tests in early 2025. The company has a network of around 85,000 radio base stations and more than 200 mobile core data centres spanning across nine countries. While each base station is different, and the battery capacity and quantity per site vary by country, there is substantial opportunity to use these assets more effectively, providing new innovative energy services beyond conventional mobile backup.

The main collaborators in the scheme being trialled in Czechia are third-party providers, energy aggregators and grid operators. Vodafone aims to pool the spare power from its batteries to offer these companies a flexible and resourceful alternative source of energy via the largest pan-European distributed energy storage system. In turn, Vodafone can switch quickly from the main grid to battery power during peak load times, using its own system to reduce its electricity bill.

As it is developed, Vodafone’s distributed energy storage system will also include the use of AI models to accurately forecast the amount of traffic that will be handled by a mobile site at specific times. This would enable Vodafone to better estimate the future energy consumption of that tower, and in turn intelligently apportion the precise amount of backup battery power available to feed into the grid balancing service.

Energy Trading and Grid Balancing

With the integration of flexible assets like Vodafone’s bank of batteries into the electricity value chain, the company could participate in various other markets such as energy trading and grid balancing. Also known as frequency regulation, this involves matching electricity consumption to electricity production in real-time. Vodafone can aid energy companies in avoiding congestion and peaks across the grid, as well as potentially lowering costs for all parties – both consumers and providers.

The concept of a distributed energy storage system is still in its infancy in the telecom sector and requires further validation. However, Vodafone’s pioneering work in Czechia demonstrates there are potential advantages once challenges such as high upfront investment costs are overcome, paving the way for broader adoption and significant benefits across the energy sector.

Adaptive Power Backup

In the second initiative, known as Adaptive Power Backup, Vodafone has developed an intelligent technique to remotely extend the base station battery backup time, potentially doubling it in certain scenarios. This could be critical in a disaster area where the main electricity supply is cut, extending access to mobile services for essential communications in the first hours of the disaster. The system, which is live in Greece and is being trialled in South Africa, works by remotely shutting down non-essential equipment or putting it into low-energy state (cell sleep mode) whilst leaving open crucial channels for emergency services, voice calls and text messages.

Using a remote ‘intelligent breaker’ (i-breaker), Vodafone extended the backup battery life at one site in Greece from 3.5 hours to 7.5 hours after triggering the service during a period of heavy traffic. The company also stretched the life of the same battery from 4.8 hours to 8 hours when mobile traffic was lighter. In both scenarios, Vodafone used the i-breaker to close non-essential traffic loads such as social media videos usually dispatched through high-capacity channels, whilst allowing all voice calls and messages to flow.

This solution means Vodafone can keep customers connected when it is most needed without additional batteries, which in some cases may not be possible due to limited space at the base station. The service may be invaluable in parts of Europe where the main electricity grid has been knocked out due to flooding or wildfires, and in some of Vodafone’s African markets which suffer from load shedding (planned electrical grid shutdowns to cope with demand).

Supporting Communities and Businesses

Both initiatives support Vodafone’s strategy of keeping customers connected whilst extending the use of its infrastructure to support wider communities and adjacent businesses. Applications that use Vodafone’s mobile stations for societal good are increasing, for example, sensors are attached to many of its masts to monitor air quality and weather conditions, and some have even securely hosted nesting Peregrine Falcons and other protected birds. The opportunities for innovation are limitless.