Dynamic point selection CoMP enabled hybrid powered green cellular networks

Integration of renewable energy (RE) harvester has emerged as a long-term solution for the next generation cellular networks for reducing their operational expenditures and CO₂ footprints. However, the dynamic nature of RE generation could lead to energy outage and service quality deterioration. Thus, utilization of commercial grid supply in conjunction with RE generators is a more realistic option for sustainable network operations. Therefore, this article proposes an energy-efficient hybrid framework for achieving envisaged green cellular networks. Under the proposed framework, each base station (BS) is equipped with on-site solar energy harvester as the primary energy source along with the traditional grid electricity supplying additional energy demand. Afterward, dynamic point selection type coordinated multi-point transmission technique is integrated for selecting the best serving BS for a user. A comprehensive investigation is carried out in the context of downlink LTE-A cellular networks for evaluating energy efficiency performance of the proposed framework.