Green Communication Networks
Energy consumption, energy efficiency, and sustainability remain current and relevant issues in our society. This not only extends to end devices of users, but every aspect of communication networks. Balancing the ever increasing demand for network usage, growing data volume, and number of end devices with sustainability is becoming an increasingly important topic. This research group is focused on defining metrics and models to enable the quantification of energy efficiency, sustainability, and Quality of Information in communication networks.
Modeling the energy consumption of key network components builds the foundation for determining the energy efficiency and sustainability of communication network infrastructure. Detailed energy consumption models enable the theoretical analysis of network configurations and are paramount to optimize the network for sustainability. Furthermore, it is essential to also consider Quality of Service, achieved Quality of Experience using networks, and Quality of Information of the transmitted data.
To evaluate the developed energy consumption, energy efficiency, and sustainability models, a representative, real world comparison is required. Continuously monitoring the network state and energy consumption together, allow for a detailed comparison between real systems and models, to determine the accuracy of the models. It is, however, key to impact the devices under test as little as possible to derive network quality as accurately as possible.
Current Projects
Sustainable Technologies for Advanced Resilient and Energy-Efficient Networks (SUSTAINET)
(January 2025 – December 2027)
This project proposes a holistic approach, integrating research in frictionless network performance, resilience, security, and sustainability to propel Europe towards a sustainable, technologically sovereign future.
Network Digital Twin Opportunities to Leverage Large-scale Infrastructures (N-DOLLI)
(January 2025 – December 2027)
The research project N-DOLLI aims to develop future-proof network management by integrating Network Management Systems (NMS) with Digital Twin Technology (NDT). This innovative combination enables precise analysis and optimization of complex communication systems to meet the increasing demands of digitalization.
Green and Energy Monitoring for Future Network Infrastructures enabling also Large Deployments (GREENFIELD)
(January 2024 – December 2026)
This project aims to define and measure energy efficiency and ecological sustainability for communication networks and assess the potential optimizations in existing networks and application scenarios.
