Telecom operators could turn idle backup batteries at base stations into revenue-generating energy assets by adding AI-managed storage, according to a sponsored feature from ZTE.
The feature says telecom networks are major electricity consumers, with the International Energy Agency (IEA) putting telecom network consumption at 260 to 360 TWh annually in 2022, up to 1.5 percent of global electricity use, with mobile comms accounting for two thirds of the total.
ZTE's proposed system uses an integrated full-stack energy storage solution, including a 261 kWh cabinet BESS for edge data centers and core sites, and a containerized BESS that can be cascaded to form systems from tens of MW to hundreds of MW. The company says its AI-driven energy management system can optimise charge and discharge strategies based on real-time electricity prices, weather forecasts and other signals.
Potential revenue routes include arbitrage via peak-valley electricity price differences, grid demand response and frequency regulation subsidies, as well as green energy certificates and CCER carbon trading. ZTE also says its system has an overall efficiency of over 90 percent and can replace traditional backup power sources such as diesel generators in some scenarios.
The feature notes that the IEA predicts total datacenter energy consumption will double between 2025 and 2030 to 950 TWh, and that AI datacenter consumption alone will triple over the same period.