Content for  TR 22.882  Word version:  19.3.0

Climate change caused by excessive emissions of GHG (Green House Gas, e.g., carbon dioxide) due to human activity (e.g., burning fossil fuels for electricity generation) is the main driver to climate change, which poses a significant threat to society and the environment. Toward the goal of carbon neutrality, it is important to reduce the GHG incl. carbon emissions in the first place rather than offset them later. Recent advancements in cellular technologies (e.g., 5GS) that enable a wide range of applications has led to an explosive growth of service demands in networks. ICT sector is expected to account for 20% of the global energy consumption by 2040. 3GPP plays a crucial role in the ICT sector to enable the deployment of these technologies on a global scale and therefore must also play a central role in enabling a sustainable future. One key approach for telecom operators to reduce their carbon footprint is utilizing more renewable energy (e.g., solar, wind) that does not release carbon dioxide when producing electricity. The energy used by network can be from varied energy with different related levels of environmental impact incl. GHG emissions. Due to the highly variable and unpredictable nature of renewable energy sources, the supply of renewable energy varies substantially by time and location. In the following use case, telecom operator provides communication service with carbon-aware requirements considering the ratio of renewable energy and the subscriber's preferences.

Eva watches videos during the commute. She receives 5G service from the mobile network operator A. The 5G system operated by operator A is powered by both of renewable energy (e.g., solar energy) and non-renewable energy (e.g., coal). The ratio of renewable energy measures the ratio of the power that is used from renewable energy sources as a percentage of total power usage in a given time unit. Calculation of ratio of renewable energy is done by means of averaging or applying a statistical model. The operator A offers a "green communication service option", in which the service has adaptable QoS levels considering the ratio of renewable energy and the subscriber's preferences, e.g., the operator A can provide a communication service with bit rate of 30Mbps and low ratio of renewable energy, which can be adapted to the service with bit rate is 10Mbps when high ratio of renewable energy is more desirable to the subscriber. The operator A monitors the supply of renewables for its 5G system and adjust the operation of communication services. Following the pre-agreed QoS requirements with a subscriber, the operator A adjusts the communication services based on the supply of renewable energy. Eva loves our planet, so she subscribes the optional green communication service. Therefore, the operator can determine to use a higher latency but greener network function entities (e.g., located in a faraway but powered by 80%+ renewable energy large scale computing/communication center) to provide services to Eva.

1. During the commute between the home and the workplace, Eva watches videos via 5GS operated by operator A.
2. Eva subscribes the green communication service option provided by operator A. Following the pre-agreed QoS requirements with Eva, the operator A adjusts the communication services based on the supply of renewable energy. That is, Eva is satisfied with all the adapted QoS levels based on this agreement when watching videos.
3. The operator A monitors the supply of renewables for its 5GS, i.e., the ratio of renewable energy (i.e., the ratio of the power that is used from renewable energy sources as a percentage of total power usage).
4. During the daytime, since solar power of a remote computing/communication center is plentiful, Eva gets video streaming with bit rate of 10Mbps, and the service provided by operator A has 40% for the ratio of renewable energy.
5. During the busy evening time, since the supply of solar power is decreasing, Eva gets video streaming with bit rate of 25Mbps, and the service provided by operator A has 10% for the ratio of renewable energy.
6. By "green communication service option" provided by operator A, the service requested by Eva use renewable as much as possible and Eva is still satisfied with the video content.

Eva can enjoy communication service with the satisfied quality of service while protecting our beautiful planet.

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[PR.5.15.6-1]