Low-carbon upgrading to China's communications base stations for economic profits and additional environmental and public health benefits

Yanjia Wang; Yining Xie; Guangyi Shao; Pengfei Zhao; Da Xie; Tong Liu; Chenghong Gu; Shuangqi Li; Chen Shi; Yanchi Zhang; Xitian Wang; Yang Wu; Qi Wang; Yuhui Wang; Zhen Wang; Lin Huang

doi:10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100492

Low-carbon upgrading to China's communications base stations for economic profits and additional environmental and public health benefits

Yanjia Wang, Yining Xie, Guangyi Shao, Pengfei Zhao, Da Xie, Tong Liu, Chenghong Gu, Shuangqi Li, Chen Shi, Yanchi Zhang, Xitian Wang, Yang Wu, Qi Wang, Yuhui Wang, Zhen Wang, Lin Huang

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

It is important for China's communications industry to reduce its reliance on grid-powered systems to lower base station energy costs and meet national carbon targets. This study examines three provincial scenarios for 2030, reflecting diverse power demands and low-carbon infrastructure trajectories. We optimize the power supply configuration for communication base stations to minimize construction and electricity expenses nationwide. The results show that low-carbon upgrades can achieve cost recovery within 4.20 years, with an estimated annual profit of 57.356 billion renminbi (RMB). Additionally, we assess environmental and health benefits, revealing substantial reductions in carbon and pollutant emissions. Compared with 2021, a full upgrade by 2030 could prevent over 72,000 cases of lung disease and more than 490,000 instances of anxiety each year. These outcomes demonstrate that upgrading to low-carbon base stations not only ensures economic feasibility but also delivers significant environmental and public health benefits, reinforcing the strategic value of decarbonizing China's communication infrastructure.

Original language	English
Article number	100492
Number of pages	16
Journal	Cell Reports Sustainability
Early online date	1 Sept 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100492
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 1 Sept 2025

Data Availability Statement

• Data on PM2.5 concentrations in China are from the Atmospheric
Composition Analysis Group.62
• Solar radiation data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).63
• Disease data were obtained from GBD 2019 Risk Factors Collaborators.64
• Population and economic data for each province were obtained from
the National Bureau of Statistics of the People’s Republic of China.65
• The original code are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.
29434463.
• Any additional information required to reanalyze the data reported in this
paper is available from the lead contact upon request.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Center for High-Performance Computing at Shanghai Jiao Tong University for computing resources. Some of the component designs in the images are from images on Flaticon.com. The communication base station data were provided by the China Telecom Corporation Anhui Branch.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (no. 2021YFB2401200).

Keywords

carbon emissions reduction
communication base stations
energy efficiency in base stations
energy optimization
environmental and health benefits
low-carbon upgrades
sustainability in telecommunications

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Ecology
Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
Water Science and Technology

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100492Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

Wang, Y., Xie, Y., Shao, G., Zhao, P., Xie, D., Liu, T., Gu, C., Li, S., Shi, C., Zhang, Y., Wang, X., Wu, Y., Wang, Q., Wang, Y., Wang, Z., & Huang, L. (2025). Low-carbon upgrading to China's communications base stations for economic profits and additional environmental and public health benefits. Cell Reports Sustainability, Article 100492. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100492

@article{88489a61e39c40f4806ed8a311ea85ed,

title = "Low-carbon upgrading to China's communications base stations for economic profits and additional environmental and public health benefits",

abstract = "It is important for China's communications industry to reduce its reliance on grid-powered systems to lower base station energy costs and meet national carbon targets. This study examines three provincial scenarios for 2030, reflecting diverse power demands and low-carbon infrastructure trajectories. We optimize the power supply configuration for communication base stations to minimize construction and electricity expenses nationwide. The results show that low-carbon upgrades can achieve cost recovery within 4.20 years, with an estimated annual profit of 57.356 billion renminbi (RMB). Additionally, we assess environmental and health benefits, revealing substantial reductions in carbon and pollutant emissions. Compared with 2021, a full upgrade by 2030 could prevent over 72,000 cases of lung disease and more than 490,000 instances of anxiety each year. These outcomes demonstrate that upgrading to low-carbon base stations not only ensures economic feasibility but also delivers significant environmental and public health benefits, reinforcing the strategic value of decarbonizing China's communication infrastructure.",

keywords = "carbon emissions reduction, communication base stations, energy efficiency in base stations, energy optimization, environmental and health benefits, low-carbon upgrades, sustainability in telecommunications",

author = "Yanjia Wang and Yining Xie and Guangyi Shao and Pengfei Zhao and Da Xie and Tong Liu and Chenghong Gu and Shuangqi Li and Chen Shi and Yanchi Zhang and Xitian Wang and Yang Wu and Qi Wang and Yuhui Wang and Zhen Wang and Lin Huang",

year = "2025",

month = sep,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100492",

language = "English",

journal = "Cell Reports Sustainability",

issn = "2949-7906",

publisher = "Cell Press",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Low-carbon upgrading to China's communications base stations for economic profits and additional environmental and public health benefits

AU - Wang, Yanjia

AU - Xie, Yining

AU - Shao, Guangyi

AU - Zhao, Pengfei

AU - Xie, Da

AU - Liu, Tong

AU - Gu, Chenghong

AU - Li, Shuangqi

AU - Shi, Chen

AU - Zhang, Yanchi

AU - Wang, Xitian

AU - Wu, Yang

AU - Wang, Qi

AU - Wang, Yuhui

AU - Wang, Zhen

AU - Huang, Lin

PY - 2025/9/1

Y1 - 2025/9/1

N2 - It is important for China's communications industry to reduce its reliance on grid-powered systems to lower base station energy costs and meet national carbon targets. This study examines three provincial scenarios for 2030, reflecting diverse power demands and low-carbon infrastructure trajectories. We optimize the power supply configuration for communication base stations to minimize construction and electricity expenses nationwide. The results show that low-carbon upgrades can achieve cost recovery within 4.20 years, with an estimated annual profit of 57.356 billion renminbi (RMB). Additionally, we assess environmental and health benefits, revealing substantial reductions in carbon and pollutant emissions. Compared with 2021, a full upgrade by 2030 could prevent over 72,000 cases of lung disease and more than 490,000 instances of anxiety each year. These outcomes demonstrate that upgrading to low-carbon base stations not only ensures economic feasibility but also delivers significant environmental and public health benefits, reinforcing the strategic value of decarbonizing China's communication infrastructure.

AB - It is important for China's communications industry to reduce its reliance on grid-powered systems to lower base station energy costs and meet national carbon targets. This study examines three provincial scenarios for 2030, reflecting diverse power demands and low-carbon infrastructure trajectories. We optimize the power supply configuration for communication base stations to minimize construction and electricity expenses nationwide. The results show that low-carbon upgrades can achieve cost recovery within 4.20 years, with an estimated annual profit of 57.356 billion renminbi (RMB). Additionally, we assess environmental and health benefits, revealing substantial reductions in carbon and pollutant emissions. Compared with 2021, a full upgrade by 2030 could prevent over 72,000 cases of lung disease and more than 490,000 instances of anxiety each year. These outcomes demonstrate that upgrading to low-carbon base stations not only ensures economic feasibility but also delivers significant environmental and public health benefits, reinforcing the strategic value of decarbonizing China's communication infrastructure.

KW - carbon emissions reduction

KW - communication base stations

KW - energy efficiency in base stations

KW - energy optimization

KW - environmental and health benefits

KW - low-carbon upgrades

KW - sustainability in telecommunications

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105020776968

U2 - 10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100492

DO - 10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100492

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105020776968

SN - 2949-7906

JO - Cell Reports Sustainability

JF - Cell Reports Sustainability

M1 - 100492

ER -

Low-carbon upgrading to China's communications base stations for economic profits and additional environmental and public health benefits

Abstract

Data Availability Statement

Acknowledgements

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this