Many people take smartphones for granted. They pick them up, make calls and explore the Internet with little thought as to how the whole process works. Those smartphones that so many of use have to have a system of radio waves in order to operate, and these waves are produced and relayed through base stations.
Currently, base stations have to be maintained at the proper temperature by a system of fans. However, Nokia has developed a new technology that will allow the bases to be cooled by a liquid cooling process. By using the new liquid cooling technology, fans and air-conditioning units are no longer required at base stations. This transformation in technology allows base stations to reduce their overall energy consumption by as much as 30 percent. Base stations using the liquid cooling technology can cut their emissions of greenhouse gases by almost 80 percent.
This isn’t the only benefit that Nokia has discovered with their new technology. The heat that is stored within the liquid coolant is able to be used elsewhere. Nokia developed a base station using their new technology in an apartment building located in Helsinki, Finland. The liquid technology kept the base station cool enough. Then, the trapped heat was used to provide heating for the residents of the apartment building.
By using the heat stored in the liquid coolant, the tenants in the building had a tremendous savings in their energy costs. The technology also helped to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions as no heating electricity was generated by the apartment dwellers.
Over the course of the next few years, it is believed that this new technology from Nokia will be used in many base stations across the world. They are many potential opportunities where new base stations can be linked to apartments or businesses in order to transfer heat and help meet energy needs.
Dil Bole Oberoi
