Next-Gen Green Networking: Fusing Power-over-Fiber and Solar Harvesting in 6G C-RAN scenarios

This paper presents a groundbreaking approach to energy management in 6G Cloud Radio Access Networks (C-RAN) by integrating Power-over-Fiber (PoF) and solar harvesting technologies to power-feed femtocells. We explore how these innovations can significantly enhance energy efficiency, performance, and sustainability in 6G networks. Our work introduces a smart green-energy management methodology, focusing on fusing PoF and solar harvesting sources, and evaluates their impact on network performance in terms of throughput and energy usage optimization. Through simulations, we demonstrate the potential of the usage of solar energy in reducing the carbon footprint of 6G C-RAN scenarios, while maintaining high levels of network reliability, availability, and performance under different weather conditions. Furthermore, simulation results show that the combination of femtocell feed-in of PoF and solar harvesting technologies serves up to 11,6% additional traffic throughput compared to no solar harvesting, harnessing up to 6.7
^%
additional green energy in the femtocells. This research paves the way for more sustainable and efficient 6G wireless networks.