Nokia claims the tech has the potential to help the Finnish operator reduce energy costs by 30% and cut CO2 by 80%.
According to the vendor, this is the first time a commercial 5G liquid cooling solution has been deployed anywhere in the world. The solution was developed by Nokia Bell Labs.
Typically about 90% of energy consumed by base stations is converted to waste heat, but the technology offers a heat re-use option hence the potentially dramatic in carbon production.
Liquid-cooled sites are silent, require zero maintenance, and can be 50% smaller and 30% lighter than standard active air conditioning units, Nokia claims.
Clear target
Sami Komulainen, Executive Vice President of Production at Elisa, said, “Elisa has set a clear target to be carbon neutral at the end of 2020. We also want to maintain our 5G leadership and continue to be amongst the top operators in the world to offer the wide benefits of this new technology to our customers.
“Innovations such as Nokia’s liquid cooling 5G base station demonstrate how 5G can help drive sustainability.”
Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, commented, “Now we have demonstrated the world’s first liquid-cooled AirScale 5G base station in commercial operations, making liquid cooling a reality for all network generations.
“This innovative solution supports operators in their quest to be more environmentally responsible while allowing them to achieve significant cost savings.”