• Energy Research

Next-generation cellular networks are large-scale systems composed of numerous base stations interacting with many diverse users. One of the main challenges with these networks is their high energy consumption due to the expected number of connected devices. We handle this issue with a coalitional Model Predictive Control (MPC) technique for the case of next-generation cellular networks powered by renewable energy sources. The proposed coalitional MPC approach is applied to two simulated scenarios and compared with other control methods: the traditional best-signal level mechanism, a heuristic algorithm, and decentralized and centralized MPC schemes. The success of the coalitional strategy is considered from an energy efficiency perspective, which means reducing on-grid consumption and improving network performance (e.g., number of users served and transmission rates).

In this paper, the user–base station (BS) association problem is addressed to reduce grid consumption in heterogeneous cellular networks (HetNets) powered by hybrid energy sources (grid and renewable energy). The paper proposes a novel distributed control scheme inspired by population games and designed considering both atomicity and non-anonymity – i.e., describing the individual decisions of each agent. The controller performance is considered from an energy–efficiency perspective, which requires the guarantee of appropriate qualityof-service (QoS) levels according to renewable energy availability. The efficiency of the proposed scheme is compared with other heuristic and optimal alternatives in two simulation scenarios. Simulation results show that the proposed approach inspired by population games reduces grid consumption by 12% when compared to the traditional best-signal-level association policy.