News Release

New design for mobile phone masts could cut carbon emissions

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

A breakthrough in the design of signal amplifiers for mobile phone masts could deliver a massive 200MW cut in the load on UK power stations, reducing CO2 emissions by around 0.5 million tonnes a year.

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Universities of Bristol and Cardiff have designed an amplifier that works at 50 per cent efficiency compared with the 30 per cent now typically achieved.

Currently, a 40W transmitter in a phone mast's base station* requires just over 130W of power to amplify signals and send them wirelessly to people's mobiles. The new design, however, enables the transmitter to work effectively while using just 80W of power.

If 10,000 base stations in the UK were fitted with the new amplifier, it is estimated that the total saving would amount to half the output of a mid-size, 400MW power station. There are currently around 50,000 phone mast base stations in the UK,** so the potential energy and carbon-saving benefits could be even greater.

The team's development of a less power-hungry amplifier has focused on devising sophisticated new computing algorithms for incorporation into its inbuilt electronic management system, as well as on making a number of adjustments to the amplifier hardware.

Dr Kevin Morris, project leader and Reader in Radio Frequency Engineering, Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering at the University of Bristol, said: "This new amplifier design represents a step change in energy efficiency that could make a really valuable contribution to meeting the UK's carbon reduction targets."

The team have also succeeded in simplifying the whole amplifier design process, which is of vital importance to encouraging widespread take-up of the project's findings.

"Traditionally, designing signal amplifiers for base stations has been a long, complex process involving a trial-and-error approach and producing one-off solutions," Dr Morris explained. "This has fuelled a reluctance to develop new amplifier designs. To get over that barrier, we've made it a priority to ensure our design is easily replicable."

The team are now working with a major electronics company to take some of the project's key findings towards commercialisation. Follow-up funding has also been secured through an Impact Acceleration Grant awarded by EPSRC.

Results from the project were presented at CeBIT 2014, a major trade fair for the digital industry held in Hanover, Germany.

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Notes to Editors:

An image is available to download from the link below. The image is for single-use only and should not be archived.

https://fluff.bris.ac.uk/fluff/u3/injf/1dwGrhYhP2ZQ8_wo7mIMcgK2N/
Caption: A signal amplifier
Credit Image courtesy of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Bristol, copyright © 2014 The project 'Holistic Design of Power Amplifiers for Future Wireless Systems' lasted 5.5 years and received total EPSRC funding of around £1.8 million.

* Base stations for mobile phone masts incorporate transmitters that are installed in a cabinet and connected to the antenna.

** Number of base stations in the UK (2011 estimate): http://www.mobilemastinfo.com/base-stations-and-masts/

For more information on CeBIT 2014, see http://www.cebit.de

For more information, contact:

Dr Kevin Morris, University of Bristol, Tel: 0117 954 5268, email: kevin.morris@bristol.ac.uk

For media enquiries contact:

Joanne Fryer, Press Officer, University of Bristol, Tel: (0117) 331 7276, mobile: 07747 768805, email joanne.fryer@bristol.ac.uk

OR

The EPSRC Press Office, Tel: 01793 444 404, e-mail: pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk

Notes to Editors:

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests around £800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK. http://www.epsrc.ac.uk


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