Strategic Utilization of Cellular Operator Energy Storage for Smart Grid Frequency Regulation

The innovative use of cellular operator energy storage enhances power grid resilience and efficiency. Traditionally used to ensure uninterrupted operation of cellular base stations (BSs) during grid outages, these storage can now dynamically participate in the energy flexibility market. This dual utilization enhances the economic viability of BS storage systems and supports sustainable energy management. In this paper, we explore the potential of BS storage for supporting grid ancillary services by allocating a portion of their capacity while ensuring Ultra Reliable Low Latency (URLLC) requirements, such as meeting delay and reliability requirements. This includes feeding BS stored energy back into the grid during high-demand periods or powering BSs to regulate grid frequency. We investigate the impacts of URLLC requirements on grid frequency regulation, formulating a joint resource allocation problem. This problem maximizes total revenues of cellular networks, considering both the total sum rate in the communication network and BS storage’ participation in frequency regulation, while considering battery aging and cycling constraints. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed framework significantly improves the power compensation capabilities of a cellular network while balancing communication and frequency regulation requirements. By optimizing reliability and delay parameters, the system enhances energy efficiency and contributes to the stability of the power grid.