Powering green digitalization: Evidence from 5 G network infrastructure in China

While digitalization is changing the world, its impact on energy demand and carbon emission has been multifaceted. This study analyzes the sustainability challenges brought about by digital technology, represented by 5 G technology applications in China. We first estimate the CO2 emission results from the base stations and decompose the changes into four effects: terminal demand, data traffic, energy intensity, and emission factor. Data traffic is the dominant factor contributing to increasing CO2 emissions. The energy intensity decrease induced by technological advances significantly reduces the CO2 emissions. The effects of terminal demand and emission factor are negligible. We further project power consumption and CO2 emissions with mobile network upgrading to 5 G in 2025. The scenario analysis shows that policies to reduce energy intensity are expected to curb power demand and mitigate carbon emissions. Under certain technology pathways, it is possible to peak electricity demand and associated CO2 emissions in 2024. Our analysis suggests that promoting technology upgrading, energy management, and technology applications to obtain potential efficiency, as well as increasing penetration of advanced digital technology, would be effective measures towards green digitalization.

Automated summary

As digitalization continues to transform the world, it has diverse effects on energy demand and carbon emissions. This study focuses on the sustainability challenges brought about by digital technology, specifically in China's 5G technology applications. The research estimates the CO2 emissions from base stations and identifies four key factors contributing to changes in emissions: terminal demand, data traffic, energy intensity, and emission factor. Data traffic is found to be the dominant factor driving CO2 emissions, while technological advances in energy intensity significantly reduce emissions. The study also projects power consumption and CO2 emissions with the implementation of 5G technology in 2025, showing that policies aimed at reducing energy intensity can help mitigate power demand and carbon emissions. The analysis suggests that promoting technology upgrades, energy management, and the adoption of advanced digital technology are effective measures towards achieving sustainable digitalization.