6G: The Green Network

One of the primary visions associated with 6G is the vision of the green 6G network. In this chapter, the ongoing efforts to achieve energy efficiency in future network generations will be discussed. At present, energy efficiency is already starting to take shape in 5G, but it is expected that it will only be with 6G that a truly green network will come into existence. The discussions in this chapter start with an expanded overview of the green communications concept. This is followed by an investigation of the historical wireless network consumption figures, research into present and envisioned techniques for energy efficiency in 5G and 6G networks respectively, as well as into the energy-saving contribution of the VLC that is proposed as an alternative to electromagnetic communication for 6G. The remainder of this chapter then looks at the most promising energy-harvesting, energy transfer and energy storage techniques for future networks.