ZTE turns telecom sites into AI-powered energy nodes to stabilize grids
New full-stack systems allow operators to optimize energy costs and offset rising AI power demand through Virtual Power Plants.
ZTE Digital Energy has launched a full-stack, AI-powered energy storage system that transforms idle telecom backup power into active energy nodes. The technology allows operators to shift from passive energy consumers to active participants in the power grid.
The system integrates battery energy storage (BESS), liquid cooling, and AI-driven management to optimize charging and discharging cycles based on real-time weather patterns and electricity pricing. According to company data, the integrated solution achieves an overall efficiency of over 90% and is capable of replacing diesel generators in specific deployment scenarios. The technology is currently being rolled out across Europe, with implementations in Italy, Austria, Romania, and Finland, as well as by Türkiye Telecom.
The pressure of AI demand
This shift comes as the global energy landscape faces unprecedented pressure from the expansion of 5G and artificial intelligence. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that total datacenter energy consumption will double between 2025 and 2030, reaching 950 TWh. More specifically, the IEA expects energy consumption driven by AI datacenters to triple within that same window.
Historically, telecom operators relied on basic backup batteries and generators that remained dormant until a power failure occurred. By integrating AI and advanced BESS, these assets are converted into Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) that can manage peak loads and integrate renewable energy sources more effectively.
Economic and environmental impact
Turning infrastructure into "prosumer" nodes allows companies to offset soaring electricity costs through frequency regulation, carbon trading, and peak-valley arbitrage. A primary example of this transition is Türkiye Telecom, which is implementing a 128MWp solar power plant in Sivas. The project is expected to produce 196GWh of energy, covering 15% of the operator's total consumption and reducing carbon emissions by 88,000 tons.
Kong Peng, vice president of ZTE Digital Energy, noted that conventional energy storage systems often suffer from compounded energy losses, inefficient joint debugging, and ambiguous accountability because they are typically assembled from components sourced across multiple vendors using heterogeneous protocols.
The path to zero-carbon
As the industry moves toward zero-carbon industrial parks and remote microgrids, the ability to stabilize the grid while reducing operational expenditure becomes a competitive necessity. The deployment of these AI-managed systems suggests a broader trend where critical communications infrastructure serves as a stabilizer for the wider energy ecosystem.
Industry observers will now be watching for the scalability of these VPP models across other European markets and whether the efficiency gains are sufficient to fully decouple datacenter growth from increased carbon footprints.