Industry Talk 1: Workshop

Net-zero energy systems have become central to the global sustainability policy, aiming to address the climate crisis. At the same time addressing the digital divide and offering connectivity in the developing world has been acknowledged as a key enabler for development, education and financial prosperity. While the issue of energy efficiency (EE) has been a key research topic for wireless communication for more than a decade, EE alone does not enable the reach of wireless networks beyond the reach of the power grid. Energy autonomous and portable networks are acknowledged as a key enabling technology, and while there has been certain consensus on the importance of their use-cases (remote areas, emergency communications, connectivity in the developing world, etc) and related business opportunities, there are still several key challenges that must be addressed before such technological and commercial promises can be kept. Net-zero energy communications are key to i) enable 100% coverage in urban environments in a power-efficient manner ii) connect the remaining 3+ billion in areas with limited power grid infrastructure, iii) address network provisioning in emergency and disaster areas, and iv) materialize the identified global sustainability challenges and the climate crisis. This workshop aims at bringing together academic and industrial researchers, showcase key results in the area, and identify and discuss the major technical challenges, recent breakthroughs, and new applications related to energy autonomous communications towards a net-zero energy operation.