Carbon-Aware Orchestration of Integrated Satellite Aerial Terrestrial Networks via Digital Twin
This work addresses carbon emissions for large-scale ISATNs in 6G applications like autonomous transportation and IoT, building incrementally on prior energy-aware studies.
The paper tackles the problem of unsustainable energy use and carbon emissions in Integrated Satellite Aerial Terrestrial Networks (ISATNs) by proposing a carbon-aware orchestration framework using Digital Twin technology, achieving up to 29% lower grams of CO2-equivalent per bit compared to QoS-only orchestration in simulations with real data.
Integrated Satellite Aerial Terrestrial Networks (ISATNs) are envisioned as key enablers of 6G, providing global connectivity for applications such as autonomous transportation, Industrial IoT, and disaster response. Their large-scale deployment, however, risks unsustainable energy use and carbon emissions. This work advances prior energy-aware studies by proposing a carbon-aware orchestration framework for ISATNs that leverages Digital Twin (DT) technology. The framework adopts grams of CO$_2$-equivalent per bit (gCO$_2$/bit) as a primary sustainability metric and implements a multi timescale Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) loop that combines day-ahead forecasting with real-time adaptive optimization. ISATN-specific control knobs, including carbon-aware handovers, UAV duty cycling, and renewable-aware edge placement, are exploited to reduce emissions. Simulation results with real carbon intensity data show up to 29\% lower gCO$_2$/bit than QoS-only orchestration, while improving renewable utilization and resilience under adverse events.