Analytical Assessment of Energy Efficiency in 5G NR Base Stations Under Nigerian Tropical Climate Conditions

The energy consumption of 5G NR base station equipment in tropical climates such as Nigeria's poses a significant operational challenge for mobile network operators, as high ambient temperatures increase cooling load and accelerate hardware thermal aging, yet empirical performance data specific to Nigerian climatic conditions are absent from the published literature. This study analytically assessed energy efficiency of 5G NR active antenna units and base band units under Nigerian tropical climate conditions, combining field measurements with thermal simulation. Power consumption measurements were conducted on three commercial 5G NR AAUs (Ericsson AIR 6488, Nokia AirScale, and Huawei AAU5613) during a 90-day monitoring period at two base stations in Lagos Island and Abuja, spanning both dry season (ambient 38 to 44 degrees Celsius) and wet season (ambient 28 to 34 degrees Celsius) conditions. Results showed mean power consumption was 14.2 percent higher during dry season months compared to wet season measurements, attributed to increased cooling fan operation and internal power amplifier thermal derating. Energy efficiency metric (bits per joule) declined by 11.8 percent at peak dry season temperatures relative to rated conditions. Passive cooling augmentation using phase-change thermal buffers reduced dry season power overhead by 6.7 percent in a controlled experiment. A COMSOL thermal simulation model validated against field measurements achieved less than 5 percent error in predicting AAU junction temperatures. The study recommends network operators in northern Nigeria deploy increased passive cooling infrastructure to mitigate efficiency losses and provides a climate-adjusted energy efficiency baseline for Nigerian 5G deployment planning.