Energy cooperation has the potential to transform wireless communication networks towards sustainable operation. By envisioning network devices that are not only energy harvesting from natural sources, but also from one another by means of energy transfer, overall network lifetime can be significantly extended with reliable operation and without relying on the power grid. Initial research studies in energy cooperation have assumed altruistic network nodes, willing to transfer their energy to others to sustain their operations. This project adopts a more realistic viewpoint where nodes would participate in energy cooperation to improve network performance when their actions simultaneously improve their individual performance.
This project aims to develop communication and networking mechanisms for next generation networks where nodes are engaged in energy cooperation. In particular, the project focuses on the strategic decision making framework that results in mechanisms to incentivize nodes to participate in such energy cooperating networks. The project consists of two trusts: incentivizing signal and energy cooperation and network formation via energy cooperation. The intellectual merit of the project includes combining techniques from optimization theory, game theory, communication theory, wireless networking and information theory to design energy-sustainable network operation and network formation schemes, physical layer cooperation and energy cooperation schemes. The broader impacts of the project include enabling green operation of wireless networks with longer network lifetimes, and educational broader impacts such as dissemination of research results in the form of tutorials, survey articles, lectures.
