Optimal Energy Management of Data Centers Considering the Synergy of Computing Power and Thermal Power Flexibility

With the rapid development of the digital economy, data centers have become an important part of electricity consumption. The diversity of data processing demands and the large amount of electricity used by computing and cooling may result in high energy consumption problems and can provide flexibility for the scheduling of data center operations. Therefore, the operation strategy that considers both computing power and thermal power flexibility can effectively improve energy efficiency and enhance the economy of data center operation. This paper proposes an optimal energy management strategy of data centers considering the synergy of computing power and thermal power flexibility. Firstly, the factors such as flexible load dispatch, cooling system temperature variations and thermal inertia in hot and cold aisles are taken into consideration, and collaborative modeling of information technology (IT) and cooling equipment is implemented. Secondly, the models are linearized to make it easy to solve. Finally, the energy management of data center based on the synergy of flexibility is realized, thereby reducing energy consumption and cost. The numerical results in case study validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.