CyberSEES:Type 1: Integrated Management of Data Centers, Electric Grid, and Transportation for Cyber-Enabled Sustainability

Ohio State University, The, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

The future power grid features advanced sensing capabilities, increased level of automation, and faster information exchange enabled by digital communications. With this modernized infrastructure system, energy consumption and management across different sectors are inherently interlinked. This creates abundant new opportunities to coordinate different types of energy consumption for maximized societal benefits. This project is motivated by these opportunities, and seeks to develop an integrated energy management framework to jointly manage power consumption in data centers with other energy consumers surrounding the data center, such as electric vehicles and residential loads. The framework will be developed based on advanced feedback control theory and optimal control theory. The goal is to reduce electricity cost and environmental impacts of the integrated system, and to enable the system to provide green frequency regulation service to the grid to support high penetration of renewable energy resources. This project is an early example of how to explore the deep interdependencies between data center power consumption and other nearby energy consumers. Its novelty lies in investigating the potential of using data centers, along with other assets, to jointly provide frequency regulation services to the grid. This will lead to much lower emissions than the traditional approach which is mainly based on coal and natural gas fired generators. The project will also involve a number of education and outreach activities such as participation of undergraduate and under-represented students in research, inclusion of research results into courses, and the involvement of high school students.