Planning of Distributed Internet Data Center Microgrids
Wenbo Qi, Jie Li, Yaoqing Liu, Chen Liu · IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid · 2017
This paper proposed an optimal planning model for locational distributed Internet data centers' (IDCs) computing and power supply infrastructures-IDC microgrids. The objective is to determine the optimal IDC sites, microgrid types (i.e., ac, dc, or Hybrid), IDC server types (ac or dc) and capacities, as well as onsite distributed energy resource types and capacities of each site to be built, under a single decision criterion - economics. The overall planning cost including investment cost, operation cost, and reliability cost associated with the IDC microgrid installation and operation is minimized. Both the long term investment and short term operation details of distributed data center microgrids are studied and modeled in the proposed integrated planning problem. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model over a 4-year planning horizon considering the evolution of data center servers. Factors which may impact the planning decisions are analyzed through a set of detailed sensitivity analysis.