MultiGreen: Cost-Minimizing Multi-source Datacenter Power Supply with Online Control

Session 4: Data Center Energy ManagementFulltext of the conference paper in: http://conferences.sigcomm.org/eenergy/2013/papers/p13.pdfFaced by soaring power cost, large footprint of carbon emis- sion and unpredictable power outage, more and more mod- ern Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) begin to mitigate these challenges by equipping their Datacenter Power Supply Sys- tem (DPSS) with multiple sources: (1) smart grid with time- varying electricity prices, (2) uninterrupted power supply (UPS) of finite capacity, and (3) intermittent green or re- newable energy. It remains a significant challenge how to operate among multiple power supply sources in a comple- mentary manner, to deliver reliable energy to datacenter users over time, while minimizing a CSP’s operational cost over the long run. This paper proposes an efficient, online control algorithm for DPSS, called MultiGreen. MultiGreen is based on an innovative two-timescale Lyapunov optimiza- tion technique. Without requiring a priori knowledge of system statistics, MultiGreen allows CSPs to make online decisions on purchasing grid energy at two time scales (in the long-term market and in the real-time market), leveraging renewable energy, and opportunistically charging and dis- charging UPS, in order to fully leverage the available green energy and low electricity prices at times for minimum op- erational cost. Our detailed analysis and trace-driven sim- ulations based on one-month real-world data have demon- strated the optimality (in terms of the tradeoff between min- imization of DPSS operational cost and satisfaction of data- center availability) and stability (performance guarantee in cases of fluctuating energy demand and supply) of Multi- Green

Towards Carbon-Free Electricity: A Flow-Based Framework for Power Grid Carbon Accounting and Decarbonization

This paper introduces a comprehensive framework aimed at advancing research and policy development in the realm of decarbonization within electric power systems. The framework focuses on three key aspects: carbon accounting, carbon-aware decision-making, and carbon-electricity market design. It addresses existing problems, methods, and proposes solutions. In contrast to traditional pool-based emissions models, our framework proposes a novel flow-based emissions model. This model incorporates the underlying physical power grid and power flows, allowing for accurate carbon accounting at both temporal and spatial scales. This, in turn, facilitates informed decision-making to achieve grid decarbonization goals. The framework is built on a flow-based accounting methodology and utilizes the carbon-aware optimal power flow (C-OPF) technique as a theoretical foundation for decarbonization decision-making. Additionally, the paper explores the potential design of carbon-electricity markets and pricing mechanisms to incentivize decentralized decarbonization actions. The critical issues of data availability, infrastructure development, and considerations of fairness and equity are also discussed. This paper seeks to advance scholarly understanding and foster progress toward achieving sustainable and carbon-free electric power systems

Energy Portfolio Optimization of Data Centers

Data centers have diverse options to procure electricity. However, the current literature on exploiting these options is very fractured. Specifically, it is still not clear how utilizing one energy option may affect selecting other energy options. To address this open problem, we propose a unified energy portfolio optimization framework that takes into consideration a broad range of energy choices for data centers. Despite the complexity and nonlinearity of the original models, the proposed analysis boils down to solving tractable linear mixed-integer stochastic programs. Using experimental electricity market and Internet workload data, various insightful numerical observations are reported. It is shown that the key to link different energy options with different short- and long-term profit characteristics is to conduct risk management at different time horizons. Also, there is a direct relationship between data centers' service-level agreement parameters and their ability to exploit certain energy options. The use of on-site storage and the deployment of geographical workload distribution can particularly help data centers in utilizing high-risk energy choices, such as offering ancillary services or participating in wholesale electricity markets

Dynamic Pricing, Advanced Metering, and Demand Response in Electricity Markets

Presents an overview and analysis of the possible approaches to bringing an active demand side into electricity markets. Part of a series of research reports that examines energy issues facing California

Online Linear Optimization with Inventory Management Constraints

This paper considers the problem of online linear optimization with inventory management constraints. Specifically, we consider an online scenario where a decision maker needs to satisfy her timevarying demand for some units of an asset, either from a market with a time-varying price or from her own inventory. In each time slot, the decision maker is presented a (linear) price and must immediately decide the amount to purchase for covering the demand and/or for storing in the inventory for future use. The inventory has a limited capacity and can be used to buy and store assets at low price and cover the demand when the price is high. The ultimate goal of the decision maker is to cover the demand at each time slot while minimizing the cost of buying assets from the market. We propose ARP, an online algorithm for linear programming with inventory constraints, and ARPRate, an extended version that handles rate constraints to/from the inventory. Both ARP and ARPRate achieve optimal competitive ratios, meaning that no other online algorithm can achieve a better theoretical guarantee. To illustrate the results, we use the proposed algorithms in a case study focused on energy procurement and storage management strategies for data centers