Data centres have large power requirements but they could provide more flexibility than demand, according to a new study from BloombergNEF (BNEF) in partnership with Eaton and Statkraft.
Large data centres in the UK, Germany, Ireland, Norway and the Netherlands are projected to have power demand of at least 5.4GW in 2030 and possibly 7GW, up from 3GW at the end of 2021,
but by using their on-site uninterruptible power supply (UPS), back-up generation, back-up batteries and load-shifting – including exporting power – they could provide 16.9GW of flexibility, according tp the study, Data Centers and Decarbonization: Unlocking Flexibility in Europe’s Data Centers.
Michael Kenefick, lead author of the report and decentralized energy analyst at BNEF, commented: “Data centres can be part of the solution for achieving higher renewable energy penetrations in Europe. Their on-site energy resources, such as uninterruptible power supplies and back-up generators, could in future be brought to bear to help support the grid. And computing tasks could also be shifted to times – or locations – of high wind and solar resource.”
Battery UPS systems appear to be the most promising source of flexibility in the immediate term. Because they can provide fast frequency response (FFR). The report says that In the UK, Ireland and Norway, data center UPS systems could be more than enough to meet total FFR needs.
However, the report finds that data-center operators remain hesitant to bring these resources to bear to support the power system, citing service-level agreements with customers, a lack of visibility and transparency on the benefits of providing flexibility, and a lack of know-how. For this reason, BNEF estimates that only 3.8GW of flexibility might materialize from data centers in these markets by 2030.
Karina Rigby, president, Critical Systems, Electrical Sector at Eaton in EMEA, said: “Data center facilities are unique and comparable to microgrids in the opportunities they offer through their computing power and physical infrastructure, particularly the vast amounts of battery energy storage attached to their existing back-up power systems. This study highlights the huge untapped potential of data center flexibility to deliver economic, regulatory and climate benefits. We are calling on grid operators, regulators, data center operators and users to collaborate to unlock data centers’ grid stabilization technology.”
Read the report here
Computing for home heating?
The Welsh Government’s Inward Investment team has backed Thermify Cloud, a low-carbon heating system that uses the waste heat from a bank of computers in household heating systems.
The company’s first heating system production assembly will be set up at the Sony UK Technology Centre at Pencoed, near Bridgend. The company plans to employ up to 30 people and produce 1,000 Thermify HeatHub units in its first year.
Thermify’s HeatHub system deploys a bank of computers in the householder’s home and uses it to provide hot water and heat. Thermify generates revenue by using the computers for cloud computing for a variety of customers, and pays for the renewable electricity used to power the computers. The waste heat from the computer bank heats the home.
The company says it aims to produce 40,000 HeatHub units per annum within the next 3-5 years.