Patent Application
20200091766
This specification relates to a system for controlling the use of “behind-the-meter” power.
The price for power distributed through regional and national electric power grids is composed of Generation, Administration, and Transmission & Distribution (“T&D”) costs. T&D costs are a significant portion of the overall price paid by consumers for electricity. T&D costs include capital costs (land, equipment, substations, wire, etc.), electrical transmission losses, and operation and maintenance costs. Electrical power is typically generated at local stations (e.g., coal, natural gas, nuclear, and renewable sources) in the Medium Voltage class of 2.4 kVAC to 69 kVAC before being converted in an AC-AC step up transformer to High Voltage at 115 kVAC or above. T&.D costs are accrued at the point the generated power leaves the local station and is converted to High Voltage electricity for transmission onto the grid.
Local station operators are paid a variable market price for the amount of power leaving the local station and entering the grid. However, grid stability requires that a balance exist between the amount of power entering the grid and the amount of power used from the grid. Grid stability and congestion is the responsibility of the grid operator and grid operators take steps, including curtailment, to reduce power supply from local stations when necessary. Frequently, the market price paid for generated power will be decreased in order to disincentivize local stations from generating power. In some cases, the market price will go negative, resulting in a cost to local station operators who continue to supply power onto a grid. Grid operators may sometimes explicitly direct a local station operator to reduce or stop the amount of power the local station is supplying to the grid.
Power market fluctuations, power system conditions such as power factor fluctuation or local station startup and testing, and operational directives resulting in reduced or discontinued generation all can have disparate effects on renewal energy generators and can occur multiple times in a day and last for indeterminate periods of time. Curtailment, in particular, is particularly problematic.
According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Technical Report TP-6A20-60983 (March 2014):
[C]urtailment [is] a reduction in the output of a generator from what it could otherwise produce given available resources (e.g., wind or sunlight), typically on an involuntary basis. Curtailments can result when operators or utilities command wind and solar generators to reduce output to minimize transmission congestion or otherwise manage the system or achieve the optimal mix of resources. Curtailment of wind and solar resources typically occurs because of transmission congestion or lack of transmission access, but it can also occur for reasons such as excess generation during low load periods that could cause baseload generators to reach minimum generation thresholds, because of voltage or interconnection issues, or to maintain frequency requirements, particularly for small, isolated grids. Curtailment is one among many tools to maintain system energy balance, which can also include grid capacity, hydropower and thermal generation, demand response, storage, and institutional changes. Deciding which method to use is primarily a matter of economics and operational practice.
“Curtailment” today does not necessarily mean what it did in the early 2000s. Two sea changes in the electric sector have shaped curtailment practices since that time: the utility-scale deployment of wind power, which has no fuel cost, and the evolution of wholesale power markets. These simultaneous changes have led to new operational challenges but have also expanded the array of market-based tools for addressing them.
Practices vary significantly by region and market design. In places with centrally-organized wholesale power markets and experience with wind power, manual wind energy curtailment processes are increasingly being replaced by transparent offer-based market mechanisms that base dispatch on economics. Market protocols that dispatch generation based on economics can also result in renewable energy plants generating less than what they could potentially produce with available wind or sunlight. This is often referred to by grid operators by other terms, such as “downward dispatch.” In places served primarily by vertically integrated utilities, power purchase agreements (PPAs) between the utility and the wind developer increasingly contain financial provisions for curtailment contingencies.
Some reductions in output are determined by how a wind operator values dispatch versus non-dispatch. Other curtailments of wind are determined by the grid operator in response to potential reliability events. Still other curtailments result from overdevelopment of wind power in transmission-constrained areas.
Dispatch below maximum output (curtailment) can be more of an issue for wind and solar generators than it is for fossil generation units because of differences in their cost structures. The economics of wind and solar generation depend on the ability to generate electricity whenever there is sufficient sunlight or wind to power their facilities. Because wind and solar generators have substantial capital costs but no fuel costs (i.e., minimal variable costs), maximizing output improves their ability to recover capital costs. In contrast, fossil generators have higher variable costs, such as fuel costs. Avoiding these costs can, depending on the economics of a specific generator, to some degree reduce the financial impact of curtailment, especially if the generator's capital costs are included in a utility's rate base.
Curtailment may result in available energy being wasted (which may not be true to the same extent for fossil generation units which can simply reduce the amount of fuel that is being used). With wind generation, in particular, it may also take some time for a wind farm to become fully operational following curtailment. As such, until the time that the wind farm is fully operational, the wind farm may not be operating with optimum efficiency and/or may not be able to provide power to the grid.
In one embodiment, a system includes an energy storage unit configured to receive and store power from a power generation unit. The power generation unit generates power on an intermittent basis. The system further includes a flexible datacenter. The flexible datacenter includes a behind-the-meter power input system configured to receive power from the power generation unit and the energy storage unit, a power distribution system, a datacenter control system, and a plurality of computing systems. The datacenter control system is configured to modulate power delivery to the plurality of computing systems based on one or more monitored power system conditions or an operational directive.
In another embodiment, a method includes determining that a flexible datacenter ramp-up condition is met, and based on the determination that the flexible datacenter ramp-up condition is met, (a) selecting one or more behind-the-meter energy sources from a group of two or more behind-the-meter energy sources for behind-the-meter power delivery to one or more computing systems in a flexible datacenter, (b) enabling behind-the-meter power delivery from the one or more selected behind-the-meter energy sources to the one or more computing systems in the flexible datacenter, and (c) directing the one or more computing systems in the flexible datacenter to perform computational operations.
Other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims.
One or more embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures. For consistency, like elements in the various figures are denoted by like reference numerals. In the following detailed description of the present invention, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. In other instances, well-known features to one having ordinary skill in the art are not described to avoid obscuring the description of the present invention.
The embodiments provided herein relate to providing an electrical load “behind the meter” at local stations such that generated power can be directed to the behind-the-meter load instead of onto the grid, typically for intermittent periods of time. “Behind-the-meter” power includes power that is received from a power generation system (for instance, but not limited to, a wind or solar power generation system) prior to the power undergoing step-up transformation to High Voltage class AC power for transmission to the grid. Behind-the-meter power may therefore include power drawn directly from an intermittent grid-scale power generation system (e.g. a wind farm or a solar array) and not from the grid.
The embodiments herein provide an advantage when, for example, the power system conditions exhibit excess local power generation at a local station level, excess local power generation that a grid cannot receive, local power generation that is subject to economic curtailment, local power generation that is subject to reliability curtailment, local power generation that is subject to power factor correction, low local power generation, start up local power generation situations, transient local power generation situations, conditions where the cost for power is economically viable (e.g., low cost for power), or testing local power generation situations where there is an economic advantage to using local behind-the-meter power generation. This is not least because the excess power can be utilized by the behind-the-meter electrical load rather than going to waste. In addition, by providing an electrical load behind-the-meter rather than connected to the grid, electrical transmission losses resulting from transmission of power through the grid can be reduced. In addition, any degradation in the power generation systems which may result from curtailment may be reduced.
Preferably, controlled computing systems that consume electrical power through computational operations can provide a behind-the-meter electrical load that can be granularly ramped up and down quickly under the supervision of control systems that monitor power system conditions and direct the power state and/or computational activity of the computing systems. In one embodiment, the computing systems preferably receive all their power for computational operations from a behind-the-meter power source. In another embodiment, the computing systems may additionally include a connection to grid power for supervisory and communication systems or other ancillary needs. In yet another embodiment, the computing systems can be configured to switch between behind-the-meter power and grid power under the direction of a control system.
Among other benefits, a computing system load with controlled granular ramping allows a local station to avoid negative power market pricing and to respond quickly to grid directives.
Various computing systems can provide granular behind-the-meter ramping. Preferably the computing systems perform computational tasks that are immune to, or not substantially hindered by, frequent interruptions or slow-downs in processing as the computing systems ramp up and down. In one embodiment, control systems can activate or de-activate one or more computing systems in an array of similar or identical computing systems sited behind the meter. For example, one or more blockchain miners, or groups of blockchain miners, in an array may be turned on or off. In another embodiment, control systems can direct time-insensitive computational tasks to computational hardware, such as CPUs and GPUs, sited behind the meter, while other hardware is sited in front of the meter and possibly remote from the behind-the-meter hardware. Any parallel computing processes, such as Monte Carlo simulations, batch processing of financial transactions, graphics rendering, and oil and gas field simulation models are all good candidates for such interruptible computational operations.
In some cases, the local station may generate more power than can be consumed by the computing systems or distributed to the grid, or the computing systems may need to continue computational operations for a limited period of time beyond when a ramp-down condition is met. Therefore, it is advantageous to dynamically route generated power into an energy storage system that can be drawn against later when behind-the-meter power is desired but insufficiently available via generation. Thus, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention, the system and/or method can employ dynamic power routing to selectively route power based on determined current or expect power system conditions. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, methods and systems for dynamic power delivery to a flexible datacenter use behind-the-meter power sources that includes both generated power and stored behind-the-meter power, each without transmission and distribution costs. A flexible datacenter may be configured to modulate power delivery to at least a portion of the computing systems based on monitored power system conditions or an operational directive. For example, the flexible datacenter may ramp-up to a full capacity status, ramp-down to an off capacity status, or dynamically reduce power consumption, act a load balancer, or adjust the power factor. Each of these activities may be performed using any or all of: behind-the-meter generated power, behind-the-meter stored power, and/or grid power. Advantageously, the flexible datacenter may perform computational operations, such as blockchain hashing operations or simulations using clean and renewable energy that would otherwise be wasted.
CPU 105 may be a general purpose computational device typically configured to execute software instructions. CPU 105 may include an interface 108 to host bridge 110, an interface 118 to system memory 120, and an interface 123 to one or more IO devices, such as, for example, one or more GPUs 125. GPU 125 may serve as a specialized computational device typically configured to perform graphics functions related to frame buffer manipulation. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that GPU 125 may be used to perform non-graphics related functions that are computationally intensive. In certain embodiments, GPU 125 may interface 123 directly with CPU 125 (and interface 118 with system memory 120 through CPU 105). In other embodiments, GPU 125 may interface 121 with host bridge 110 (and interface 116 or 118 with system memory 120 through host bridge 110 or CPU 105 depending on the application or design). In still other embodiments, GPU 125 may interface 133 with IO bridge 115 (and interface 116 or 118 with system memory 120 through host bridge 110 or CPU 105 depending on the application or design). The functionality of GPU 125 may be integrated, in whole or in part, with CPU 105.
Host bridge 110 may be an interface device configured to interface between the one or more computational devices and IO bridge 115 and, in some embodiments, system memory 120. Host bridge 110 may include an interface 108 to CPU 105, an interface 113 to IO bridge 115, for embodiments where CPU 105 does not include an interface 118 to system memory 120, an interface 116 to system memory 120, and for embodiments where CPU 105 does not include an integrated GPU 125 or an interface 123 to GPU 125, an interface 121 to GPU 125. The functionality of host bridge 110 may be integrated, in whole or in part, with CPU 105. IO bridge 115 may be an interface device configured to interface between the one or more computational devices and various IO devices (e.g., 140, 145) and IO expansion, or add-on, devices (not independently illustrated). IO bridge 115 may include an interface 113 to host bridge 110, one or more interfaces 133 to one or more IO expansion devices 135, an interface 138 to keyboard 140, an interface 143 to mouse 145, an interface 148 to one or more local storage devices 150, and an interface 153 to one or more network interface devices 155. The functionality of IO bridge 115 may be integrated, in whole or in part, with CPU 105 or host bridge 110. Each local storage device 150, if any, may be a solid-state memory device, a solid-state memory device array, a hard disk drive, a hard disk drive array, or any other non-transitory computer readable medium. Network interface device 155 may provide one or more network interfaces including any network protocol suitable to facilitate networked communications.
Computing system 100 may include one or more network-attached storage devices 160 in addition to, or instead of, one or more local storage devices 150. Each network-attached storage device 160, if any, may be a solid-state memory device, a solid-state memory device array, a hard disk drive, a hard disk drive array, or any other non-transitory computer readable medium. Network-attached storage device 160 may or may not be collocated with computing system 100 and may be accessible to computing system 100 via one or more network interfaces provided by one or more network interface devices 155.
One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that computing system 100 may be a conventional computing system or an application-specific computing system. In certain embodiments, an application-specific computing system may include one or more ASICs (not shown) that are configured to perform one or more functions, such as hashing, in a more efficient manner. The one or more ASICs (not shown) may interface directly with CPU 105, host bridge 110, or GPU 125 or interface through IO bridge 115. Alternatively, in other embodiments, an application-specific computing system may be reduced to only those components necessary to perform a desired function in an effort to reduce one or more of chip count, printed circuit board footprint, thermal design power, and power consumption. The one or more ASICs (not shown) may be used instead of one or more of CPU 105, host bridge 110, IO bridge 115, or GPU 125. In such systems, the one or more ASICs may incorporate sufficient functionality to perform certain network and computational functions in a minimal footprint with substantially fewer component devices.
As such, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that CPU 105, host bridge 110, IO bridge 115, GPU 125, or ASIC (not shown) or a subset, superset, or combination of functions or features thereof, may be integrated, distributed, or excluded, in whole or in part, based on an application, design, or form factor in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Thus, the description of computing system 100 is merely exemplary and not intended to limit the type, kind, or configuration of component devices that constitute a computing system 100 suitable for performing computing operations in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.
One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that computing system 100 may be a stand alone, laptop, desktop, server, blade, or rack mountable system and may vary based on an application or design.
In certain embodiments, mobile container 205 may be a storage trailer disposed on wheels and configured for rapid deployment. In other embodiments, mobile container 205 may be a storage container (not shown) configured for placement on the ground and potentially stacked in a vertical manner (not shown). In still other embodiments, mobile container 205 may be an inflatable container, a floating container, or any other type or kind of container suitable for housing a mobile datacenter 200. And in still other embodiments, flexible datacenter 200 might not include a mobile container. For example, flexible datacenter 200 may be situated within a building or another type of stationary environment.
Flexible datacenter 200 may be rapidly deployed on site near a source of behind-the-meter power generation. Behind-the-meter power input system 210 may be configured to input power to flexible datacenter 200. Behind-the-meter power input system 210 may include a first input (not independently illustrated) configured to receive three-phase behind-the-meter alternating current (“AC”) voltage. In certain embodiments, behind-the-meter power input system 210 may include a supervisory AC-to-AC step-down transformer (not shown) configured to step down three-phase behind-the-meter AC voltage to single-phase supervisory nominal AC voltage or a second input (not independently illustrated) configured to receive single-phase supervisory nominal AC voltage from the local station (not shown) or a metered source (not shown). Behind-the-meter power input system 210 may provide single-phase supervisory nominal AC voltage to datacenter control system 220, which may remain powered at almost all times to control the operation of flexible datacenter 200. The first input (not independently illustrated) or a third input (not independently illustrated) of behind-the-meter power input system 210 may direct three-phase behind-the-meter AC voltage to an operational AC-to-AC step-down transformer (not shown) configured to controllably step down three-phase behind-the-meter AC voltage to three-phase nominal AC voltage. Datacenter control system 220 may controllably enable or disable generation or provision of three-phase nominal AC voltage by the operational AC-to-AC step-down transformer (not shown).
Behind-the-meter power input system 210 may provide three phases of three-phase nominal AC voltage to power distribution system 215. Power distribution system 215 may controllably provide a single phase of three-phase nominal AC voltage to each computing system 100 or group 240 of computing systems 100 disposed within flexible datacenter 200. Datacenter control system 220 may controllably select which phase of three-phase nominal AC voltage that power distribution system 215 provides to each computing system 100 or group 240 of computing systems 100. In this way, datacenter control system 220 may modulate power delivery by either ramping-up flexible datacenter 200 to fully operational status, ramping-down flexible datacenter 200 to offline status (where only datacenter control system 220 remains powered), reducing power consumption by withdrawing power delivery from, or reducing power to, one or more computing systems 100 or groups 240 of computing systems 100, or modulating a power factor correction factor for the local station by controllably adjusting which phases of three-phase nominal AC voltage are used by one or more computing systems 100 or groups 240 of computing systems 100. In some embodiments, flexible datacenter 200 may receive DC power to power computing systems 100.
Flexible datacenter 200 may include a climate control system (e.g., 250, 260, 270, 280, 290) configured to maintain the plurality of computing systems 100 within their operational temperature range. In certain embodiments, the climate control system may include an air intake 250, an evaporative cooling system 270, a fan 280, and an air outtake 260. In other embodiments, the climate control system may include an air intake 250, an air conditioner or refrigerant cooling system 290, and an air outtake 260. In still other embodiments, the climate control system may include a computer room air conditioner system (not shown), a computer room air handler system (not shown), or an immersive cooling system (not shown). One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that any suitable heat extraction system (not shown) configured to maintain the operation of the plurality of computing systems 100 within their operational temperature range may be used in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.
Flexible datacenter 200 may include a battery system (not shown) configured to convert three-phase nominal AC voltage to nominal DC voltage and store power in a plurality of storage cells. The battery system (not shown) may include a DC-to-AC inverter configured to convert nominal DC voltage to three-phase nominal AC voltage for flexible datacenter 200 use. Alternatively, the battery system (not shown) may include a DC-to-AC inverter configured to convert nominal DC voltage to single-phase nominal AC voltage to power datacenter control system 220.
One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a voltage level of three-phase behind-the-meter AC voltage may vary based on an application or design and the type or kind of local power generation. As such, a type, kind, or configuration of the operational AC-to-AC step down transformer (not shown) may vary based on the application or design. In addition, the frequency and voltage level of three-phase nominal AC voltage, single-phase nominal AC voltage, and nominal DC voltage may vary based on the application or design in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.
In the figure, for purposes of illustration only, eighteen racks 240 are divided into a first group of six racks 310, a second group of six racks 320, and a third group of six racks 330, where each rack contains eighteen computing systems 100. The power distribution system (215 of
Local station control system 410 may be a computing system (e.g., 100 of
Datacenter control system 220 may monitor unutilized behind-the-meter power availability at the local station (not independently illustrated) and determine when a datacenter ramp-up condition is met. Unutilized behind-the-meter power availability may include one or more of excess local power generation, excess local power generation that the grid cannot accept, local power generation that is subject to economic curtailment, local power generation that is subject to reliability curtailment, local power generation that is subject to power factor correction, conditions where the cost for power is economically viable (e.g., low cost for power), situations where local power generation is prohibitively low, start up situations, transient situations, or testing situations where there is an economic advantage to using locally generated behind-the-meter power generation, specifically power available at little to no cost and with no associated transmission or distribution losses or costs.
The datacenter ramp-up condition may be met if there is sufficient behind-the-meter power availability and there is no operational directive from local station control system 410, remote master control system 420, or grid operator 440 to go offline or reduce power. As such, datacenter control system 220 may enable 435 behind-the-meter power input system 210 to provide three-phase nominal AC voltage to the power distribution system (215 of
Remote master control system 420 may specify to datacenter control system 220 what sufficient behind-the-meter power availability constitutes, or datacenter control system 220 may be programmed with a predetermined preference or criteria on which to make the determination independently. For example, in certain circumstances, sufficient behind-the-meter power availability may be less than that required to fully power the entire flexible datacenter 200. In such circumstances, datacenter control system 220 may provide power to only a subset of computing systems (100 of
While flexible datacenter 200 is online and operational, a datacenter ramp-down condition may be met when there is insufficient, or anticipated to be insufficient, behind-the-meter power availability or there is an operational directive from local station control system 410, remote master control system 420, or grid operator 440. Datacenter control system 220 may monitor and determine when there is insufficient, or anticipated to be insufficient, behind-the-meter power availability. As noted above, sufficiency may be specified by remote master control system 420 or datacenter control system 220 may be programmed with a predetermined preference or criteria on which to make the determination independently. An operational directive may be based on current dispatchability, forward looking forecasts for when unutilized behind-the-meter power is, or is expected to be, available, economic considerations, reliability considerations, operational considerations, or the discretion of the local station 410, remote master control 420, or grid operator 440. For example, local station control system 410, remote master control system 420, or grid operator 440 may issue an operational directive to flexible datacenter 200 to go offline and power down. When the datacenter ramp-down condition is met, datacenter control system 220 may disable power delivery to the plurality of computing systems (100 of
While flexible datacenter 200 is online and operational, changed conditions or an operational directive may cause datacenter control system 220 to modulate power consumption by flexible datacenter 200. Datacenter control system 220 may determine, or local station control system 410, remote master control system 420, or grid operator 440 may communicate, that a change in local conditions may result in less power generation, availability, or economic feasibility, than would be necessary to fully power flexible datacenter 200. In such situations, datacenter control system 220 may take steps to reduce or stop power consumption by flexible datacenter 200 (other than that required to maintain operation of datacenter control system 220). Alternatively, local station control system 410, remote master control system 420, or grid operator 440, may issue an operational directive to reduce power consumption for any reason, the cause of which may be unknown. In response, datacenter control system 220 may dynamically reduce or withdraw power delivery to one or more computing systems (100 of
One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that datacenter control system 220 may be configured to have a number of different configurations, such as a number or type or kind of computing systems (100 of
Remote master control system 420 may provide supervisory control over fleet 500 of flexible datacenters 200 in a similar manner to that shown and described with respect to
The output side of AC-to-AC step-up transformer 640 that connects to grid 660 may be metered and is typically subject to transmission and distribution costs. In contrast, power consumed on the input side of AC-to-AC step-up transformer 640 may be considered behind-the-meter and is typically not subject to transmission and distribution costs. As such, one or more flexible datacenters 200 may be powered by three-phase wind-generated AC voltage 620. Specifically, in wind farm 600 applications, the three-phase behind-the-meter AC voltage used to power flexible datacenter 200 may be three-phase wind-generated AC voltage 620. As such, flexible datacenter 200 may reside behind-the-meter, avoid transmission and distribution costs, and may be dynamically powered when unutilized behind-the-meter power is available.
Unutilized behind-the-meter power availability may occur when there is excess local power generation. In high wind conditions, wind farm 600 may generate more power than, for example, AC-to-AC step-up transformer 640 is rated for. In such situations, wind farm 600 may have to take steps to protect its equipment from damage, which may include taking one or more turbines 610 offline or shunting their voltage to dummy loads or ground. Advantageously, one or more flexible datacenters 200 may be used to consume power on the input side of AC-to-AC step-up transformer 640, thereby allowing wind farm 600 to operate equipment within operating ranges while flexible datacenter 200 receives behind-the-meter power without transmission or distribution costs. The local station control system (not independently illustrated) of local station 690 may issue an operational directive to the one or more flexible datacenters 200 or to the remote master control system (420 of
Another example of unutilized behind-the-meter power availability is when grid 660 cannot, for whatever reason, take the power being produced by wind farm 600. In such situations, wind farm 600 may have to take one or more turbines 610 offline or shunt their voltage to dummy loads or ground. Advantageously, one or more flexible datacenters 200 may be used to consume power on the input side of AC-to-AC step-up transformer 640, thereby allowing wind farm 600 to either produce power to grid 660 at a lower level or shut down transformer 640 entirely while flexible datacenter 200 receives behind-the-meter power without transmission or distribution costs. The local station control system (not independently illustrated) of local station 690 or the grid operator (not independently illustrated) of grid 660 may issue an operational directive to the one or more flexible datacenters 200 or to the remote master control system (420 of
Another example of unutilized behind-the-meter power availability is when wind farm 600 is selling power to grid 660 at a negative price that is offset by a production tax credit. In certain circumstances, the value of the production tax credit may exceed the price wind farm 600 would have to pay to grid 660 to offload their generated power. Advantageously, one or more flexible datacenters 200 may be used to consume power behind-the-meter, thereby allowing wind farm 600 to produce and obtain the production tax credit, but sell less power to grid 660 at the negative price. The local station control system (not independently illustrated) of local station 690 may issue an operational directive to the one or more flexible datacenters 200 or to the remote master control system (420 of
Another example of unutilized behind-the-meter power availability is when wind farm 600 is selling power to grid 660 at a negative price because grid 660 is oversupplied or is instructed to stand down and stop producing altogether. The grid operator (not independently illustrated) may select certain power generation stations to go offline and stop producing power to grid 660. Advantageously, one or more flexible datacenters 200 may be used to consume power behind-the-meter, thereby allowing wind farm 600 to stop producing power to grid 660, but making productive use of the power generated behind-the-meter without transmission or distribution costs. The local station control system (not independently illustrated) of the local station 690 or the grid operator (not independently illustrated) of grid 660 may issue an operational directive to the one or more flexible datacenters 200 or to the remote master control system (420 of
Another example of unutilized behind-the-meter power availability is when wind farm 600 is producing power to grid 660 that is unstable, out of phase, or at the wrong frequency, or grid 660 is already unstable, out of phase, or at the wrong frequency for whatever reason. The grid operator (not independently illustrated) may select certain power generation stations to go offline and stop producing power to grid 660. Advantageously, one or more flexible datacenters 200 may be used to consume power behind-the-meter, thereby allowing wind farm 600 to stop producing power to grid 660, but make productive use of the power generated behind-the-meter without transmission or distribution costs. The local station control system (not independently illustrated) of local station 690 may issue an operational directive to the one or more flexible datacenters 200 or to the remote master control system (420 of
Further examples of unutilized behind-the-meter power availability is when wind farm 600 experiences low wind conditions that make it not economically feasible to power up certain components, such as, for example, the local station (not independently illustrated), but there may be sufficient behind-the-meter power availability to power one or more flexible datacenters 200. Similarly, unutilized behind-the-meter power availability may occur when wind farm 600 is starting up, or testing, one or more turbines 610. Turbines 610 are frequently offline for installation, maintenance, and service and must be tested prior to coming online as part of the array. One or more flexible datacenters 200 may be powered by one or more turbines 610 that are offline from farm 600. The above-noted examples of when unutilized behind-the-meter power is available are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of what one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize as unutilized behind-the-meter power availability. Unutilized behind-the-meter power availability may occur anytime there is power available and accessible behind-the-meter that is not subject to transmission and distribution costs and there is an economic advantage to using it.
One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that wind farm 600 and wind turbine 610 may vary based on an application or design in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.
The output side of AC-to-AC step-up transformer 760 that connects to grid 790 may be metered and is typically subject to transmission and distribution costs. In contrast, power consumed on the input side of AC-to-AC step-up transformer 760 may be considered behind-the-meter and is typically not subject to transmission and distribution costs. As such, one or more flexible datacenters 200 may be powered by three-phase solar-generated AC voltage 750. Specifically, in solar farm 700 applications, the three-phase behind-the-meter AC voltage used to power flexible datacenter 200 may be three-phase solar-generated AC voltage 750. As such, flexible datacenter 200 may reside behind-the-meter, avoid transmission and distribution costs, and may be dynamically powered when unutilized behind-the-meter power is available.
Unutilized behind-the-meter power availability may occur when there is excess local power generation. In high incident sunlight situations, solar farm 700 may generate more power than, for example, AC-to-AC step-up transformer 760 is rated for. In such situations, solar farm 700 may have to take steps to protect its equipment from damage, which may include taking one or more panels 710 offline or shunting their voltage to dummy loads or ground. Advantageously, one or more flexible datacenters 200 may be used to consume power on the input side of AC-to-AC step-up transformer 760, thereby allowing solar farm 700 to operate equipment within operating ranges while flexible datacenter 200 receives behind-the-meter power without transmission or distribution costs. The local station control system (not independently illustrated) of local station 775 may issue an operational directive to the one or more flexible datacenters 200 or to the remote master control system (420 of
Another example of unutilized behind-the-meter power availability is when grid 790 cannot, for whatever reason, take the power being produced by solar farm 700. In such situations, solar farm 700 may have to take one or more panels 710 offline or shunt their voltage to dummy loads or ground. Advantageously, one or more flexible datacenters 200 may be used to consume power on the input side of AC-to-AC step-up transformer 760, thereby allowing solar farm 700 to either produce power to grid 790 at a lower level or shut down transformer 760 entirely while flexible datacenter 200 receives behind-the-meter power without transmission or distribution costs. The local station control system (not independently illustrated) of local station 775 or the grid operator (not independently illustrated) of grid 790 may issue an operational directive to the one or more flexible datacenters 200 or to the remote master control system (420 of
Another example of unutilized behind-the-meter power availability is when solar farm 700 is selling power to grid 790 at a negative price that is offset by a production tax credit. In certain circumstances, the value of the production tax credit may exceed the price solar farm 700 would have to pay to grid 790 to offload their generated power. Advantageously, one or more flexible datacenters 200 may be used to consume power behind-the-meter, thereby allowing solar farm 700 to produce and obtain the production tax credit, but sell less power to grid 790 at the negative price. The local station control system (not independently illustrated) of local station 775 may issue an operational directive to the one or more flexible datacenters 200 or to the remote master control system (420 of
Another example of unutilized behind-the-meter power availability is when solar farm 700 is selling power to grid 790 at a negative price because grid 790 is oversupplied or is instructed to stand down and stop producing altogether. The grid operator (not independently illustrated) may select certain power generation stations to go offline and stop producing power to grid 790. Advantageously, one or more flexible datacenters 200 may be used to consume power behind-the-meter, thereby allowing solar farm 700 to stop producing power to grid 790, but making productive use of the power generated behind-the-meter without transmission or distribution costs. The local station control system (not independently illustrated) of the local station 775 or the grid operator (not independently illustrated) of grid 790 may issue an operational directive to the one or more flexible datacenters 200 or to the remote master control system (420 of
Another example of unutilized behind-the-meter power availability is when solar farm 700 is producing power to grid 790 that is unstable, out of phase, or at the wrong frequency, or grid 790 is already unstable, out of phase, or at the wrong frequency for whatever reason. The grid operator (not independently illustrated) may select certain power generation stations to go offline and stop producing power to grid 790. Advantageously, one or more flexible datacenters 200 may be used to consume power behind-the-meter, thereby allowing solar farm 700 to stop producing power to grid 790, but make productive use of the power generated behind-the-meter without transmission or distribution costs. The local station control system (not independently illustrated) of local station 775 may issue an operational directive to the one or more flexible datacenters 200 or to the remote master control system (420 of
Further examples of unutilized behind-the-meter power availability is when solar farm 700 experiences intermittent cloud cover such that it is not economically feasible to power up certain components, such as, for example local station 775, but there may be sufficient behind-the-meter power availability to power one or more flexible datacenters 200. Similarly, unutilized behind-the-meter power availability may occur when solar farm 700 is starting up, or testing, one or more panels 710. Panels 710 are frequently offline for installation, maintenance, and service and must be tested prior to coming online as part of the array. One or more flexible datacenters 200 may be powered by one or more panels 710 that are offline from farm 700. The above-noted examples of when unutilized behind-the-meter power is available are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of what one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize as unutilized behind-the-meter power availability. Behind-the-meter power availability may occur anytime there is power available and accessible behind-the-meter that is not subject to transmission and distribution costs and there is an economic advantage to using it.
One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that solar farm 700 and solar panel 710 may vary based on an application or design in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.
In step 920, the datacenter control system (220 of
While operational, the datacenter control system (220 of
As such,
In step 970, the datacenter control system (220 of
One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a datacenter control system (220 of
Power generation unit 1002 generates behind-the-meter power and may include, for example, one or more wind turbines (610 of
Grid power may be routed back to the flexible datacenter 200 as AC voltage 1090 and used to power the datacenter control system (220 of
Also within the behind-the-meter envelope 1005 is energy storage unit 1010. Energy storage unit 1010 is a grid-scale power storage system and may take numerous forms. For example, energy storage unit 1010 may be a battery system, a kinetic storage system (e.g., flywheels), a compressed gas storage system, a thermodynamic storage system, or any other system that can accept and return behind-the-meter AC voltage 1020 and can supply AC voltage to flexible datacenter 200. Energy storage unit 1010 may include one or more individual storage systems, which together form energy storage unit 1010.
Energy storage unit 1010 is connected to behind-the-meter AC voltage 1020 such that it can store energy from the power generation unit 1002 and/or dispense stored power to the grid 1050 and/or the flexible datacenter 200.
The datacenter control system (220 of
As illustrated in
Energy storage control system 1160 may communicate with datacenter control system 220, remote master control system 420, and/or local station control system 410 over respective networked or hardwired connections 1130, 1120, and 1110.
In one embodiment, datacenter control system 220 may independently, or cooperatively with one or more of local station control system 410, remote master control system 420, and energy storage control system 1160, modulate power delivery to flexible datacenter 200. Specifically, datacenter control system 220 may selectively direct power delivery to the behind-the-meter power input system (210 from
In another embodiment, the remote master control system 420 may independently, or cooperatively with one or more of local station control system 410, datacenter control system 220, and energy storage control system 1160, modulate power delivery to flexible datacenter 200. Specifically, remote master control system 420 may selectively direct power delivery to the behind-the-meter power input system (210 from
In another embodiment, the energy storage control system 1160 may independently, or cooperatively with one or more of local station control system 410, datacenter control system 220, and remote master control system 420, modulate power delivery to flexible datacenter 200. Specifically, energy storage control system 1160 may selectively direct power delivery to the behind-the-meter power input system from: (i) the power generation unit 1002 alone, (ii) the energy storage unit alone 1010, or (iii) both the power generation unit 1002 and the energy storage unit 1010 simultaneously. In another embodiment, energy storage control system 1160 may selectively direct power delivery to the behind-the-meter power input system (210 from
In another embodiment, energy storage control system 1160 may selectively enable delivery of power from the power generation unit 1002 to the energy storage unit 1010, and (ii) selectively enable delivery of power from the energy storage unit 1010 to the flexible datacenter 200. Additionally, energy storage control system 1160 may selectively enable delivery of power from the energy storage unit 1010 to the electrical grid 1050.
In some embodiments, additional network or hardwired communication connections 1140 and 1150 may be present to enable direct communication between the grid operator 440 and the datacenter control system 220 and remote master control system 420, respectively. This provides additional direct communication connections for command and control functions, as well as for communicating information regarding monitored power system conditions. Alternatively, information and directives may still be passed between control systems indirectly. For example, the grid operator 440 may send a signal to the remote master control system 420 via the local station control system 410.
In various embodiments, the operational directives and/or power system conditions may be passed between and among the control systems, such as energy storage control system 1160, local station control system 410, datacenter control system 220, and remote master control system 420. The operational directives and/or power system conditions may also be passed between and among the grid operator 440 and the local station control system 410, datacenter control system 220, and remote master control system 420. Operational directives may include, but are not limited to, a local station directive, a remote master control directive, a grid directive, a dispatchability directive, a forecast directive, a workload directive based on actual behind-the-meter power availability or projected behind-the-meter power availability. Power system conditions, which may be monitored by one or more of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 may include, but are not limited to, excess local power generation at a local station level, excess local power generation that a grid cannot receive, local power generation subject to economic curtailment, local power generation subject to reliability curtailment, local power generation subject to power factor correction, low local power generation, start up local power generation situations, transient local power generation situations, or testing local power generation situations where there is an economic advantage to using local behind-the-meter power generation.
At step 1220, one or more control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 may determine, based on one more monitored power system conditions and/or an operational directive from another control system 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 or the grid operator 440 that a flexible datacenter ramp condition exists. This may be a ramp-up condition which would result in increased power utilization by the datacenter 200 or a ramp-down condition which would result in decreased power utilization by the datacenter 200.
In a ramp-up condition, one or more of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 will act independently or in conjunction with another of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 to select one or more energy sources, such as power generation unit 1002, energy storage unit 1010, or local station 1080, to supply power or additional power to the computing systems 100 of flexible datacenter 200. The selection may be based on, but is not limited to, power availability at one or more of the energy sources, economic indicators, one or more operational directives, and/or power system conditions. Energy selected from power generation unit 1002 or energy storage unit 1010 is considered behind-the-meter power and energy selected from local station 1080 is considered grid (i.e., metered) power. As previously described, selecting behind-the-meter power is preferable to selecting grid power due to the reduced cost associated with the power and/or other factors such as the ability to accomplish power factor correction and to reduce grid congestion.
After selecting one or more energy sources, one or more of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 will act independently or in conjunction with another of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 to direct power from the energy source(s) to the one or more computing systems 100 of flexible datacenter 200, as illustrated in steps 1240, 1250, and/or 1260. Preferably control systems 220 and/or 420, but potentially control systems 1160 and/or 410, will then direct one or more of the computing systems 100 of flexible datacenter 200 to perform computational operations, as illustrated in step 1270.
One or more of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 may then act independently or in conjunction with another of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 to intermittently, periodically, or continuously monitor the energy sources at step 1275. In response to information obtained during the monitoring or an operational directive, one or more of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 may act independently or in conjunction with another of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 to select a new energy source or combination of energy sources as the computing system 100 continue to perform computational operations.
As one example, the energy storage control system 1160 may select the energy storage unit 1010 for power supply and the datacenter control system 220 alone or in conjunction with the energy storage control system 1160 may enable and direct behind-the-meter power from the energy storage unit 1010 to the behind-the-meter power input system 210, where the power will be delivered to the one or more computing systems 100. When the energy storage unit 1010 becomes depleted, the energy storage control system 1160, alone or in conjunction with the datacenter control system 220 may switch to power delivery from the power generation unit 1002 or the local station 1080. Other combinations are possible as well.
Concurrently with any monitoring of energy sources, one more of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 may continue to monitor power system conditions at 1210. Looking again at step 1220, one or more control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 may determine, based on one more monitored power system conditions and/or an operational directive from another control system 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 or the grid operator 440 that a flexible datacenter ramp-down condition exists. In the ramp-down condition, at step 1280 one or more of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 will act independently or in conjunction with another of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 to direct one or more of the computing systems 100 to stop computation operations, or alternatively to slow computational operations in order to reduce power. At step 1290, one or more of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 may then act independently or in conjunction with another of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 to disable power delivery from the one or more energy sources to the one or more computing systems 100.
Concurrently with, or in between, other steps of the method, one or more of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 may act independently or in conjunction with another of the control systems 220, 420, 410, and/or 1160 to determine an energy storage condition at step 1215. The energy storage condition may be based on the power availability from the power generation unit 1002, the energy level in the energy storage unit 1010, power system conditions, and operational directive, or any combination of the foregoing. The energy storage control system 1160, alone or in conjunction with other control systems 220, 420, 410 may determine that behind-the-meter power from the power generation unit 1002 should be stored or not stored in the energy storage unit 1010. The energy storage control system 1160, alone or in conjunction with other control systems 220, 420, 410 may then enable or disable behind-the-meter power delivery to the energy storage unit at steps 1225 or 1235, as appropriate.
Advantages of one or more embodiments of the present invention may include one or more of the following:
One or more embodiments of the present invention provides a green solution to two prominent problems: the exponential increase in power required for growing blockchain operations and the unutilized and typically wasted energy generated from renewable energy sources.
One or more embodiments of the present invention allows for the rapid deployment of mobile datacenters to local stations. The mobile datacenters may be deployed on site, near the source of power generation, and receive unutilized behind-the-meter power when it is available.
One or more embodiments of the present invention allows for the power delivery to the datacenter to be modulated based on conditions or an operational directive received from the local station or the grid operator.
One or more embodiments of the present invention may dynamically adjust power consumption by ramping-up, ramping-down, or adjusting the power consumption of one or more computing systems within the flexible datacenter.
One or more embodiments of the present invention may be powered by behind-the-meter power that is free from transmission and distribution costs. As such, the flexible datacenter may perform computational operations, such as hashing function operations, with little to no energy cost.
One or more embodiments of the present invention provides a number of benefits to the hosting local station. The local station may use the flexible datacenter to adjust a load, provide a power factor correction, to offload power, or operate in a manner that invokes a production tax credit and/or generates incremental revenue
One or more embodiments of the present invention allows for continued shunting of behind-the-meter power into a storage solution when a flexible datacenter cannot fully utilize excess generated behind-the-meter power.
One or more embodiments of the present invention allows for continued use of stored behind-the-meter power when a flexible datacenter can be operational but there is not an excess of generated behind-the-meter power.
It will also be recognized by the skilled worker that, in addition to improved efficiencies in controlling power delivery from intermittent generation sources, such as wind farms and solar panel arrays, to regulated power grids, the invention provides more economically efficient control and stability of such power grids in the implementation of the technical features as set forth herein.
While the present invention has been described with respect to the above-noted embodiments, those skilled in the art, having the benefit of this disclosure, will recognize that other embodiments may be devised that are within the scope of the invention as disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the appended claims.
