Methods and systems for distributed power control of flexible datacenters

• US 10,444,818 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2018
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lancium LLC
• Original Assignee: Lancium LLC
• Inventors: McNamara, Michael T., Henson, David J., Cline, Jr., Raymond E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin C
• Application Number:
  US16/175,146
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/06 with automatic change-over , e.g. UPS systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/70 Hybrid systems, e.g. uninterruptible or back-up power supplies integrating renewable energies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/50 Energy storage in industry with an added climate change mitigation effect

Abstract

In an example embodiment, a distributed power control system can include a datacenter and a remote master control system. The datacenter can include (i) computing systems, (ii) a behind-the-meter power input system configured to receive power from a behind-the-meter power source and deliver power to the computing systems, and (iii) a datacenter control system configured to control the computing systems and the behind-the-meter power input system. The remote master control system can be configured to issue instructions to the datacenter that affect an amount of behind-the-meter power consumed by the datacenter. The datacenter control system can receive, from a local station control system configured to at least partially control the behind-the-meter power source, a directive for the datacenter to ramp-down power consumption, and in response to receiving the directive, cause the computing systems to perform a set of predetermined operations correlated with the directive.

Claims

1. A distributed power control system comprising:

a flexible datacenter comprising;

(i) a plurality of computing systems powered by a behind-the-meter power input system,

(ii) the behind-the-meter power input system configured to receive power from a power generation system prior to the power undergoing step-up transformation for transmission to the grid and deliver the power to the plurality of computing systems, and

(iii) a datacenter control system configured to control the plurality of computing systems and the behind-the-meter power input system;

a remote master control system configured to issue instructions to the flexible datacenter that affect an amount of behind-the-meter power consumed by the flexible datacenter;

one or more processors; and

data storage comprising a first set of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the datacenter control system to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first operational directive from the remote master control system, wherein the first operational directive is an operational directive for the flexible datacenter to ramp-down power consumption, and

in response to receiving the first operational directive, causing the plurality of computing systems of the flexible datacenter to perform a first set of predetermined operations correlated with the first operational directive.

2. The distributed power control system of claim 1, wherein the first operational directive is associated with a reduced power generation condition of the power generation system.

3. The distributed power control system of claim 2, wherein the reduced power generation condition is associated with a current or expected reduction in available behind-the-meter power below a predetermined availability level.

4. The distributed power control system of claim 1, wherein causing the plurality of computing systems of the flexible datacenter to perform the first set of predetermined operations results in reduced consumption of the behind-the-meter power by the plurality of computing systems.

5. The distributed power control system of claim 1, wherein the first set of predetermined operations comprise reducing a computational speed of one or more computing systems of the plurality of computing systems.

6. The distributed power control system of claim 1, wherein the first set of predetermined operations comprise turning off one or more computing systems of the plurality of computing systems.

7. The distributed power control system of claim 1, wherein before the datacenter control system receives the first operational directive, the plurality of computing systems are currently performing or scheduled to perform a computational task, and

wherein the first set of predetermined computational operations comprise

(i) completing a portion of the computational task,

(ii) communicating, to the datacenter control system, a result of the completed portion of the computational task, and

(iii) ramping down power consumption and entering a reduced-power operational state.

8. The distributed power control system of claim 1, wherein the first set of predetermined operations comprise reducing a load factor of one or more computing systems of the plurality of computing systems.

9. The distributed power control system of claim 1, wherein the data storage further comprises a second set of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the datacenter control system to perform operations comprising:

in response to receiving the first operational directive, causing the behind-the-meter power input system to reduce the power delivered to the plurality of computing systems.

10. The distributed power control system of claim 1, wherein the data storage further comprises a second set of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the datacenter control system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a second operational directive from the remote master control system;

in response to receiving the second operational directive, determining whether a ramp-up condition exists; and

in response to determining that the ramp-up condition exists, causing the plurality of computing systems of the flexible datacenter to perform a second set of predetermined operations correlated with the second operational directive.

11. The distributed power control system of claim 10, wherein the second operational directive is associated with a non-reduced power generation condition of the power generation system, and

wherein the non-reduced power generation condition is associated with a current or expected increase in available behind-the-meter power above a predetermined availability level.

12. The distributed power control system of claim 10, wherein the second operational directive is an operational directive that the flexible datacenter is permitted to ramp-up power consumption.

13. The distributed power control system of claim 10, wherein causing the plurality of computing systems of the flexible datacenter to perform the second set of predetermined operations results in increased consumption of the behind-the-meter power by the plurality of computing systems.

14. The distributed power control system of claim 10, wherein the second set of predetermined operations comprise increasing the computational speed of one or more computing systems of the plurality of computing systems.

15. The distributed power control system of claim 10, wherein the second set of predetermined operations comprise turning on one or more computing systems of the plurality of computing systems.

16. The distributed power control system of claim 10, wherein the data storage further comprises a third set of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the datacenter control system to perform operations that comprise:

in response to determining that the ramp-up condition exists, causing the behind-the-meter power input system to increase the power delivered to the plurality of computing systems.

17. A method performed by a datacenter control system of a flexible datacenter, wherein the flexible datacenter further comprises

(i) a plurality of computing systems powered by a behind-the-meter power input system and

(ii) the behind-the-meter power input system configured to receive power from a power generation system prior to the power undergoing step-up transformation for transmission to the grid and deliver the power to the plurality of computing systems,

wherein the datacenter control system is configured to control the plurality of computing systems and the behind-the-meter power input system, and

wherein a remote master control system is configured to issue instructions to the flexible datacenter that affect an amount of behind-the-meter power consumed by the flexible datacenter, the method comprising:

receiving a first operational directive from the remote master control system, wherein the first operational directive is an operational directive for the flexible datacenter to ramp-down power consumption; and

in response to receiving the first operational directive, causing the plurality of computing systems of the flexible datacenter to perform a first set of predetermined operations correlated with the first operational directive.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a second operational directive from the remote master control system, wherein the second operational directive is associated with a non-reduced power generation condition of the power generation system;

in response to receiving the second operational directive, determining whether a ramp-up condition exists; and

in response to determining that the ramp-up condition exists, causing the plurality of computing systems of the flexible datacenter to perform a second set of predetermined operations correlated with the second operational directive.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more processors of a datacenter control system of a flexible datacenter, cause the datacenter control system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first operational directive from a remote master control system,

wherein the remote master control system is configured to issue instructions to the flexible datacenter that affect an amount of behind-the-meter power consumed by the flexible datacenter,

wherein the first operational directive is an operational directive for the flexible datacenter to ramp-down power consumption,

wherein the flexible datacenter further comprises (i) a plurality of computing systems powered by a behind-the-meter power input system and (ii) the behind-the-meter power input system configured to receive power from a power generation system prior to the power undergoing step-up transformation for transmission to the grid and deliver power to the plurality of computing systems, and

wherein the datacenter control system is configured to control the plurality of computing systems and the behind-the-meter power input system; and

in response to receiving the first operational directive, causing the plurality of computing systems of the flexible datacenter to perform a first set of predetermined operations correlated with the first operational directive.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

receiving a second operational directive from the remote master control system, wherein the second operational directive is associated with a non-reduced power generation condition of the power generation system;

in response to receiving the second operational directive, determining whether a ramp-up condition exists; and

in response to determining that the ramp-up condition exists, causing the plurality of computing systems of the flexible datacenter to perform a second set of predetermined operations correlated with the second operational directive.