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Facilitating revenue generation from data shifting by data centers

  • US 9,159,042 B2
  • Filed: 02/22/2013
  • Issued: 10/13/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2009
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for determining a suggested operating schedule over a time period T for at least one data center operated by an energy customer of an electricity supplier, so as to generate energy-related revenue, over a time period T, associated with operation of the at least one data center according to the operating schedule, wherein the energy-related revenue available to the energy customer over the time period T is based at least in part on a wholesale electricity market, the apparatus comprising:

  • at least one communication interface;

    at least one memory to store processor-executable instructions and a mathematical model for the at least one data center comprising a plurality of energy assets, wherein the mathematical model specifies at least one function that calculates an energy profile for the at least one data center and the plurality of energy assets based at least in part on an operating schedule for the at least one data center applied to the mathematical model, wherein the operating schedule relates to a CPU utilization or a computing load of at least one energy asset of the plurality of energy assets of the at least one data center; and

    at least one processing unit, communicatively coupled to the at least one communication interface, and the at least one memory, wherein upon execution of the processor-executable instructions, the at least one processing unit;

    A) determines the suggested operating schedule, over the time period T, for the at least one data center based at least in part on the mathematical model and at least one forecast wholesale electricity price associated with the at least one wholesale electricity market, wherein the operating schedule specifies a capacity of at least one energy asset of the plurality of energy assets to be committed, during the time period T, to at least one of an energy market, a regulation market, an ancillary services market, a synchronized reserve market, a capacity market, a demand response market, a day-ahead scheduling reserve market, a real-time dispatched energy market, an emissions market, and a power quality market; and

    B) controls the at least one communication interface to transmit to the energy customer the suggested operating schedule determined in A), and/or controls the at least one memory so as to store the suggested operating schedule.

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