Power regulation of power grid via datacenter

• US 9,003,216 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2011
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Sankar, Sriram, Belady, Christian L., Kurien, T. Varugis, Sherman, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Myers, Paul R
• Assistant Examiner(s): DALEY, CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US13/251,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20130086404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: 713/324, 713/320, 700/286
• US Class Current: 713/324
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/305 in the event of power-supply fluctuations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/106 for load balancing, symmetrisation, or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for regulating an amount of power on a power grid using a datacenter. This allows demand to be more closely brought into alignment with supply. For example, when supply exceeds demand by a predetermined level, the datacenter may increase consumption, causing demand to increase, and when demand exceeds supply and/or comes within a predetermined threshold of supply, the datacenter may decrease consumption, causing demand to decrease. In this way, the datacenter can be utilized as a regulatory tool on the grid. It may be appreciated that given the technology used by and/or operations performed by datacenters, datacenters are uniquely situated to achieve these ends as compared to other (large) energy consumers, such as manufacturing facilities that cannot shift around and/or shut-down operations swiftly.

Claims

1. A method for regulating power on a power grid, comprising:

receiving, from a power utility entity, a request to increase power consumption by a datacenter, the request seeking assistance of the datacenter to reduce a supply of power available via the power grid;

using the request to determine a desired increase in power consumption of the datacenter to reduce the supply of power available via the power grid; and

upwardly adjusting an amount of power consumed by the datacenter from the power grid based at least in part upon the desired increase in power consumption to reduce the supply of power available via the power grid.

2. The method of claim 1, the request indicative of present power consumption on the power grid.

3. The method of claim 1, the request indicative of predicted future power consumption on the power grid.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising providing the power utility entity with information indicative of throttling capacity of the datacenter, the throttling capacity indicative of a minimum amount of power and a maximum amount of power that can be consumed by the datacenter at a given time.

5. The method of claim 1, the upwardly adjusting comprising increasing a workload of a first server of the datacenter.

6. The method of claim 1, the upwardly adjusting comprising creating a virtualized environment on a first server of the datacenter, the virtualized environment configured to execute power consumption code.

7. The method of claim 1, the upwardly adjusting comprising transferring load to the datacenter from a second datacenter.

8. The method of claim 1, the request indicative of the desired increase in power consumption.

9. The method of claim 4, the receiving comprising receiving the information responsive to the providing.

10. The method of claim 1, the upwardly adjusting comprising throttling up a portion of the datacenter comprising a non-critical load.

11. A power regulation system for regulating power on a power grid, comprising:

a power monitor component configured to receive, from a power utility entity, a request to increase power consumption by a datacenter, the request seeking assistance of the datacenter to reduce a supply of power available via the power grid; and

a power management component configured to;

use the request to determine a desired increase in power consumption of the datacenter to reduce the supply of power available via the power grid; and

upwardly adjust an amount of power consumed by the datacenter from the power grid based at least in part upon the desired increase in power consumption to reduce the supply of power available via the power grid.

12. The power regulation system of claim 11, the request indicative of present power consumption on the power grid.

13. The power regulation system of claim 11, comprising a datacenter communication component configured to provide the power utility entity with information indicative of future power demands of the datacenter.

14. The power regulation system of claim 11, the power management component configured to upwardly adjust the amount of power consumed by the datacenter by increasing a workload of a first server of the datacenter.

15. The power regulation system of claim 11, the power management component configured to upwardly adjust the amount of power consumed by the datacenter by creating a virtualized environment on a first server of the datacenter, the virtualized environment configured to execute power consumption code.

16. The power regulation system of claim 11, the power management component configured to upwardly adjust the amount of power consumed by the datacenter by transferring load to the datacenter from a second datacenter.

17. The power regulation system of claim 11, the request indicative of the desired increase in power consumption.

18. The power regulation system of claim 11, comprising a datacenter communication component configured to provide the power utility entity with information indicative of throttling capacity of the datacenter, the throttling capacity indicative of a minimum amount of power and a maximum amount of power that can be consumed by the datacenter at a given time.

19. The power regulation system of claim 11, the power management component configured to upwardly adjust the amount of power consumed by the datacenter by throttling up a portion of the datacenter comprising a non-critical load.

20. A computer readable medium comprising instructions that when executed perform a method, comprising:

receiving, from a power utility entity, a request to increase power consumption by a datacenter, the request seeking assistance of the datacenter to reduce a supply of power available via a power grid;

using the request to determine a desired increase in power consumption of the datacenter to reduce the supply of power available via the power grid; and

upwardly adjusting an amount of power consumed by the datacenter from the power grid based at least in part upon the desired increase in power consumption to reduce the supply of power available via the power grid.