Internet Data Center Load Modeling for Demand Response Considering the Coupling of Multiple Regulation Methods

The coordination of multiple coupled regulation methods in Internet data centers (IDCs) is proposed in this article to make a full use of IDCs' spatial and temporal load regulation potentials for demand response (DR). A concise and analytical IDC load model is proposed to facilitate the DR in IDCs. First, the unified IDC load considering multiple coupled regulation methods is modeled represented by workloads and servers. The extra power consumption in IT equipment due to redundancy requirements in computing resources is separated to obtain an explicit mathematical relationship among geo-distributed IDCs. Second, the compatible IDC load model is derived based on a bottom-up approach, where electrical decision variables representing the regulation are introduced to replace non-electrical variables and demonstrate the coupling among multiple regulation methods. Last, a hierarchical control design is deduced to reveal the potentials of the compatible IDC load model in power system applications. Simulations show that the joint implementation of coupled methods can enhance IDC DR capabilities. Simulation results also verify the efficiency of compatible IDC load model in DR and reveal its advantages in load characteristic analyses, computational efficiency, and sensitive information protection of IDCs.