Application of Smart Grid Technology in Cloud Computing Data Center

Smart grid is the latest trend in the development and transformation of the world's energy industry. It reflects the progress of society and represents the future development direction of the power grid. It is generally believed that the future power grid should have the characteristics of high efficiency, cleanliness, safety, reliability, and interaction. Smart grid should be "stronger and smarter".

According to the research and summary of smart grids in various countries, smart grids should have the following characteristics: self-healing ability, high reliability, asset optimization management, economic efficiency, user-friendly interaction, and compatibility with the access of a large number of distributed power sources.

As the vision of future power grid development, smart grid will inevitably play a guiding and leading role in the development of technology. Its technology involves the generation, transmission, transformation, distribution and consumption of power systems.

The planning and design of cloud computing data centers are mainly related to power distribution and power consumption. Can the power distribution and power consumption technology of smart grid be used in the planning and design of cloud computing data centers to achieve a more optimized cloud computing data center?

1. Application of new power distribution technologies in smart grids

Future power distribution technologies must have the following features: fast network self-healing, strong anti-disturbance capability, high-quality power supply, and user interaction. These smart grid power distribution technologies will make the power supply system of cloud computing data centers safer and more reliable.

1. Synchronous breaking technology

In the computer room of cloud computing data center, high voltage power supply is often involved due to the large power demand. At present, most high-voltage switches are mechanical switches, with long opening and closing time and large dispersion. This slow mechanical opening and closing process is prone to cause operating overvoltage, accelerating equipment aging or directly damaging equipment. Synchronous breaking, also known as intelligent switching, is to complete the opening or closing of the circuit at a specified phase of voltage or current. Using electronic switches instead of mechanical switches, the application of synchronous breaking technology can theoretically completely avoid the operating overvoltage of the power system. In this way, the insulation level of power equipment determined by the operating overvoltage can be greatly reduced, and the damage to equipment (including the circuit breaker itself) caused by operation can also be greatly reduced.

2. Fault current limiting technology

Due to the scale of cloud computing data centers, the power consumption of data centers is very large, and the short-circuit current is also increasing. If effective measures are not taken to suppress the short-circuit current, once a short-circuit fault occurs, the switch and user equipment will be unable to bear it. With the development of power electronics technology and superconducting technology, it has become possible to limit short-circuit current, which depends on the research and development of fault current limiters (FCL). There are many studies on superconducting FCL and power electronics FLC abroad, which can be used as a reference and applied in cloud computing data centers.

3. Active distribution network technology

In the future, the "active distribution network" may take a form similar to the Internet, that is, distributed decision-making and two-way power flow. There will be control devices at all nodes throughout the system. The function of the active distribution network is to effectively connect power supply and user demand, allowing both parties to jointly decide how to best operate in real time. To achieve this requirement, the control level must be much higher than the current distribution network. This includes power flow evaluation, competitive voltage control and protection technology, and a new communication control system with more sensors and automatic devices than the current distribution network, etc., to achieve active early warning, load balancing and three-phase balance of the power supply system of the cloud computing data center.

Smart grid is the latest trend in the development and transformation of the world's energy industry. It reflects the progress of society and represents the future development direction of the power grid. It is generally believed that the future power grid should have the characteristics of high efficiency, cleanliness, safety, reliability, and interaction. Smart grid should be "stronger and smarter".

According to the research and summary of smart grids in various countries, smart grids should have the following characteristics: self-healing ability, high reliability, asset optimization management, economic efficiency, user-friendly interaction, and compatibility with the access of a large number of distributed power sources.

As the vision of future power grid development, smart grid will inevitably play a guiding and leading role in the development of technology. Its technology involves the generation, transmission, transformation, distribution and consumption of power systems.

The planning and design of cloud computing data centers are mainly related to power distribution and power consumption. Can the power distribution and power consumption technology of smart grid be used in the planning and design of cloud computing data centers to achieve a more optimized cloud computing data center?

1. Application of new power distribution technologies in smart grids

Future power distribution technologies must have the following features: fast network self-healing, strong anti-disturbance capability, high-quality power supply, and user interaction. These smart grid power distribution technologies will make the power supply system of cloud computing data centers safer and more reliable.

1. Synchronous breaking technology

In the computer room of cloud computing data center, high voltage power supply is often involved due to the large power demand. At present, most high-voltage switches are mechanical switches, with long opening and closing time and large dispersion. This slow mechanical opening and closing process is prone to cause operating overvoltage, accelerating equipment aging or directly damaging equipment. Synchronous breaking, also known as intelligent switching, is to complete the opening or closing of the circuit at a specified phase of voltage or current. Using electronic switches instead of mechanical switches, the application of synchronous breaking technology can theoretically completely avoid the operating overvoltage of the power system. In this way, the insulation level of power equipment determined by the operating overvoltage can be greatly reduced, and the damage to equipment (including the circuit breaker itself) caused by operation can also be greatly reduced.

2. Fault current limiting technology

Due to the scale of cloud computing data centers, the power consumption of data centers is very large, and the short-circuit current is also increasing. If effective measures are not taken to suppress the short-circuit current, once a short-circuit fault occurs, the switch and user equipment will be unable to bear it. With the development of power electronics technology and superconducting technology, it has become possible to limit short-circuit current, which depends on the research and development of fault current limiters (FCL). There are many studies on superconducting FCL and power electronics FLC abroad, which can be used as a reference and applied in cloud computing data centers.

3. Active distribution network technology

In the future, the "active distribution network" may take a form similar to the Internet, that is, distributed decision-making and two-way power flow. There will be control devices at all nodes throughout the system. The function of the active distribution network is to effectively connect power supply and user demand, allowing both parties to jointly decide how to best operate in real time. To achieve this requirement, the control level must be much higher than the current distribution network. This includes power flow evaluation, competitive voltage control and protection technology, and a new communication control system with more sensors and automatic devices than the current distribution network, etc., to achieve active early warning, load balancing and three-phase balance of the power supply system of the cloud computing data center.

4. Energy storage technology

Energy storage technology has been regarded as an important part of the power grid operation process. After the energy storage link is introduced into the system, it can effectively realize demand-side management, eliminate the peak and valley difference between day and night, and smooth the load. It can not only make more efficient use of power equipment and reduce power supply costs, but also serve as a means to improve system operation stability, adjust frequency, and compensate for load fluctuations.

Energy storage technology can be used for emergency power supply of cloud computing data centers, as well as to make full use of the local peak-valley electricity price difference. Existing energy storage methods can be mainly divided into mechanical energy storage, chemical energy storage, electromagnetic energy storage and phase change energy storage. Superconducting energy storage can be used as an ideal electromagnetic energy storage device due to the large current, high energy density and fast access of superconductors. The low critical temperature of superconducting materials has always been a limiting factor in the application of superconducting energy storage. At present, the research on direct cooling superconducting energy storage (HTc-SMES) has received great attention from the United States, Japan and other countries, but most superconducting energy storage devices are low-temperature superconducting energy storage systems.

2. Application of new electricity consumption technologies in smart grids

Under the framework of smart grids, new electricity consumption technologies are needed to improve the elasticity of electricity demand, enhance the intelligence level of electricity demand-side management, help electricity users interact with smart grids, and achieve more convenient, efficient, economical and environmentally friendly electricity management in cloud computing data centers.

1. Advanced sensor technology

In the future, data center sensors will be more intelligent and their functions will be gradually integrated. Wind, fire, water, electricity, gas, temperature, humidity, smoke, carbon dioxide, etc. are all collected by sensors. Sensors can not only analyze and extract characteristic data of the data center environment, but also interact with specific data management and analysis systems to provide overall analysis and scientific evaluation of the daily data, overall performance and environmental index of the data center.

2. Advanced power consumption monitoring technology

Power consumption monitoring technology is divided into two levels: power consumption monitoring technology and power consumption control technology. The new power consumption monitoring technology dynamically monitors the user's power consumption information in quasi-real time, helping users understand their detailed power consumption information to guide users to optimize the power consumption behavior of the system. The new power consumption control technology automatically controls the entire data center power consumption system based on information acquisition and combined with the user's power consumption needs to achieve a more reasonable distribution of electricity.

3. Summary

The development direction of smart grid is not only a response to the needs of the industry and field, but also the result of the joint efforts of all walks of life. The development of smart grid depends on the breakthrough and application of key cutting-edge technologies in each link, and will inevitably promote the development and promotion of related technologies.

The power supply system is one of the key systems in the computer room of a cloud computing data center, and it is a system that is prone to "shortcomings". The proper application of the above-mentioned intelligent power grid technology in the computer room of a cloud computing data center can effectively promote the development of the power supply system in the direction of "long board".