FEATURE
Silos must be broken down for data
centres to reach their full potential
capitalising on their unique position
as overlaying multiple networks: IT,
electricity and heat.
Such is the frame of reference for the EU
H2020 CATALYST project that aspires for
data centres to become flexible energy
hubs, which can sustain investments in
renewable energy sources and energy
efficiency. Leveraging on results of past
projects, CATALYST will adapt, scale
up, deploy and validate an innovative
technological and business framework
that enables data centres to offer a
range of mutualised energy services to
both electricity and heat grids, while
simultaneously increasing their own
resiliency to energy supply.
Mutual energy services will be consisting
of energy flexibility, security and optimised
management tailored to data centre
operators and targeting at managing the
available non-grid renewable (PV, local
storage, heat pumps) and non-renewable
(backup generators) energy assets as well
as the IT assets (via cloud-based geo-
spatio-temporal IT virtualisation).
Such energy services will be provided
by data centres through appropriate
open, standardised energy flexibility
marketplaces, based for example
on market models as defined by the
Universal Smart Energy Framework
(USEF). These marketplaces may be
TO REACH THIS
VISION HOWEVER
IT IS IMPERATIVE
THAT THE DATA
CENTRE AND
ENERGY SECTORS
ARE BROUGHT
CLOSER TOGETHER
AND START
TALKING THE
SAME LANGUAGE.
38
Issue 02
instantiated either as mono-carrier
energy marketplaces (electricity vs heat
marketplace) cleared sequentially, or as
multi-energy marketplaces. Along this
innovative value chain, new stakeholders
will be willing to provide such energy
services to data centres, like ESCOs,
energy suppliers, aggregators, IT and
cloud solution and technology providers.
Cross-energy carrier synergies among
electricity and heat can also be exploited
and managed with a view to leverage
and exploit flexibility potential of one
energy carrier to offer energy services
to another. together and start talking the same
language. The newly launched Green Data
Centre Stakeholder Group, established
by the CATALYST consortium, aims to do
just that.
In this way, the CATALYST vision
introduces a ‘Marketplace as a Service’
(MaaS) instantiated in three emerging and
innovative data centre revenue streams
and markets: a) IT workload b) Electricity
and Heat and c) Energy Flexibility. Green IT Amsterdam is a non-profit
organisation that supports the wider
Amsterdam region in realising its energy
transition goals. Its mission is to scout,
test and showcase innovative IT solutions
for increasing energy efficiency and
decreasing carbon emissions. It shares
knowledge, expertise and ambitions for
achieving these sustainability targets with
public and private Green IT leaders. ◊
To reach this vision however it is
imperative that the data centre and
energy sectors are brought closer
For data centres to take up a pivotal
role in energy transition will bring
opportunities for energy efficient data
centres to not only reduce their operating
costs and improve their performance
and efficient use of resources, but also
create new revenue streams through
waste energy reuse and energy flexibility
services offerings.
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