Harnessing the geographical flexibility of distributed computing clouds for cooperative self-consumption

Abstract

Smart grids allow to efficiently perform demand-side management in electrical grids in order to increase the integration of fluctuating and/or intermittent renewable energy sources in the energy mix. In this paper, we consider a distributed computing cloud partially powered by photovoltaic panels as a self-consumer that can also benefit from geographical flexibility: the computing load can be moved from one data center to another one benefiting from better solar irradiance conditions. The various data centers composing the cloud can then cooperate to better synchronise their consumption with their photovoltaic production. The simulation-based results show that our approach can significantly increase the self-consumption of renewable energy and improve the state-of-the-art management techniques for energy-efficient distributed clouds.