Economic and Environmental Analysis of U.S.-Based Data Centers Containing Photovoltaic Power Generation

摘要

Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are two major concerns for data centers. Adopting renewable energy, such as solar energy, is a potential solution to both relieve the draw by the power grid and reduce CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) emissions. This study quantifies the economic and environmental aspects of data center operation, and then assesses the influence of photovoltaic (PV)-based solar energy upon these aspects. The study estimates data center upfront and operating costs, and the carbon emission factor (CEF), defined here as the carbon footprint associated with each kWh of electricity consumption, for locations in all 50 U.S. states. The study includes location-specific metrics such as electricity cost, latitude and solar irradiance. The CEF is approximated based on the electric power production portfolio associated with each state. The solar availability assigned to a state is calculated using a beam and diffuse solar irradiance model based on the hourly solar irradiance data from the NREL TMY3 database. Recommendations are provided regarding the locations and data center densities with the largest economic and environmental benefit from adding PV-based power generation.