Maximise renewable energy utilisation with mobile, responsive data centres
Renewable energy producers have traditionally been constrained by the intermittency and variability inherent in renewables to varying degrees. The sun sets on solar farms, the wind slows at wind farms and the rain sometimes doesn’t fall for months in catchment areas feeding hydro generation.
Recent developments in mobile server technology, cryptocurrency markets and telecommunications system mean this variability is no longer a hindrance, but rather a feature. Enerhash Grid Share has a vision of enabling greater deployment of intermittent renewables through close coupling of such sources with highly responsive data centres.
Enerhash Grid Share believe responsiveness in the load demand allows for oversized deployments or expansions of renewable energy throughout New Zealand and Australia, while ensuring return on investment for site owners, and continuity of supply and lowered energy costs for the average consumer.
The rise of solar power has impacted the stock market, as well. Energy prices have been showing a decline in 2020, occasionally even going in the negative. As the world catches on to the notion that climate change requires huge shifts towards renewable energy sources, the prices for energy are forecast to plummet as economies of scale previously only dreamt of allow for transformational renewable energy deployment and low pricing.
Whether a new development, an expansion of an existing site, or a matter of changing demand leaving assets stranded, Enerhash Grid Share can customise responsive data centres for practically any suituation.
Only those energy producers able and willing to adapt and grow to meet the new paradigm of energy digitisation can survive and thrive in the energy landscape of the near future.
Maximising the value of power generation without investing
The legitimacy of data centre optimisation stems from the fact that server parks do not require 100% availability because they capitalise on virtual server capacity they place at clients’ disposal. They are free to sell this capacity when they are in operation. Should there be no power available for the servers, server operators do not face any operating costs. Enerhash Grid Share has come up with a value proposition that provides flexibility for the power generator for certain periods of the day or season to interrupt the DATABOX demand in order to be able to provide the lowest possible electricity price during the “on-time”.
A data centre can provide unprecedented flexibility that empowers energy producers to leverage favourable market events such as high market prices. A stable base load keeps the power plant in operation at all times, making it easier to take advantage of market opportunities on the wholesale electricity market. Since the consumption of the data centre can be turned off entirely, configured in 3000 W increments and scheduled ahead with an hourly or minutely precision, it can be configured to closely match the needs of the production
What does the Enerhash DATABOX look like in practice?
Enerhash’s own data centre is designed with operation of the power producer in mind. Built on the structure of a standard 20- and 40-foot marine shipping container, the DATABOX is completely mobile, meaning that it can be installed directly to the power source. With enough room to accommodate up to 1.3 MW of high performance servers, and highly scalable, the DATABOX has ample demand for any excess generation capacity . The expertise required for installation, commissioning and operation is also taken care of by Enerhash Grid Share. A true turn-key solution for energy producers.
Framework for cooperation tailored to power plant production
Enerhash Grid Share provides two different models for cooperation depending on whether the energy producer wants to make an investment. On the one hand, the power plant may want to invest its own capital to have the data centre among its own assets. On the other hand, the power plant may not want to allocate resources for this purpose but wish to benefit from the synergies through the investments of the Enerhash Grid Share customers. The latter solution therefore has no financial implications on the part of the power producer. We have established the legal and economic foundations for both models depending on requirements.
Powering a data center, without investment
Should the server park remain an asset of Enerhash Grid Share, three contracts provide the legal framework. Enerhash Grid Share purchases electricity under a simple purchase contract from the power plant, which can take place without complicated distribution network involvement since it takes effect on site. Physical placement of the containers is covered by an area lease agreement, which is then connected to the plant grid under a connection agreement. These three contracts fully ensure the necessary legal background for cooperation. The legal framework includes long-term consumption guidelines which can be flexibly adjusted according to the needs of the power plant. Payment is made according to the amount of power consumed in NZD/KWh. Read our blog post to learn more about the details of how this works.
Investing in your very own data centre
In a more exciting model, the data center becomes the power producer’s own asset. In this case, we provide professional consulting and assistance during the build and installation and then we can manage the rental process of the established virtual server capacity. The advantage of this model is that the operation of the data centre can be fully handed over to that of the power plant. The advantage to the producer here is that there are no contractual targets specifying how much availability the plant must provide. By building and owning a data center, both energy production and data centre operation can be optimised solely according to the interests of the producer, speeding up the return on investment. Returns tend to be extremely fast compared to other investments in the energy sector, as electricity can be marketed at a higher value. More information about this model can be found in this article.
Enerhash Grid Share’s solutions for different types of power generators
Design of the Enerhash DATABOX allows installation at any source of power, including renewable energy sources, meaning that any type of power plant can enjoy the benefits of production optimisation with data centres. The data centre requires only 25 square meter of spare safe space (20 foot model). We advise to place the container as close as possible to the power source, given that installing only a short cable has serious financial implications. There are no other technical or physical requirements for the installation to take place. Should the power plant be unable to provide an internet connection, we assure a stable connection by mounting 4G or satellite connectivity. Data capacity demands are low compared to high bandwidth centralised data centres. Our server parks have no specific cooling needs. Heat generated by the servers can leave freely through the louvre on the side of the container, and where applicable this heat and be applied to provide low grade utility heat. The DATABOX is equipped with a power cord that requires a standard 400V 3-phase power supply.
Hydroelectric power stations
For hydropower plants whose capacity exceeds demand, either all year round experiences seasonal variation that requires controllable variation in base load we can meet most requirements, while allowing for peak market pricing to be met.
Solar power plants
In the case of new investments, data centres can accelerate return on the solar power plant, while the connection with a solar power plant has a positive effect on the return of the data centre. Protecting against market price volatility, Enerhash DATABOX can provide a new revenue stream to assure future profitability.
Biomass plants
If extra feed-stock is available, an on-site data centre will allow the power plant to start up. Surplus stock can be utilised when surplus production could not be sold in the traditional way because the data centre is able to consume the electricity and provide a competitive price for it.
Renewable energy
Our mobile data centres can be installed to any renewable energy source. Volatile production of renewable power plants becomes balanced and predictable with the installation of our data centres. Return on investment is significantly accelerated through the utilisation of excess capacity. By deregulating the mandatory takeover system, we provide a solution for the resumption of energy production with a fixed price takeover contract.
Oil and gas well flares
Maintaining optimum environmental performance means strictly controlling flare gas. Instead of the typical solution of burning the flare gases generated during the production of oil and gas wells in an environmentally extremely harmful way, they can be utilised by installing a gas separation device. Separated gases can be utilised directly on site by installing a gas engine. Electricity generated this way can be used directly at the gas engine with our DATABOX products.
