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Techno-economic performance of reservoir thermal energy storage for data center cooling system

Author

Listed:
  • Oh, Hyunjun
  • Jin, Wencheng
  • Peng, Peng
  • Winick, Jeffrey A.
  • Sickinger, David
  • Sartor, Dale
  • Zhang, Yingqi
  • Beckers, Koenraad
  • Kitz, Kevin
  • Acero-Allard, Diana
  • Atkinson, Trevor A.
  • Dobson, Patrick

Abstract

Electronic equipment in data centers generates heat during operation, which should be dissipated through a cooling system to prevent overheating and maintain optimal performance. Electricity consumption for the data center cooling system becomes significant as the demand for data-intensive services increases. Although various technologies have been developed and integrated into the data center cooling system, there are limited high-efficiency alternatives for data center cooling. In this study, we designed a reservoir thermal energy storage (RTES) system that stores cooling energy during winters and produces it during summers for data center cooling. We then demonstrated the techno-economic performance of the RTES incorporated with dry coolers and heat recovery for a year-round 5 MW cooling load. The RTES cooling production was reliable during the 20-year lifetime. We estimated the levelized cost of cooling as $5/MWh, significantly lower than $15/MWh for the base scenario where chillers and dry coolers supply the same cooling load without the RTES. We also estimated that the RTES-based cooling system annually avoids CO2 emissions up to 1488 tCO2e compared to the base case. These results highlight techno-economic feasibility and environmental benefits of the RTES and its potential to be deployed for various applications at large scales as well as for data center cooling.

Suggested Citation

  • Oh, Hyunjun & Jin, Wencheng & Peng, Peng & Winick, Jeffrey A. & Sickinger, David & Sartor, Dale & Zhang, Yingqi & Beckers, Koenraad & Kitz, Kevin & Acero-Allard, Diana & Atkinson, Trevor A. & Dobson, , 2025. "Techno-economic performance of reservoir thermal energy storage for data center cooling system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 391(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:391:y:2025:i:c:s0306261925005884
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.125858
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    References listed on IDEAS

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