Coordinated Planning of Multiple Energy Hubs Considering the Spatiotemporal Load Regulation of Data Centers

With the digitalization of energy systems, data centers are gradually becoming an integral part of energy hubs (EHs). Considering the spatiotemporal load regulation of data centers, this article proposes a novel multi-stage coordinated planning model for multiple EHs, which can co-optimize the structure and capacity of each EH, as well as interconnected lines and pipes among multiple EHs. First, a digraph-based computerized modeling method is developed to describe the structures of different EHs. Then, the workload allocation, multi-energy consumption, and service quality of data centers are modeled in sequence to illustrate the tight coupling relationships of energy flow and workload flow. On this basis, the coordinated planning model of multiple EHs is established with the objective function of minimizing the total cost, which is mainly subjected to the constraints of energy device selection, inside topology design, multi-energy load balance, workload balance, and risks. Case studies are carried out on a test system in north China to verify the effectiveness of the proposed planning method.