Spatio-Temporal Energy Flexibility of Data Centers: Modeling the Impact on the Western Interconnection

Data centers are rapidly becoming major electricity consumers due to the growth of digital infrastructure and AI, but they can transition from a grid challenge to a grid flexibility solution through workload scheduling, distributed power resources, and advanced cooling systems. This paper presents an analysis of the impacts of data center energy flexibility on the operation of the Western Interconnection. The energy flexibility of data centers is modeled through coordinated IT workloads with spatio-temporal flexibility, cooling systems enhanced with thermal energy storage, and integrated on-site energy resources including solar generation, small modular reactors, and battery storage systems. A multi-regional unit commitment framework is developed to integrate data center energy flexibility into the Western Interconnection while enforcing inter-regional transmission limits and operational constraints. The numerical results show that spatio-temporal flexibility of data centers significantly reduces the operation cost, while supporting a diverse generation mix in the Western Interconnection.