An Integrated Energy Management Framework for Cost and Emission Optimization in Data Center Microgrids

The increase in global digitization increases the demand for data centers, and to provide a flexible and reliable service to end users, their continuous operation is of utmost priority. The continuous operation of data centers presents significant challenges, including rising electricity bills and carbon emissions, and data center microgrids (DCMGs) are an effective choice. However, their optimized operation, considering both operational costs and carbon emissions, needs to be addressed. Therefore, in this regard, this paper proposes an emission-aware operational-cost-optimized energy management framework for a data center microgrid, utilizing a newly developed alpha-refined memetic grey wolf optimizer (α-MGWO) algorithm. The framework incorporates detailed data center load modeling, emission-aware cost-minimization modeling, and the formulation of an objective function aimed at reducing both the operational costs and carbon emissions of the DCMG. The results obtained using α-MGWO are compared with other well-established metaheuristic algorithms. Furthermore, a numerical analysis, balanced scheduling decisions, and statistical and convergence analyses demonstrate the effectiveness of α-MGWO for DCMG operation. Moreover, the effectiveness of α-MGWO in achieving optimal energy management is evaluated through four different scenarios along with a sensitivity analysis based on a fixed market price and DCMG operation without renewable energy integration. The results indicate that the first scenario offers the most favorable conditions for DCMG operation, achieving an operational cost of 37,626.35 ($), carbon emissions of 294,392.08 (kg), and the highest renewable energy contribution of 50.71%. By jointly optimizing economic and environmental objectives and increasing renewable energy utilization, the proposed framework provides a quantitative approach to improving the sustainability of energy-intensive data center infrastructure.