Increases in peak electricity demands and the growing use of renewable energy — with associated intermittency and variable output — present new challenges to electricity service providers (ESPs). ESPs employ demand charges, variable tariffs and demand response (DR) programs to influence the consumption behavior of consumers to partially mitigate these challenges. Due to their high load and potential flexibility, supercomputing centers (SCs) are increasingly gaining importance in the grid. This paper presents a qualitative study of service contracts between ESPs and SCs in the United States and Europe. From this we extract a contract typology used to understand how, and to what extent, variable tariffs, DR programs, and demand charges are imposed on SCs. Further, we highlight the actions taken by SCs in response to these contractual elements. Finally, we present perspectives on grid integration of SCs to enhance their collaboration with their ESPs to benefit supply stability and resilience.
Clausen, Anders; Koenig, Gregory A.; Klingert, Sonja; Ghatikar, Girish; Schwartz, Peter M; Bates, Natalie