How two large batteries are making France’s electricity system more flexible

At a glance

Project facts

For K51, BKW combines customised electricity procurement with participation in the control energy market. Daily spot price forecasts and automated data exchange enable K51 to control computing power flexibly. Through the control energy pool Energy Powerflex, BKW pools and markets the available capacity of the data centres to support grid stability.

Country

Switzerland

Business area

Energy Markets

Customer

K51

Project status

First regular data centre in operation; further locations planned

Technology area

Waste heat utilisation, heat storage, balancing energy

Sector

Data centres, energy

Story type

Specialist reference

Project type

New build and long-term management

Computing power is growing – and with it unused heat

As digitalisation increases, so does the need for computing power. Data centres require a great deal of electricity and generate heat in the process, which often remains unused. This is exactly where K51 comes in: the start-up places its servers where the waste heat generated can be used directly – for example in greenhouses. The challenge goes beyond the use of heat. Electricity prices fluctuate, consumption forecasts must be available early, and flexible systems can help stabilise the electricity grid. What was therefore required was an energy solution that intelligently combines heat demand, computing power, electricity procurement and grid requirements.

An integrated solution for heat, electricity and flexibility

K51 and BKW opted for an integrated energy solution. It combines a tailored electricity supply contract with access to the balancing energy market. K51 aligns the operation of its systems with BKW’s daily spot price forecasts and shifts computing power to economically suitable hours. Thermal storage systems decouple computing power from heat output in terms of time. This means that the required heat can be provided while electricity consumption is managed flexibly. Contractually agreed heat outputs can also be secured at an early stage via forward transactions.

Automated control down to the individual data centre

BKW transmits its spot price forecasts digitally to K51's systems. Based on this, the system plans the computing power and automatically sends the consumption forecast back. The precise coordination helps to reduce deviations and the associated balancing energy costs. In parallel, the virtual data centre reports the currently available flexible capacity to BKW. This is pooled with other systems and marketed on the balancing energy market. If flexibility is required, the switching signal is sent directly to the virtual data centre; the individual data centres are switched off or on accordingly.

Flexible operation with benefits for heat supply and the electricity grid

The solution enables K51 to shift computing power to hours with suitable prices, make use of the waste heat generated and offer available flexibility on the balancing energy market. This creates additional revenue opportunities alongside the operation of the data centres, while controllable loads can help to stabilise the electricity grid. As demand grows, further data centres are to be integrated and the control system further developed. The approach is also conceivable for other flexible consumers – such as site grids, charging stations or other heating systems. The prerequisite is that loads can be shifted over time or price signals can be passed on to customers.

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