Green or adaptive data center system having primary and secondary renewable energy sources

Abstract

A data center system is disclosed. The data center includes a housing heat producing compute IT equipment, a photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector as a first electrical power source, a bio-gas power generator system as second electrical power source, a bio-oil power generator system as a third electrical power source, and a heat transfer system having a circulating coolant, wherein the heat transfer system captures and transfers taste heat generated by the compute IT equipment and the photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector to the circulating coolant, and transfers heat from the heated coolant to at least one of the bio-gas power generator system as a primary electrical power source for the IT equipment and the bio-oil power generator system as a secondary power source for the IT equipment.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A data center system comprising:
 a data center housing heat producing compute IT equipment;   a photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector as a first electrical power source;   a bio-gas power generator system as a second electrical power source;   a bio-oil power generator system as a third electrical power source; and   a heat transfer system haying a circulating coolant, wherein the heat transfer system captures and transfers waste heat generated by the compute IT equipment and the photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector to the circulating coolant, and transfers heat from the heated coolant to at least one of the bio-gas power generator system and the bio-oil power generator system, wherein the bio-gas power generator system functions as a primary electrical power source for the compute IT equipment and the bio-oil power generator system functions as a secondary electrical power source for the compute IT equipment.   
     
     
         2 . The data center system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the data center comprises an equipment cabinet storing the IT equipment, and the heat transfer system comprises a cooling unit associated with the equipment cabinet, the cooling unit housing a heat exchanger for capturing and transferring the waste heat product produced by the IT equipment to the circulating coolant of the heat transfer system. 
     
     
         3 . The data center system in accordance with  claim 2 , wherein the bio-gas power generator system comprises a bio-mass holding tank for storing bio-waste material, a biodigester for producing a bio-gas from the bio-waste material stored and transferred from the bio-mass holding tank, a bio-gas holding tank for storing the bio-gas produced and transferred from the biodigester, and a bio-gas generator for generating electrical power from the bio-gas stored and transferred from the bio-gas holding tank. 
     
     
         4 . The data center system in accordance with  claim 3 , wherein the bio-oil power generator system comprises a hot water holding tank for storing heated water, an algae growth pond in fluid communication with the hot water holding tank for growing oil producing algae, an algae oil extractor for extracting bio-oil from the algae grown in the algae growth pond, a bio-oil holding tank for storing the bio-oil extracted by the algae oil extractor, and a bio-oil generator for generating electrical power from the bio-oil stored and transferred from the bio-oil holding tank. 
     
     
         5 . The data center system in accordance with  claim 4 , wherein the heat exchanger system comprises a first heat transfer unit for transferring heat from the circulating coolant to the bio-waste stored in the bio-mass holding tank, a second heat transfer unit for transferring heat from the circulating coolant to the biodigester, a third heat transfer unit for transferring heat from the circulating coolant to the water stored in the hot water holding tank, and a fourth heat transfer unit for transferring heat from the circulating coolant to the algae growth pond. 
     
     
         6 . The data center system in accordance with  claim 5 , wherein the coolant comprises one of water and a water/glycol mixture. 
     
     
         7 . The data center system in accordance with  claim 6 , wherein the biogas comprises methane gas. 
     
     
         8 . A data center system comprising:
 a data center housing an equipment cabinet storing IT equipment;   a bio-gas power generator system comprising a bio-mass holding tank for storing bio-waste material, a biodigester for producing a bio-gas from the bio-waste material stored in the bio-mass holding tank, a bio-gas holding tank for storing the bio-gas produced by the biodigester, and a bio-gas generator for generating electrical power from the bio-gas stored in the bio-gas holding tank;   a bio-oil power generator comprising a hot water holding tank for storing heated water, an algae growth pond operably connected to the hot water holding tank for growing oil producing algae, an algae oil extractor for extracting bio-oil from the algae grown in the algae growth pond, a bio-oil holding tank for storing the bio-oil extracted by the algae oil actor, and a bio-oil generator for generating electrical power from the bio-oil stored in the bio-oil holding tank; and   a heat exchanger system comprising a first heat exchanger unit being in fluid communication with an internal space of the cabinet, the first heat exchanger unit being operable to intake heated air generated by the IT equipment from the internal space of the cabinet and exhaust cooled air to the internal space of the cabinet by passing the heated air through the first heat exchanger unit where heat is transferred to a coolant circulated through the first heat exchanger unit, the first heat exchanger unit including a coolant outlet and a coolant return, whereby in circulation the coolant outlet supplies the heated coolant to at least one second heat exchanger unit for transferring the heat from the coolant to at least one of the bio-mass holding tank, the biodigester, the hot water holding tank and the algae growth pond, wherein the coolant is circulated back to the first heat exchanger unit via the coolant return; wherein the biomass holding tank uses the heat removed from the circulating coolant to preheat the bio-waste material, the bioreactor uses the heat removed from the circulating coolant to produce the bio-gas, the hot water holding tank uses the heat removed from the circulating coolant to preheat the heated water, and the algae growth pond uses the heat removed from the circulating coolant to heat the pond water.   
     
     
         9 . The data center system in accordance with  claim 8 , further comprising at least one photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector for generating electrical power, wherein the circulating coolant flows through the at least one photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector where heat is transferred from the at east one (photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector to the coolant. 
     
     
         10 . The data center system in accordance with  claim 9 , wherein the coolant comprises one of water and a water/glycol mixture. 
     
     
         11 . The data center system in accordance with  claim 10 , wherein the biogas comprises methane gas.