Feasibility of using renewable energy to supply data centers in 60° north latitude

This paper analyzes the feasibility of using renewable energies for a data center located on 60° north latitude. For this purpose, we introduce a new metric called Minimum Percentage Supply, which represents the fraction of the total data center energy consumption that renewable energy, produced by 1 wind turbine and 1 m2 solar panel, can cover. After estimating the available renewable energy provided for the city of Turku, Finland, and the energy consumption caused by the server workload, a feasibility study is conducted for a data center powered by renewable energy on such a location. We also analyze the ratio between number of wind turbines and m2 of solar panels to achieve a desired percentage of renewable energy coverage for a given data center. Finally, the energy cost trade-off is evaluated for different quantities of wind and solar energy sources.