CSR: Small: Collaborative Research: System Support for Managing Carbon Footprints and Electricity Costs in Internet Services

当今社会面临着三个与能源相关的主要挑战：美国对外国能源的依赖，全球对不可再生能源的依赖，以及至少部分由温室气体排放引发的气候变化。计算机行业还面临着能源危机：美国的数据中心消耗了大量能源，这转化为巨大的温室气体足迹。本研究探讨了这些趋势对数据中心设计的影响。特别是，这项工作考虑了如何在京都式的限额与交易框架、相关的限额与支付框架以及不受监管的场景下优化数据中心的运营，在这些场景中，企业优化能源使用以节省资金或实现碳中性。在限额交易和限额薪酬制度中，对社会希望阻止的活动都设置了上限。在大型计算机系统中，过度的棕色能源消耗是一种令人气馁的活动。通过对棕色能源设置上限，社会也可以促进可再生能源的发展。研究挑战包括：(I)平衡棕色能源消耗的减少与成本、性能和服务水平协议(SLA)的影响，(Ii)在可变电价的背景下管理能源消耗；(Iii)设计多个系统层，即使面对高度波动的请求分布和电力/碳价格，也能有效地整合和协调电力和性能管理。这项研究有可能对计算机系统设计产生广泛影响，更广泛地影响到一个日益意识到碳排放的世界。

Society is faced today with three main energy-related challenges: US dependence on foreign energy sources, world-wide dependence on non-renewable energy, and climate change induced at least in part by greenhouse-gas emissions. The computer industry also faces an energy crisis: the nation's data centers consume a gigantic amount of energy, which translates into large greenhouse gas footprints. This research explores the implications of these trends on data center design. In particular, the work considers how to optimize data center operation in the face of Kyoto-style cap-and-trade frameworks, related cap-and-pay frameworks, and unregulated scenarios where businesses optimize energy usage to save money or achieve carbon neutrality. In both cap-and-trade and cap-and-pay, caps are imposed on activities society wants to discourage. In large computer systems, excessive brown energy consumption is one activity to discourage. Through caps on brown energy, society can also promote renewable energy. Research challenges include: (i) balancing reductions in brown energy consumption against cost, performance and service-level agreement (SLA) impact, (ii) managing energy consumption in the context of variable electricity prices; and (iii) designing multiple system layers that effectively integrate and coordinate electricity and performance management, even in the face of highly volatile request distributions and electricity/carbon prices. This research has the potential for broad impact both on computer systems design, and more broadly on an increasingly carbon-conscious world.