Thermal stratification characteristics and cooling water shortage risks for pumped storage reservoir–green data centers under extreme climates

Utilizing the thermal stratification of reservoirs to obtain cold water for cooling green data centers (GDCs) is a new mode of energy conservation and emission reduction. However, global warming is expected to alter this phenomenon in deep reservoirs and thus may affect the digitalization process. While the frequency and intensity of extreme climate (EC) events are increasing under a changing climate, the impacts of these highly destructive events on thermal stratification and the related cascading effects on GDC cold-water supplies are still unclear. A two-lateral-dimensional thermohydrodynamic model was established to determine the characteristics of reservoir thermal stratification changes and its potential water environment impacts based on the heat extreme experienced by the Jinshuitan Reservoir, a large, pumped storage power station (PSPS) with a GDC in southeastern China. Fourteen different PSPS inlet/outlet schemes under 2 climate scenarios were designed, and two new indexes, namely, the risk index of cold-water shortage and the index of thermal stratification, were proposed to explore the impact of extreme climates on GDC water extraction. The results showed that compared to the present climate conditions, the reservoir experienced stronger thermal stratification with a 20.6 % average increase in thermal stability, a longer thermal stratification duration with a transitional trend from seasonal to permanent stratification, and a thinner cold-water layer with a 15-m average decrease. Changes in the thermal stratification of reservoirs under EC conditions will benefit some species, such as diatoms (except for early July and the period from mid-August to early October), green algae and cyanobacteria and the migration of warm-water fish, but adversely impact dissolved oxygen, diatoms and cold-water fish. Furthermore, the risk of cold-water shortages under EC conditions was consistently greater than that under average climate (AC) conditions (traditional assessment) when the elevation of pumped storage intake/outlet was less than 145 m. According to the traditional assessment method, the intake/outlet elevation of pumped storage reservoirs resulted in a 60.27 % increase in the risk of cold-water shortages during climate extremes. Furthermore, the demand for green cold-water withdrawal and optimal pumped storage power generation benefits were met when the PSPS intake/outlet elevation was 145 m. Beyond solving this specific case, this study elucidates the importance of linking the thermal stratification and data center of cold-water withdrawal to ECs. These findings provide new insights for increasing climate change resilience.