Methodology for Designing Substations for High-Power Data Centers and Charging Hubs

Ivan Zhukov

Citation: Ivan Zhukov, "Methodology for Designing Substations for High-Power Data Centers and Charging Hubs", Universal Library of Innovative Research and Studies, Volume 01, Issue 02.

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The methodology addresses the fact that amid rapid digitalization and transportation electrification, modern power systems face an unprecedented challenge driven by the emergence of new classes of high-power, highly sensitive loads such as hyperscale data centers and electric vehicle (EV) charging hubs. Classical substation design approaches, developed for traditional industrial and utility customers, are unable to meet these facilities’ extreme requirements for reliability, power quality, and load dynamics. The present work constitutes a comprehensive academic methodology aimed at closing this gap. At its core is an original four-stage design algorithm that systematically integrates business-requirement analysis (Uptime Institute Tier standards), quantitative reliability assessment (IEEE Std 493), optimal power-supply architecture selection, and the development of adaptive protective-relay logic. The proposed method provides a reproducible and scalable way to design substations with very high reliability, fault tolerance, and low cost, meeting the new requirements of next-generation loads. The main innovation of the work is the integration of the most modern international design standard in this field with know-how from large energy projects to help design engineers, critical energy projects, and energy companies achieve a more stable, lean power system. The methodology is intended for design engineers, data-center and high-power EV-hub developers and operators, power companies, investors, and critical-infrastructure clients who require reproducible, economically justified solutions for creating highly reliable, fault-tolerant substations for next-generation loads.


Keywords: Reliability, Redundancy, Adaptive Protective Relaying, BESS, Breaker-And-A-Half Bus Scheme.

Download doi https://doi.org/10.70315/uloap.ulirs.2024.0102011