GreenSlot: Scheduling energy consumption in green datacenters

In this paper, we propose GreenSlot, a parallel batch job scheduler for a datacenter powered by a photovoltaic solar array and the electrical grid (as a backup). GreenSlot predicts the amount of solar energy that will be available in the near future, and schedules the workload to maximize the green energy consumption while meet- ing the jobs´ deadlines. If grid energy must be used to avoid dead- line violations, the scheduler selects times when it is cheap. Our results for production scientific workloads demonstrate that Green-Slot can increase green energy consumption by up to 117% and decrease energy cost by up to 39%, compared to a conventional scheduler. Based on these positive results, we conclude that green datacenters and green-energy-aware scheduling can have a significant role in building a more sustainable IT ecosystem.