Revolutionizing Energy Distribution: Medium Voltage DC Grids Driving Megawatt-Scale Applications

Brace yourselves for a monumental leap into the future of energy distribution! The DC-POWER project, funded by the European Union, has officially kick-started in January 2024. Coordinated by CEA (INES), this groundbreaking project will show the marvels of medium voltage direct current (MVDC) grids operating at bipolar ±1.5kV, ushering in a new era of sustainable power distribution with at least a jaw-dropping 50% reduction in copper conductor usage.

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    For over a century, AC grids have been the backbone of electricity distribution. However, it is starting to show its shortcomings due to a rise in local generation with renewable energy sources and the essentially direct current (DC) nature of many modern electric loads.

    Modern grids need to deal with two-way energy flows, local intermittent generation from renewables and local energy storage in stationary batteries. The DC-POWER project is ready to address these challenges with medium voltage distribution microgrids using DC instead of AC to redefine the energy distribution.

    The visionary DC-POWER Concept

    While there have been commendable initiatives in low-voltage DC distribution grids, DC-POWER is expanding their concepts into the medium voltage range. The project introduces the revolutionary D3Bus (Dual DC Distribution Bus), a bipolar DC bus operating at ±1.5 kV. This technological marvel is set a significant transformation, reducing distribution energy losses by over 90% slashing downtime, equipment costs, and space requirements, all while increasing sustainability.

    Pilot Projects: From Concept to Reality

    DC-POWER demonstrates, tests and validates the D3 Bus concept in 2 operational pilots:

    · An industrial-scale hydrogen electrolyser system with a total power of 2MW.

    · A novel data centre with up to 500 kW installed IT power.

    Both pilots are graced with sizeable solar PV arrays (200 kW) and the data centre also includes a directly coupled storage solution with UPS functionality.

    DC-POWER develops the complete system concept as well as several DC-DC converters, an AC active frontend, system protection components, and a power/energy management system.

    Led by CEA (INES), our the DC-POWER consortium comprises 10 partners from 6 countries: France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland and Spain. The consortium includes universities, private and industrial partners, ensuring a well-balanced and diverse consortium.

    We are excited to kick-start the project and share our progress and results with you as we work towards implementing MVDC distribution in the market!

    Follow us on LinkedIn, X to stay tuned!

    Contact

    Coordinator: Jens Merten, CEA (INES)

    Email : jens.merten@cea.fr