DC Power in Buildings: Separating the Hype from Reality
Prepared by Xergy Consulting for NRECA’s Business and Technology Strategies group
The Issue
A groundswell of distributed energy deployments will usher in new possibilities for distributing power in buildings. The growth of direct current (DC) generation and storage resources has set the stage for a future in which power could be efficiently transferred between distributed energy resources (DERs) and loads within a building as DC. Firms such as Bosch and Cisco have begun embracing and commercializing the technology, but its future is still uncertain due to a lack of awareness and standardization, as well as other practical barriers.
Should it take hold, DC power in buildings would bring new challenges and opportunities for electric utilities. It could serve as an enabling technology for DERs that may accelerate and amplify many of the challenges posed by distributed energy. For utilities embracing the new products and services that DERs provide, however, it could also offer significant benefit by simplifying DER installations and reducing costs. DC could one day be a powerful ally for innovative utilities shifting toward more consumer-centric, service-based business models.
Our Work
In this Tech Surveillance article, the Xergy team helps electric cooperatives and other utilities cut through the hype on DC power technologies and walks through potential utility service offerings and programs that it could one day enable, ranging from resilient power to streamlined DER installations. Our recommendations provide guidance for innovative cooperatives and utilities on how they can stay engaged on the latest developments in this space.
For information on the use cases that DC could enable from a consumer perspective, see our Demand DC white paper.