Can Alternating Current (AC)and Direct Current (DC) coexist for a greener future?
As we strive for greener energy solutions, integrating DC with traditional AC offers a path to enhanced capacity, control, and efficiency. EDP Innovation and R&D is paving the way for this transformation, unlocking the full potential of our networks.
Power system, the most complex and successful supply chain ever built, was designed using AC. AC systems are complex to operate due to variables like frequency or reactive power. However, in the 19th century, AC had a key advantage over DC: the ability to easily step-up voltage levels for long-distance, low-loss energy transmission using transformers, which only work with AC.
Advances in electronics enable the voltage conversion in DC, and the control of electrical variables, in a way that transformers cannot do.
DC has been used at TSO level for over 30 years. With DC, TSOs can transmit large amounts of energy with lower losses and voltage drop, smaller footprint, and greater control. Thus, AC and DC can coexist, as they already do at the TSO level. Given the benefits of DC and the fact that most generation and loads at the distribution level are DC-based, now is the time to integrate DC with our AC distribution systems too.
Imagine a city with a congested line that cannot increase power; a line passing through a restricted area where upgrading the voltage level is not possible; a new supply point for a ultra-fast EV charger; or a connection to a PV plant that could be repowered if the network allowed more capacity. These are just a few examples where DC can unlock new capacity and controllability. These use cases, identified by the EDP Research and Innovation team, have already resulted in an innovation project in validation phase. This project is only the first of many, that will give EDP new tools to face the challenges of the energy transition.
However, there are still market gaps to fill, standardization needs for DC or differences of operation modes. Addressing these challenges is one of the key objectives of the innovation projects mentioned earlier, ensuring that the integration of DC into AC systems is both effective and sustainable.
For a successful energy transition, we need efficient, agile networks. To achieve this, any technology that helps increase capacity and control, as well as easing the integration of renewable generation, plays a crucial role, and so does DC. A greener future will only be possible in hybrid AC and DC grids, and EDP is pushing for it..
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