The Fraunhofer Institutes IISB and IPA are involved in the design and testing of an intelligent DC power supply system for production plants.

Alternating current (AC) is the standard for electrical power transmission and distribution – but direct current (DC) grids have great potential in terms of energy efficiency, reliability and flexibility, especially in industrial environments. A paradigm shift can also be expected in the context of the energy transition, because modern systems for power generation and storage, such as photovoltaic systems and electrochemical storage, only supply direct current.

The aim of the joint project “DC-INDUSTRIE 2” is to link all electrical systems in a factory via an intelligent DC grid. The predecessor project DC-INDUSTRIE already demonstrated the feasibility of a decentralized energy flow control of a DC supply network in the factory. Efficiency increases of between five and ten percent were achieved. Now the task is to transfer the proven concept for a machine network to a production hall and achieve even higher efficiency increases. This will also make it possible to reduce CO2 emissions and respond flexibly to the introduction of climate-neutral technologies.

Fraunhofer IISB is responsible for the implementation of DC converters and protective equipment, inspecting the network for small-signal/ large-signal stability of the grid and local management of interconnected transformer systems. Initial tests in test halls and real factory facilities are already underway.

About the project:

DC-INDUSTRIE 2 is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi). Further information on the project and the partners involved (in German) can be found here.