Overview
If you have ever wondered how to charge your laptop computer or run your fridge from the photovoltaic (PV) panel on your roof, this brief guide provides an introduction to the opportunities and challenges of introducing direct current (DC) power. There are many possible solutions, but so far an absence of generally accepted standards to provide a strategy for linking supply and demand. The end game is to provide a universal solution that will enable a variety of low power appliances to plug directly into a DC micro-grid. However, there are specific opportunities that can be implemented now.
This guide summarises the basic concepts of DC micro-grids and available technologies for storage and distribution based on research carried out by BSRIA for the Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network.
Contents include:
- Basic concepts
- Cost benefit analysis
- DC network examples
- DC source technologies
- DC storage technologies
- Potential application markets