"Direct current from renewable energies can be easily integrated into production and at the same time make an important contribution to greater energy and resource efficiency," says Prof. Dr. Holger Borcherding from TH OWL and scientific director of the DC-INDUSTRIE2 research project. Since 2016, more than 40 companies and research institutions have been working on solutions in the DC-INDUSTRIE and DC-INDUSTRIE2 projects to exploit the potential of direct current technology for industrial production facilities. After seven years, the project will come to a scheduled conclusion at the end of March 2023. At the final meeting at BMW in Dingolfing, more than 80 project participants evaluated the results and added further measurement results and findings to the system concept already presented.

Energy savings of up to 20 percent possible

"We have succeeded in developing a sustainable electrical network for industrial applications and preparing it for rapid dissemination," continued Borcherding. The open concept, which works independently of manufacturers, is the basis for widespread use. The technology has already been successfully tested and applied in ten model plants and transfer centers. "The efficiency compared to alternating current is impressive: we were able to save up to 20 percent energy in some applications and reduce copper consumption in the cables by half."

Direct current is therefore an important building block for a resource-saving, climate-neutral industry: "In a direct current system, power demand and supply can be more easily balanced compared to the alternating current grid," says Dr. Hartwig Stammberger from Eaton and coordinator of the DC-INDUSTRIE2 project. Another advantage is that the electrical installation in the factories no longer has to be designed for short-term load peaks. "Braking energy, such as that generated by robots and lifting drives, is fully utilized and, at the same time, the easily connectable storage units provide sufficient energy to limit production downtime to the actual downtime in the event of a supply grid failure."

The findings from the research projects funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection will be incorporated and further developed by the ZVEI working group Open DC Alliance (ODCA), which was founded in November 2022.