DC networks

CORE worked together with various European educational institutions and companies on the "direct voltage brings you further" project in which the role of DC networks in the future will be investigated. The project looked at the possibilities of constructing DC networks, the way of generating electricity and an efficient implementation with industrial and residential users.

Within this larger whole, CORE focused on changes and optimal scenarios within households. A first component was the development of a tool that uses various case studies and scenarios to investigate the energy benefits of using a DC network at the household level. This tool makes it possible, for example, to easily monitor what happens when a solar panel is connected directly to consumers such as laptops via a DC grid instead of the conventional AC grid. With the results obtained from the tool, two scientific papers were written which were later presented in South Korea and South Africa. Moreover, they are a source of inspiration for further research within the project.

A second part in which CORE was active was the development of a Smart-DC plug. This plug connects user devices such as laptops and cell phones via one common connector. This connector controls its own output via the USB-PD protocol. At the beginning of 2014, a working prototype was delivered.