DC nets revolutionize industry: a step towards the green turn!

DC nets revolutionize industry: a step towards the green turn!

Braderup, Deutschland - On April 29, 2025, the industry presented itself with new challenges and opportunities through the introduction of direct current networks (DC Grids). A central project that is supposed to promote the green energy transition in industry is the DC-Microgrid, which is already being tested in various industrial applications and pilot plants in Europe. According to Econews not only represents this project, but also ensures the competitive advantage for the companies involved.

The partners involved are well -known companies and institutions, including Silicon Austria Labs, Fronius International GmbH and the Technical University of Graz. The project started in March 2025 and will run by February 2029, with a total volume of around 8.42 million euros.

advantages of direct current networks

The advantages of direct current networks are diverse. They enable higher energy and resource efficiency as well as a significant contribution to CO₂ reduction. By integrating renewable energies into the production facilities, a more environmentally friendly energy supply is possible. For example, solar energy, which is generated by factory roofs, can be fed into the power grid much more easily, as in a report by VDI Nachrichten

This type of networks could also significantly reduce the energy requirements of the industry. Studies show that energy consumption in direct current factories can be reduced by up to 10% depending on use. The detection of two research projects on the DC industry emphasizes that the use of direct current is particularly advantageous in areas with many electrical drives, where brake energy can be recovered.

innovation potential and implementation

The development of direct current networks brings with it a high potential for innovation. Focus fields include electricity converters, control algorithms and network stability. Frank Maier, CTO at Lenze, expressed initial concerns about the size of the consortium, but emphasized the importance of the research results that are now to be converted into practice.

Goal of the follow-up project "DC industry 2", which has been running since 2019, is the integration of renewable energies and storage systems into DC supply. The foundation of the "Open Direct Current Alliance" (ODCA) at the end of 2022 is another step to use these research results in a practical way. The founding members include renowned companies such as Audi and Siemens.

The integration of renewable energy sources is considered essential in the context of the sustainable energy transition. According to Energynet , innovative concepts show progress in the integration of renewable energies into power grids. Projects such as the decentralized energy storage from Bosch and the "Swarm conductor" software to network decentralized power plants illustrate the need and the urgent developments in this area.

Overall, it can be seen that the introduction of direct current networks not only represents technological progress, but can also make a fundamental contribution to a more sustainable and efficient industrial landscape. The coming years will be crucial to fully exploit the innovation potential of these technologies.