DC,

Come Home
By Brian T. Patterson

M
Most discussions about ac versus dc electricity include a retelling
of the famous technical and commercial battle between Edison and Westinghouse/Tesla. Its a story
about everything from electrocuting elephants at state fairs to the ambitious work of electrifying both
urban and rural America. Its the tale of one of mans greatest engineering feats. It tells of a centralized
power generation system based on the dominant use of incandescent light bulbs and ac constant-speed
motors. In the end though, it is a retelling of historyand unfortunately, it is a history that doesnt project
well into the future.
This article is about making history in the power world. Its about the rebirth of the earli-
est form of electrical powerdc powerand its potential to change the world once again. It is
being reborn with the help of modern solid-state power electronics technology.
The story is also about the work of EMerge Alliance (EA), a nonprofit open industry association
that is creating and promoting new standards based on the contemporary use of dc technology for
power generation, storage, distribution, and use. This quickly growing allianceit already includes
more than 100 organizations from industry, government, and academiawas conceived by and is
populated with thought leaders motivated by the need for a phase change in
the way we think about electric power. EA was born into a world searching
for ways to move away from its almost exclusive dependence on synchronous
DC Microgrids fossil-fueled centralized power generation and ac macro grid transmission
and distribution toward a system that can adaptively and efficiently include
and the Birth of highly distributed, native dc electrical power generation and storage and
deliver it an evolved predominance of natively dc loads. In the end, its about
the Enernet a new energy network, or enernet.
The future of civilized progress is increasingly underwritten by our use
of electrons to do work. So their sourcing, distribution, and efficient use is as
fundamental as it is critical to our continued existence on this planet. While
seeking better and cleaner ways of collecting and returning energy to and
from the environment, it should be fundamentally recognized that electrons play a valuable role in
utilizing energy from sustainable sources that can be used to do the vast majority of the work we desire
The members of EA propose an expanded use of hybrid ac-dc power systems that are more akin
to todays adaptive and information-rich Internet than they are to yesteryears hard-wired party-
line telephone system. The application standards they are creating include a family of application
areaspecific dc microgrids that, when interconnected with the soon to be smart ac grid, will com-
bine to form the aforementioned enernet. (This term was first used in a presentation made at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by Bob Metcalfe, the well-known inventor of Ethernet, a

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2012.2212610

Date of publication: 18 October 2012

60 ieee power & energy magazine 1540-7977/12/$31.002012IEEE november/december 2012

 stockbyte

key enabler of todays Internet.) Such a network should have
the means to value and efficiently utilize electrons produced
by small private or community-owned renewable generators
on an equal footing with those served up by huge private or
publicly owned and regulated utilities. This also liberates us
from the constrained practice of required behaviors imposed
by the dominant use of highly regulated central power gen-
eration and one-way distribution and moves us strongly
toward a more democratic, user-centric view that includes
distributed local generation and multidirectional networked
distribution and use. Such systems are capable of reshaping
the prevailing notion that quality of life around the world

november/december 2012 ieee power & energy magazine 61

 Its about the rebirth of the earliest form
of electrical powerdc powerand its potential
to change the world once again.
will be constrained by the limits and harmful effects of our
current electrical energy systems. It is a view that stimulates
innovation and investment in a far more resilient and flexible
network with far less impact on the environment in the short
termand one that seeks harmony with it in the longer term.
To accomplish this, EAs vision includes a system topol-
ogy that links electrical elements starting at the chip level
to electrical elements at the public utilitys generation plants
and everything in between in different ways than they are
currently configured. In this context, it thus redefines both
the physical topology (how things are connected) and the
logical topology (how things behave). The essential new
physical ingredients of this vision include the concept of
semiautonomous microgrids and the recognition that dc
power is the technologically preferred form of electricity to
be used within these grids. It seeks to minimize the wasteful
impact of unnecessary power conversions and recognize that
the increasing majority of new sources and uses of electri-
cal power are, for the most part, natively dc or, at the least,
are not constant-frequency ac and that they make use of dc-
based power electronics.
EA acknowledges the technical and social challenges
certain to be raised during the pursuit of its vision. When it
comes to energyand especially electrical energy and the
marvel of our existing 100-year-old ac electrical energy sys-
temmany are tempted to disown the challenge of creating
a better future as represented by this more balanced vision
of the role dc can play. But what EAs members envision is
no more (or less) dramatic, demanding, or risky an undertak-
ing than that associated with the recent transformations of
our telephony, information, and computing systems during
the creation of todays Internet. In some ways it should be a
far less ominous transformational job, as the lessons learned
from crafting the Internet are still fresh in our minds. The
reward: an electricity network that can enhance business and
personal economic growth and ecological well-being in a
way that rivals the positive effects of the Internet.
The Future of Zero-Net-Energy Buildings
The future starts today, so EAs vision is directly connected
to the widely discussed contemporary goal of creating zero-
net-energy buildings (ZEBs). ZEBs, at least in the context
of this article, are buildings that cleanly generate enough
energy on-site to equal the energy they use, thus creating a
net zero balance at the building level. This further creates
the opportunity to lessen the overall impact of energy gen-
eration on our economy, climate, and ecology.
62 ieee power & energy magazine november/december 2012
Even if one is not swayed by the desirability of the
improved economics or ecology related to ZEBsthe U.S.
government, for example, has called for all new commercial
buildings by 2030 and 50% of existing buildings by 2040 to
qualify as ZEBsperhaps with the addition of local power
storage, the prospect of making buildings less vulnerable to
technical and external threats to our national electric grid sys-
tem is enough of a motivator. It should be noted that ZEBs
are not necessarily islanded from the gridin fact, they are
typically connected to the power network with the concept of
having the grid provide back-up power supply in the case that
a ZEB can not meet net zero energy for some reason. Also,
during periods of excess generation to load at a ZEB, a point
of interconnection to the grid is provided for the ZEB to sell
back to the grid under certain circumstances.
And its not just the federal government thats involved.
Theres a large movement in the architectural and engineer-
ing community, called the 2030 Challenge, that is focus-
ing on building and renovating our way to climate-neutral
buildings by 2030. Many leading firms have already joined
this effort, and it is supported by the American Institute of
Architects. Trying to combine forces, the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) has funded a Zero-Energy Commercial Build-
ings Consortium (CBC) to bring industry leaders, building
owners, designers, and manufacturers together to identify the
challenges and obstacles facing us on this path.
The biggest aspect of this challenge is that we are not
starting from scratch. We cant just concern ourselves with
new buildings. Of all the commercial buildings that will exist
in 2030, 85% are already built. So we need ways of taking
existing buildings and improving their energy use dramati-
cally. Some of these existing buildings are pretty old. And
nationally, more than 95% of our building stock is small:
under 50,000 ft2. In New York City, for example, the average
age of commercial buildings is 50 years. In the mid-Atlantic
region, nearly 50% are that old, and they tend to be small, less
than 100,000 ft2. Many havent been renovated significantly,
particularly for energy retrofits, in decades. Even in Califor-
nia, a bellwether state for energy efficiency, there are no effi-
ciency standards for existing buildings. This is particularly
problematic in office buildings, where 37% of all commercial
electrical energy is consumed. These statistics indicate the
challenge we face in transforming todays building stock.
Fortunately, many individuals and groups are now begin-
ning to focus on the challenge of existing buildings in terms
of sustainability. One group is creating strategies for exist-
ing buildings in Philadelphia, where DOE has funded an
 We believe the dc-empowered enernet
will be seen as the heart of whats coming:
a new electric energy age.
innovation hub for existing buildings, originally called
the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster (GPIC) and now
known as the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub (EEB Hub).
Another effort, on the same campus as the EEB Hub, is the
GridSTAR Center, another DOE-assisted program that is
coordinated in part by the Penn State Center for Sustainability.
Several common approaches to designing for low- or zero-
net-energy buildings, whether theyre new or existing, are
emerging from these and other similar efforts around the world.
Lighting is often a primary target, both in terms of increas-
ing day lighting and making the remaining electric light more
energy efficient. And mechanical and heating, ventilation, and
air-conditioning (HVAC) systems are seeing a range of new
design strategies, including revised ventilation schemes, the
use of new technologies like chilled beams and radiant panels,
and the expanded use of variable-speed drive motors for pumps
and air handlers. So-called smart building approaches add
controls and building automation. Another focus is on-site
power generation and storage, including using solar, wind, and
other clean energy generation and more efficient power distri-
bution throughout a building. In general, design strategies for
new building and deep renovation projects are changing, with
a growing focus on the 2030 challenge.
Whats a DC Microgrid?
One of the least publicized but most significant ways a build-
ings design can change is in the way it is powered. Chang-
ing basic infrastructure has never been the glamorous part
of any design challenge. But a buildings power infrastruc-
ture is one of the key facets linking building design and
renovation to the national electrical smart grid effort. A
new approach to the way we generate and use power in our
buildingsusing an infrastructure called dc microgridsis
linked to how we should make and distribute power at the
national electrical grid levelthe macro grid.
The use of microgrids is partly motivated by the increas-
ing concern for the strain on and vulnerability of our elec-
trical macro grid system. Witness the 2011 blackout in
Southern California due to a utility workers mistake in
Yuma, Arizona, and the blackout in the northeastern United
States in 2003. And these are only the sensationalized events
reported by the media; there are thousands of lower-level
events, power disturbances, and failures recorded each day.
These random disturbances and linear dynamic failures in
the power delivery system are putting their own emphasis on
creating independent, building-level power self-sufficiency
via such microgrids.
november/december 2012 ieee power & energy magazine 63
It is also believed by a growing number of proponents
that smart dc microgrids can help us make better use of the
energy generated, stored, and used at a local level. Whether
they are for new on-site energy generation (e.g., solar instal-
lations) or adding smart devices to monitor energy use or
intelligently connecting power to electric vehicles and
battery storage, such approaches give us added control of
energy use at the building level, thus making buildings bet-
ter partners with the nations smart grid efforts. They also
provide a way to buy centrally generated energy at times of
the day when it is more abundant, temporarily store it, and
then use it during peak demand periods.
DC microgrids interconnect a localized grouping of
electricity sources and loads that predominately gener-
ates, distributes, and uses electrical power in its native dc
form at low voltages (up to 1,500 Vdc) and operates either
connected to the traditional centralized grid or func-
tions autonomously as physical and/or economic condi-
tions dictate. Such microgrids are typically connected to
and operate in conjunction with ac macro grids to form a
smart grid. The macro grids are typically utility-operated,
centralized generation, wide-area transmission, and local
distribution electricity grids that predominately use elec-
trical power in its alternating current (ac) form at high and
medium voltages (above 1,500 V) that otherwise require
waveform, phase, and voltage synchronization for mul-
tiple power source interconnection. A pictogram of typi-
cal macro grid-to-microgrid interconnection is shown in
Figure 1.
Regarding the potential use of such dc microgrids, the
DOE-sponsored Zero Energy CBC has reported that dc
power may hold the key. The consortium cited dc power
and dc microgrids as a next-generation technology and
application that could fundamentally change the way we
power commercial buildings. They noted that dc power can
reduce or eliminate ac-to-dc conversions at the equipment
and building level so that we can save more of the energy
we need.
But how much dc power is being used in commercial
buildings? DC power is already used in most of the elec-
tronic devices youre familiar with and use in your every-
day work environment, from smartphones to computers and
printers to your iPad and even the lighting over your head.
But it is also used in the racks and racks of equipment in data
centers that support your information technology systems.
And dc is fundamental to the variable-speed motor drives
that help deliver your heating and air conditioning and to
 The dc microgrid-enabled enernet vision represents
a certain level of decentralization of the nations grid and is
intended to facilitate the current smart grid overhaul.

system, the native dc power produced by

the solar panels is inverted to ac power,
Generation Transmission Distribution Smart
Meters just so it can be distributed in the building.
Then the ac power gets converted back to
dc for specific device uses, such as lighting.
This double conversion wastes even more
Smart Buildings energy. After these double conversions,
15% or more of the solar energy generated
Smart Grid
is lost.
Building
Microgrids
The trend toward the use of dc
devices has been increasing for decades,
Why Microgrids? Onsite Renewable and theres no end in sight. Data center
Increase Renewable Energy Availability Energy Generation growth alone approaches a compound
Improve Reliability and Security average annual rate of nearly 30%. The
Improve Availability in Underserved Markets simple reality is that almost everything
Create Open Environment for Energy Innovation based on semiconductor electronics is
Local Energy Storage
also based on the use of dc power, not
ac power. In fact, Virginia Techs Center
figure 1. Pictogram of macro grid-to-microgrid interconnection. for Power Electronics Systems in Blacks-
burg estimates that more than 80% of
the electricity used in office buildings
the electric vehicles you drive, or are planning on driving, passes through power electronics and experiences one or
to and from your buildings in the future. More and more of more conversions between ac and dc electricity. And yet we
what uses electricity is utilizing solid-state and semiconduc- dont have comprehensive standards for how best to gener-
tor power electronics based on dc. ate, distribute, and use dc power, the form of electricity
The challenge is this: for those dc devices to use the ac most of these devices need. Such standards could provide
electricity that is delivered to them, they have to convert ac the opportunity to reduce or eliminate unnecessary power
to dc. Simply put, these conversions waste energy. conversions. They would also help simplify and improve
the reliability of the electronic equipment involved, reduce
The Plague of Wasteful the waste generated when these chargers and converters
Power Conversion are put into landfills, and help make the user experience
A telltale sign of these wasteful conversions from ac to dc simpler by eliminating the many different adapter plugs
are the ubiquitous power bricks and chargers cluttering our now necessary. Defining common interfaces and standards
work spaces. Every time you plug in your laptop charger, for our dc devices at multiple building levels could help us
youre converting the ac available in the building to the dc simplify how we use power while saving energy, offering
power that your computer needs to run. The same thing the potential for 515% savings or more, depending on the
applies to your smartphone and other personal electronic ac-dc conversions we reduce or eliminate.
devices. When you feel these converters get hot, thats the
energy lost in the conversion process. The amount of energy The Critical and Clarifying
lost differs with various devices, but is generally 1025%. Role of Standards and Codes
And whats worse, many of these converters consume nearly Standards and codes play critical roles in moving us toward
as much energy when the associated device theyre attached improved energy use. Organizations such as National Fire
to is off as when it is on. Protection Association (NFPA), Underwriters Labora-
There are other, less obvious ac-dc conversions going on tory (UL), National Electric Manufacturing Association
in buildings. One is in the electrically ballasted fluorescent (NEMA), and newer ones (including EA) are working
ceiling lights you see overhead. Another takes place within together and have established task groups to address criti-
solar installations. For example, in a typical photovoltaic (PV) cal issues for alternative energy, including dc microgrid

64 ieee power & energy magazine november/december 2012

distribution systems and electric vehi-
cle charging as well as dc distributed Power Sources
electricity storage, natively dc genera-
tion systems, and other new dc elec- Utility
trical uses. Model installation codes Battery Fuel Cell
Solar PV Wind Gen Set Meter
Storage Other
such as the National Electrical Code
(NEC) help assure safety and other
Wind 380 Vdc
important attributes of energy sys- MPPT
Contr. Converter
tems; they therefore become critically
important to energy use improve-
ments. These organizations have com- Facility Power Server and Common Distribution / Collector (380 Vdc Nom) Bus
mitted to addressing these new issues
proactively and aggressively. Already,
new sections have been added to the Lighting Plug EV HVAC Electronic ICT
Data Center
Loads Loads Charger Loads Loads Desktop
NEC to cover small wind turbine elec- 380 Vdc
24 Vdc 380 Vdc 380 Vdc 380 Vdc 380/24 Vdc 24 Vdc
trical systems and solar PV systems in
ways that minimize any associated
safety risk. And for the next code Electrical Loads
cycle, hundreds of proposals have
been submitted and are being con- figure 2. New microgrid power distribution topologies in buildings.
sidered regarding alternative energy
systems, new battery technologies for distributed energy standards for dc power distribution that can transport and
storage, electric vehicle systems, fuel cells, and low-voltage distribute energy safely and effectively between new energy
dc power distribution systems. sources and uses? What are the likely use cases?
Product and system standards also play an essential role EA formallyand enthusiasticallytook on this chal-
is supporting the effective deployment of products for alter- lenge just three short years ago. Based in California, with
native energy equipment and systems. Proactive develop- more than 100 member organizations that include national
ment of the requirements for appropriate application, design labs, universities, manufacturers, UL, NEMA, and other
and test requirements, code compatibility, and the definition industry liaisons, EA has been identifying and creating tech-
of standardized product interoperability, system attributes, nology application standards that promote the safe and effi-
and usage outcomes are all a part of their clarifying roles. cient use of dc electricity for all types of applications within
In the case of dc power distribution systems, UL and EA and around buildings. EA has set out to create open, nonpro-
have directly teamed up in a number of formal and informal prietary dc application standards in each of four key areas in
ways to develop these much-needed standards. Combining buildings as well as dc microgrid standards that interconnect
ULs extensive technical, research, and government collabo- all the pieces. Each application area is defined as a potential
ration competencies with EAs group of visionary and moti- microgrid that can be implemented by itself, much the way
vated leaders in industry has been essential in helping define you can buy a laptop computer and not connect it to a data
the preferred alternatives for beginning the fundamentally network but still enjoy improved productivity. In this way,
transformative national shift to native dc electricity genera- any or all of the subgrids can be opportunistically created
tion, distribution, and use. And together with NEMA and in whatever order makes sense for either new or existing
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), they have begun buildings.
to lay the groundwork for North American and global har- Figure 2 shows how the EA member organizations see
monization activities. the potential for a larger common bus collecting and distrib-
A good deal work has been done and yet more begun, uting dc power in buildings. It shows a common dc bus that
while much work remains for standards organizations. can directly connect a variety of power sources such as solar,
But thus far, many of the key standards organizations are wind, fuel cells, and rectified utility ac power, when needed,
embracing the challenge before them. Maintaining this early to serve multiple electrical loadsat a number of different
momentum and velocity in this regard is vital. dc voltages, high and low, throughout a building.
The key application areas (shown in Figure 3) for stan-
Getting from Here to There dardization of dc power use in buildings include:
The challenge in doing this, of course, lies in the details interiors and occupied spaces where lighting and con-
of defining whats needed. Both standards and ecosys- trol loads dominate the need for dc electricity
tem development rely heavily on use cases. What types of data centers and telecom central offices with their dc-
energy generation should be used? What loads need to be powered information and communications technology
addressed? How do we create a new architecture or new (ICT) equipment

november/december 2012 ieee power & energy magazine 65


Occupied Data
Space Centers
dc Power
Microgrids
Building
Outdoor
Services
figure 3. EAs key dc microgrid building application
segments.
outdoor electrical uses, including electric vehicle
charging and outdoor light-emitting diode (LED)
lighting
building services, utilities, and HVAC with vari-
able-speed drive (VSD) and electronic dc motorized
equipment.
The thought leaders and major companies involved in
this groundbreaking work of setting new power standards
for buildings include power system and information tech-
nology networking leaders, lighting and building products
innovators, and electromechanical and solar companies.
The collective focus of leaders across technology and appli-
cation areas has jump-started this broad effort, enabling it
to quickly reach the kind of critical mass necessary to meet
our building efficiency and security challenges.
Much of the focus is on using clean, renewable power
generation (in its native dc generating form), whether thats
biofuel, solar PV, or wind, and on electrical power use, such
as green IT and low-energy lighting schemes. Just as weve
leveraged hybrid power systems for cars, we can leverage
hybrid power systems for buildings. The transformational
coexistence of both ac and dc systems will let us focus on
existing buildings as well as new buildings. It also seems best
to take a modular approach, as the timing of the opportuni-
ties to use hybrid power or dc power may differ in various
areas and types of buildings. Some areassuch as data cen-
tersrepresent a significant potential for dc use when they
are new, significantly expanded, or considerably updated.
Otherssuch as interior lightingare already recognized
as big energy consumers that can be updated area by area to
use dc. Still otherssuch as plug loadsmay have to await
standards for the conversion of existing branch wiring to
reach all your small miscellaneous equipment uses.
66 ieee power & energy magazine november/december 2012
DC Interiors: The Occupied Space
But buildings are not designed by engineers concerned with
energy use alone. They are principally designed by archi-
tects, who are also focused on how all aspects of their build-
ings will perform for the owners and occupants who are their
clients. It is important to appreciate that it is not just about
energy and energy efficiency but about effective and produc-
tive spaces for working, learning, healing, and so on. The
sacrifice of good design simply translates into inefficiency of
energy in a high order, i.e., poor productivity, under-utilized
space, etc. Running a crane motor at a lower horsepower can
be more efficient, providing the crane can still safely lift a
prescribed load of the correct weight and articulation. The
case for properly designed buildings is similar in principle.
Electrical system design strategies in ZEBs that implement
new standards for power distribution should also help meet
a buildings overall goals. A pictogram of EAs dc standards
as implemented in the building interior is shown in Figure 4.
An example of an implementation of this standard
is the headquarters of the U.S. Green Building Council
in Washington, D.C. Another is the new Sustainability
Resource Center (SRC) at the University of California, San
Diego (UCSD), which was looking for innovation in green
building strategies. As a leader in promoting new energy
approaches and a regular user of the solar power already on
campus, the center decided to implement direct dc distribu-
tion through a new array created just for this project.
Figure 5 shows a solar array put in place for a new com-
mercial interior. The goal was to use this clean energy
source directly whenever it was available and not invert it to
ac power, avoiding the typical 715% energy loss from the
conversion process. The loads for the solar dc power were
energy efficient but otherwise ordinary lighting and interior
controls. This use of direct dc power led SRC to better-qual-
ity power and greater lighting efficiency. In fact, SRC won
several awards and a U.S. Green Building Council Leader-
ship in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold rat-
ing under commercial interiors (CI) for the project, which
included an innovation credit for its high-efficiency dc
microgrid.
LEED has also started to recognize the importance of
incorporating flexibility into interior design. Proposed 2012
credit areas include a specific credit focused on flexible design.
Although the credit is currently envisioned as relating partic-
ularly to health care, the importance of design flexibility in
many types of buildings is being more generally recognized.
DC Data Centers
There are flexible dc power design strategies for other
spaces within buildings as well. Data and telecom centers
are great candidates. Green data centers and green IT
have become hot topics. Data centers are huge and grow-
ing energy users in buildings, and there are data centers in
nearly every building, not just the huge server farms created
for organizations like Facebook and Google. In fact, 99% of
 ac Branch
Power
Interiors 208-277 Vac

Optional dc Celling
Onsite dc Power Grid HVAC
Actuator

Occupancy and
Daylight Sensors
380 Vdc Bus
AV Devices
24 Vdc Bus and Security
IT Wireless
Access Device
Occupied Space
Infrastructure: Power
Supply
P1 = Ceiling
Lights

P2 = Walls

P3 = Furniture
Room P3
Controls P1
P4 P2
P4 = Floors
P2

2011 EMerge Alliance

figure 4. Pictogram of the EA dc standard as implemented for building interiors.

dc Loads: Lighting and Controls

dc Source: Dedicated Solar Array

figure 5. Lighting and controls on a solar-powered dc microgrid at UCSD. (Source: Armstrong World Industries.)

november/december 2012 ieee power & energy magazine 67

 Optional Onsite
dc Power

100600 Vdc

Optional Onsite dc
Generator and/or Storage MPPT
Optional Onsite
dc Power

B
380 Vdc Busway
(or Cabling)
A
ac-dc dc
Converter ECC
ac
Input
ICT Racks
dc
Point of Common UPS
Connection
> ac Flow
> dc Flow (Native)
Optional Onsite dc Flow (Converted)
ac Generator Physical Data Center

Copyright EMerge Alliance. All rights reserved.

figure 6. Pictogram of EAs dc standards as implemented in a data center.

all data centers are considered small. But they contain the
majority of servers using power, according to EPRI.
The challenge is that smaller data centers are operated
in organizations that often dont have the internal resources
to focus on best practices for power distribution and effi-
cient energy use, as they are busy focusing on making sure
the system performs the data management and processing
work it is intended to do. But the U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency (EPA) has estimated that 6 billion kWh of
energy could be saved each year with only a 10% efficiency
improvement in these data centers.
Again, there are new application standards starting to appear
for this dc power application. EAs technical standards group,
led by EPRI and including such companies as ABB, Cisco,
Delta, Emerson, Intel, Juniper, and others, is nearing completion
of a new standard whose key elements are shown in Figure 6.
While these standards are being finalized, leading orga-
nizations and institutions have started to implement proto-
type approaches for dc in data centers. These include Duke
Energy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and, once
again, UCSDa national pioneer in new energy research
and innovation.
In particular, the experience of Duke Energy is instruc-
tive for those interested in looking at dc data center design.
Dukes is a typical small-to-medium-size data center. The
owner has years of experience with ac-based data center
systems. It worked with EPRI to set up a rigorous compara-
tive study.
A review of some highlights of the study follows; a full
report is available on the EPRI Web site, along with a video
that displays technical details. The big takeaway for Duke
was a 15% increase in the electrical efficiency of this data
center when running on dc. In its report, EPRI noted that
average reductions for other smaller data centers could fall
anywhere within a 1030% range.
Barriers: The Challenges
of Increased DCUse in Buildings
The use of dc power is not without it challenges. These fall
into five major categories:
1) lack of application and equipment standards for dc
power distribution
2) lack of common understanding and basic application
knowledge of building distribution-level dc

68 ieee power & energy magazine november/december 2012

 3) differences in safety and power protection device
application
4) lack of a robust ecosystem to support the use of dc in
building-level electrification
5) an unclear pathway for moving from ac-centric power
distribution to dc-inclusive distribution schemes.
The first three challenges are being addressed with
increasing resources by such standards and trade organiza-
tions as EA, the European Telecommunications Standards
Institute (ETSI), the International Electrotechnical Com-
mission (IEC), IEEE, NEMA, NFPA, the Power Sources
Manufacturers Association (PSMA), the Smart Grid Interop-
erability Panel (SGIP) of the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST), UL, and others. As awareness of and
interest in the potential benefits of dc power use increases,
so do the resources each of these organizations is willing to
dedicate to resolving these challenges. Currently, each of the
above-named organizations has a dedicated and clearly iden-
tified project or program addressing these needs.
The fourth challenge, the lack of an ecosystem, is a clas-
sic chicken or egg issue. The power industry, following
Darnell Research and Pike Research, has begun formally
forecasting and tracking the ecosystem growth opportunity
associated with dc microgrids. The numbers they are begin-
ning to report suggest the egg is beginning to hatch.
The fifth challenge, the transformational path forward, is
perhaps the least clear of all. But EA, via its strategic plan, has
plotted a path with a layered approach that allows the transforma-
tion to be opportunistic, especially with respect to transforming
existing building stock. Dividing building power applications
into blocks of subdistribution microgrids, the plan calls for a
section-by-section approach over time. Each of the application
standards lays out a subsection that can be converted if and
when that part of the building is due for a renovation or updat-
ing for other reasons, so the cost of the transformation is largely
offset by normal capital or leasehold improvement spending.
While this means that a complete transformation may
take decades, early adopters with fast-churning buildings
could be done much sooner. This timing and approach is
reminiscent of similar transformations seen with the Inter-
net and with wireless telephony.
The dc microgrid-enabled enernet vision represents
a certain level of decentralization of the nations grid and is
intended to facilitate the current smart grid overhaul. The dc
microgrid changes the model from an almost exclusively cen-
tralized generation and distribution system of electrical power
delivery to one that is significantly more flexible and accom-
modating of both new alternative sources of on-site electricity
generation and storage and the new mix of loads that have
increasingly become the norm. It better recognizes that future
electrical loads will be even more electronic, more distributed,
and more essential to our economy and way of life.
By designing electric power systems that focus better
on the needs of digital devices, we improve the networks in
which they operate (both power and control) so as to benefit
november/december 2012 ieee power & energy magazine 69
fromor indeed requirethe operational duplicity that
comes with efficient electrical storage devices such as bat-
teries and capacitors.
But extensive employment of dc microgrids will not hap-
pen without human intervention. The impediments to their
full deployment, as outlined herein, must be dealt with.
The standardization and ecosystem development work EA
is doing with the help of others will continue in the areas of
dc microgridsupported electric vehicle charging, building
services (HVAC, water and waste pumping, compressed
air, and so on), and the definition of dc microgrid and smart
grid connectivity standards. And although this work can
be viewed as disruptive unto itself, it is motivated by the
desire to bring new order and logic to the very disruptive
technologies it intends to serve and optimize
The aggregated and continuously growing use of elec-
tronic data and telephony; electric vehicles; solid-state and
electronically driven lighting, motors, and controls; and
personal electronicscoupled with the increasing use of
natively dc distributed clean-tech electricity production
has already and hurriedly pushed us past a logical tipping
point in the ac-dc electrical energy equation. Its a time for
true innovation, not the reiterative extension of our past
ways. For as surely as the digitally empowered Internet will
be viewed as the heart of the information age, we believe the
dc-empowered enernet will be seen as the heart of whats
coming: a new electric energy age.
For Further Reading
H. Kakigano, Y. Miura, and T. Ise, Low-Voltage Bipolar-
Type DC Microgrid for Super High Quality Distribution,
IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 25, no. 12, pp. 3066
3075, Dec. 2010.
C. Marnay and S. Vossos. LBNL/DOE Webinar: Direct
DC power systems for efficiency and renewable energy inte-
gration [Online]. Available: http://efficiency.lbl.gov/news/
lbnl_doe_webinar_direct_dc_power_systems_for_effi-
ciency_and_renewable_energy_integration_0
B. Nordman. What the real world tells us about saving
energy in electronics. Lawrence Berkeley National Labora-
tory Symposium [Online]. Available: http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/
nordman/docs/e3s_nordman.pdf
P. Savage, R. R. Nordhaus, and S. P. Jamieson, DC
Microgrids: Benefits and Barriers, Yale School of Forestry
& Environmental Studies, 2010.
K. Shenai and K. Shah, Smart DC mircro-grid for effi-
cient utilization of distributed renewable energy, in Proc. of
IEEE EnergyTech, Cleveland, OH, 2011, pp. 16.
M. Ton, B. Fortenbery, and W. Tschudi, DC power
for improved data center efficiency, Lawrence Berkeley
National Lab, Report, Mar. 2008.
Biography
Brian T. Patterson is with Armstrong World Industries,
Lancaster, Pennsylvania. p&e