Shifting currents: expert perspectives on the adoption of direct current in power grids

Ngirwa, Catherine; Reis, Diogo; Morais, Hugo; Pereira, Lucas

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.13/7503

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Utilization of renewable energy resources for energy generation brought significant attention to Direct Current (DC) technologies, as many of them produce and store electricity in DC. Compared to Alternating Current, the DC technologies, specifically in Medium-Voltage (MV) and Low-Voltage (LV), are in their infancy, leading to less data availability for decision-making. To inform early-phase technologies, experts are consulted through the structured Expert Elicitation (EE) method, though few have explored it in examining technical and non technical aspects of MVDC and LVDC technologies. Hence, in this paper, we present two EE studies on eleven (11) MVDC and LVDC technologies proposed in the Shift2DC research project — applicable for ports, buildings, industry, and data centers. We found that experts perceived the presented DC technologies as feasible and important. Among the most perceived concerns for DC technologies adoption are a lack of trained personnel, public awareness, and uncertainty in regulations to enforce the use of innovations. Experts proposed the need for educational strategies for the general public and a structured curriculum for training technicians in DC. In addition, experts envisioned enabling emerging technologies, such as digital twins and energy management systems, for DC system management.