IEEE Standards Association invites all interested parties to contribute to the development of the IEEE PES Intelligent Grid Coordinating Committee plan "DC in the Home" to ensure that DC electricity can be safely and conveniently accessed in homes, eliminating the wasteful conversion of AC to DC, and in many cases, DC to AC, prior to entering the home.
Photovoltaic (PV) systems produce DC power. Electric vehicles, consumer electronics, computers, and many other household devices consume DC power. The losses from conversion of AC to DC are estimated to be between 17 and 35 percent. The losses from conversion of rooftop PV to AC is an additional 23 to 28 percent. Most storage devices also operate on DC power, adding to the losses that a home owner would see from installing and operating distributed energy resources.
The goal is to:
- Create a business case for DC by determining the actual losses and their value
- Identify research required to advance the state of the art
- Make preliminary recommendations on how DC would be delivered into and in the home
- Determine the standards that should be considered
Stakeholders for this work include:
- Manufacturers of household electrical products including wiring and consumer goods
- Electric inspection authorities
- Manufacturers and advanced users of conversion products and DC power supply equipment
- Researchers involved in related subject areas
Active participation and technical contributions will be instrumental in developing a quality update to the standard. To actively participate in the IEEE plan for “DC in the Home,” please submit information by Nov. 10, 2013.
