A simulation-based efficiency comparison of AC and DC power distribution networks in commercial buildings

Gerber, Daniel L.; Vossos, Vagelis; Feng, Wei; Marnay, Chris; Nordman, Bruce; Brown, Richard

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.05.179

Title: A simulation-based efficiency comparison of AC and DC power distribution networks in commercial buildings

Journal Article · Mon Jun 12 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Applied Energy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.05.179· OSTI ID:1435107

Gerber, Daniel L. ^[1]; Vossos, Vagelis ^[1]; Feng, Wei ^[1]; Marnay, Chris ^[1]; Nordman, Bruce ^[1]; Brown, Richard ^[1]

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Direct current (DC) power distribution has recently gained traction in buildings research due to the proliferation of on-site electricity generation and battery storage, and an increasing prevalence of internal DC loads. The research discussed in this paper uses Modelica-based simulation to compare the efficiency of DC building power distribution with an equivalent alternating current (AC) distribution. The buildings are all modeled with solar generation, battery storage, and loads that are representative of the most efficient building technology. A variety of paramet ric simulations determine how and when DC distribution proves advantageous. These simulations also validate previous studies that use simpler approaches and arithmetic efficiency models. This work shows that using DC distribution can be considerably more efficient: a medium sized office building using DC distribution has an expected baseline of 12% savings, but may also save up to 18%. In these results, the baseline simulation parameters are for a zero net energy (ZNE) building that can island as a microgrid. DC is most advantageous in buildings with large solar capacity, large battery capacity, and high voltage distribution.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Building Technologies Office

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1435107

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1550220

Journal Information:: Applied Energy, Vol. 210, Issue C; Related Information: © 2017; ISSN 0306-2619

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 85 works

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The LCOE-Indicator-Based Comprehensive Economic Comparison between AC and DC Power Distribution Networks with High Penetration of Renewable Energy Liu, Yi; Yu, Zhanqing; Li, Haibo Energies, Vol. 12, Issue 24 https://doi.org/10.3390/en12244621	journal	December 2019
Power Management Strategy for an Autonomous DC Microgrid Yin, Changjie; Wu, Hongwei; Sechilariu, Manuela Applied Sciences, Vol. 8, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.3390/app8112202	journal	November 2018

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