DC Energy Technologies: The Key to A Sustainable Tomorrow?

Development of semiconductor technology, the introduction of computers, smart devices and many household appliances into our lives, especially in the last 20 years, the increase in interest in renewable energy sources, the density of the population in the grid and the increase in the number of electric vehicles have shaken the throne of AC, which has been in use for more than a century. DC is making a strong comeback with these developing technologies. DC-powered digital consumer devices today account for one-fifth of total power consumption. It is projected that in the next 20 years, 50 percent of our total loads will consist of DC consumption, an increase with even more accelerating momentum than expected. In addition, the importance of energy saving, is increasing day by day. Increasing number of devices that produce and use DC, there is a great opportunity to save energy. By distributing DC power to DC devices instead of converting it to AC along the way, it is possible to avoid the significant energy losses that occur each time electricity is converted. In this paper, DC from the past to the future, technologies using DC and its advantages over AC are analyzed, considering the above-mentioned developments.