Energy revolution
For more than a hundred years Alternate Current (AC) has been the default option for any energy distribution system.
In recent years instead Direct Current (DC) is being considered as an alternative.
One of the main reasons is the critical mass that DC has reached due to the energy transition initiatives. Energy Transition is the shift to a low carbon, environmentally friendly, reliable, and affordable energy supply. The new systems rely heavily on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy demand management.
DC is growing its presence in multiple fields: generation, transmission, storage and consumption. Nowadays, at least once, somewhere along the supply chain electricity will be provided or consumed as DC.
The logic is straightforward: DC systems are more efficient, cost less and offer benefits in terms of power quality and system reliability.
DC systems benefits
Reduction of conversion losses. In current systems renewable energy is transformed from DC to AC and in some cases back again in DC (when present a battery backup on the distribution system). The same many electrical consumers, including LED lights, industrial drives and electric vehicles, actually consume direct current.
Everytime the power is converted a slice of energy is lost (mostly in the form of heat).
Improved integration of renewable energies and DC sources. Sources with DC output are connected to DC bus directly making installation faster and requiring less components. More loads can be added when needed in a scalable way without the need to re-design the system.
Use of recovery energy. Machines (motors) can send back DC energy when decelerating making the system more efficient. Regenerative braking is already widely used in many sectors (e.g. electrical vehicles, DC motor drives, etc.).
Savings from simpler and more compact systems design. The design of a DC power system is simpler, with fewer components. DC power distribution uses less wires and copper than an equivalent AC system. No need to wire 3 phases and neutral line.
Better power quality and system reliability. DC power systems are less complex, with fewer components so the potential points of failure are lower in number if compared with AC systems. In addition DC use eliminates harmonics, phase load balancing and other issues associated with AC.
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Industry sector is the pioneer of the DC distribution systems
Manufacturing plants are very interested in switching to DC systems considering the high potential of efficiency and the simple architecture.
„DC-INDUSTRIE“ is a German research body where 21 industrial companies, four research institutes and the ZVEI are working together on the project to implement the energy transition in industrial production and to bring more energy efficiency and energy flexibility to industrial production.
The redesign of the power supply of industrial plants, suggested by the research team, will be based on a smart, open DC network.
Moving towards the direct use of direct current is a key factor for energy efficiency in the industrial sector.
Electrex is your partner for monitoring and controlling DC systems
The growing role of DC inside factories and buildings will also drive the demand for monitoring and controlling solutions.
DC applications are not a new challenge for Electrex. We have been manufacturing DC analyzers for more than 26 years and have already completed thousands of projects in the renewable energy and telecom sector.
This has allowed us to build a solid know-how on the DC systems that has recently been embedded in our new Femto 4Hall D6 series.
The Femto 4Hall D6 is an DC Energy Analyzer & Web Data Manager with an embedded web server and multiple communication ports (Ethernet, Wi-Fi, RS485, ExpBus, NFC).
It is equipped with 4 current inputs allowing to monitor multiple loads with a single device. The device uses external, split Hall effect CT wired via RJ type connectors allowing fast installation and accurate measurements.
The Femto 4Hall D6 can be used as a stand-alone device or interconnected to other units from the same or different series.
The embedded web server used for real time and historical data displaying can be integrated with our software suite and our cloud platform.
We can offer a complete solution for managing DC and AC systems in any organization.
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About us
Since 1993 Electrex designs, develops, manufactures and markets, Made in Italy, instruments and software for energy management and control.
The Electrex solutions are used in the Energy Efficiency and Energy Automation applications, for the industrial, commercial, public, civil, and renewable energy sectors allowing a rapid return on investment.
The solutions provided up to now allow the management of over 400,000 measuring points and more than 700,000 points are controlled via Energy Automation applications.
Electrex, one of the first companies to operate in these sectors, has acquired over the years a considerable experience and competence that few other companies can claim to have. With over 40% of the staff dedicated to R & D, we demonstrate our strong commitment to innovation and continuous improvement in order to anticipate the needs of our customers.
