February 20, 2014 – Deployed in commercial buildings and campus microgrids, direct current (DC) power supply equipment reduces the number of required conversions between alternating current (AC) and DC power, thereby increasing the overall building energy efficiency. Since solar photovoltaic and wind power are natively DC, the advantages of DC power systems become particularly clear when considering the integration of renewable energy generation. Click to tweet: According to a recent report from Navigant Research, DC power supply equipment for commercial buildings will grow from $320 million in annual revenue in 2013 to more than $2.8 billion in 2020.

“Commercial buildings are increasingly employing alternative strategies to draw less energy from the grid, either through efficiency gains from fewer AC/DC conversions, or through reducing the need for inverters by using renewable or fuel cell power sources,” says Noah Goldstein, research director with Navigant Research. “DC-based systems enable stable, high quality power distribution to critical services in buildings including security, lighting, and environmental control systems.”

While power supply equipment forms a key element of DC power systems, they are not the only one. The market for DC building controls and functionality, such as powered and biometric door locks, security cameras and sensors, networking devices such as wireless access points, and actuators and controls for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, will be even larger, according to the report, reaching $5 billion in annual revenue by 2020.

The report, “DC Power for Commercial Buildings”, analyzes the global market opportunity for DC power technologies in commercial buildings. Five technology categories are covered: DC building power supply equipment, DC building controls and functionality, DC lighting, DC plug loads, and DC building microgrid infrastructure. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the demand drivers and barriers, trends, and technology issues associated with worldwide DC power systems. Global market forecasts, segmented by technology, region, and commercial building type, extend through 2020. The study also examines the standards and regulations related to DC power distribution systems, and provides in-depth profiles of key industry players. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website.

Source: http://www.navigantresearch.com/