IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v45y2012icp399-411.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Edison Revisited: Should we use DC circuits for lighting in commercial buildings?

Author

Listed:
  • Thomas, Brinda A.
  • Azevedo, Inês L.
  • Morgan, Granger

Abstract

We examine the economic feasibility of using dedicated DC circuits to operate lighting in commercial buildings. We compare light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and fluorescents that are powered by either a central DC power supply or traditional AC grid electricity, with and without solar photovoltaics (PV) and battery back-up. Using DOE performance targets for LEDs and solar PV, we find that by 2012 LEDs have the lowest levelized annualized cost (LAC). If a DC voltage standard were developed, so that each LED fixture's driver could be eliminated, LACs could decrease, on average, by 5% compared to AC LEDs with a driver in each fixture. DC circuits in grid-connected PV-powered LED lighting systems can lower the total unsubsidized capital costs by 4–21% and LACs by 2–21% compared to AC grid-connected PV LEDs. Grid-connected PV LEDs may match the LAC of grid-powered fluorescents by 2013. This outcome depends more on manufacturers' ability to produce LEDs that follow DOE's lamp production cost and efficacy targets, than on reducing power electronics costs for DC building circuits and voltage standardization. Further work is needed to better understand potential safety risks with DC distribution and to remove design, installation, permitting, and regulatory barriers.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas, Brinda A. & Azevedo, Inês L. & Morgan, Granger, 2012. "Edison Revisited: Should we use DC circuits for lighting in commercial buildings?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 399-411.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:45:y:2012:i:c:p:399-411
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.02.048
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421512001656
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.02.048?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gerber, Daniel L. & Liou, Richard & Brown, Richard, 2019. "Energy-saving opportunities of direct-DC loads in buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 248(C), pages 274-287.
    2. Abawi, Y. & Rennhofer, M. & Berger, K. & Wascher, H. & Aichinger, M., 2016. "Comparison of theoretical and real energy yield of direct DC-power usage of a Photovoltaic Façade system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 616-626.
    3. Avpreet Othee & James Cale & Arthur Santos & Stephen Frank & Daniel Zimmerle & Omkar Ghatpande & Gerald Duggan & Daniel Gerber, 2023. "A Modeling Toolkit for Comparing AC and DC Electrical Distribution Efficiency in Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-46, March.
    4. Patrik Ollas & Torbjörn Thiringer & Mattias Persson & Caroline Markusson, 2023. "Energy Loss Savings Using Direct Current Distribution in a Residential Building with Solar Photovoltaic and Battery Storage," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-21, January.
    5. Gerber, Daniel L. & Vossos, Vagelis & Feng, Wei & Marnay, Chris & Nordman, Bruce & Brown, Richard, 2018. "A simulation-based efficiency comparison of AC and DC power distribution networks in commercial buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 1167-1187.
    6. Stephen Whaite & Brandon Grainger & Alexis Kwasinski, 2015. "Power Quality in DC Power Distribution Systems and Microgrids," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-22, May.
    7. Glasgo, Brock & Azevedo, Inês Lima & Hendrickson, Chris, 2016. "How much electricity can we save by using direct current circuits in homes? Understanding the potential for electricity savings and assessing feasibility of a transition towards DC powered buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 66-75.
    8. Nils H. Van der Blij & Laura M. Ramirez-Elizondo & Matthijs T. J. Spaan & Pavol Bauer, 2017. "Stability of DC Distribution Systems: An Algebraic Derivation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-17, September.
    9. Vossos, Vagelis & Gerber, Daniel & Bennani, Youness & Brown, Richard & Marnay, Chris, 2018. "Techno-economic analysis of DC power distribution in commercial buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 663-678.
    10. Theo, Wai Lip & Lim, Jeng Shiun & Wan Alwi, Sharifah Rafidah & Mohammad Rozali, Nor Erniza & Ho, Wai Shin & Abdul-Manan, Zainuddin, 2016. "An MILP model for cost-optimal planning of an on-grid hybrid power system for an eco-industrial park," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(P2), pages 1423-1441.
    11. Spiliotis, Konstantinos & Gonçalves, Juliana E. & Saelens, Dirk & Baert, Kris & Driesen, Johan, 2020. "Electrical system architectures for building-integrated photovoltaics: A comparative analysis using a modelling framework in Modelica," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    12. Ruparathna, Rajeev & Hewage, Kasun & Sadiq, Rehan, 2016. "Improving the energy efficiency of the existing building stock: A critical review of commercial and institutional buildings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1032-1045.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:45:y:2012:i:c:p:399-411. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.