A Review: DC Microgrids for Sustainable Power Delivery in Offshore Industries

Abstract Legacy Alternating Current (AC) based power systems, coupled with bulk-generated electrical energy from fossil fuels, are working against the achievement of sustainable development. Worldwide integration of renewable energy in power generation is growing rapidly. This is making a major contribution to the achievement of sustainable development goals and affordable clean energy. Direct Current (DC) operable products are becoming the most common type of internal power architecture in many application domains in both land and marine based systems. In these systems, power supplied from AC form is internally converted to DC within the appliance. Renewable-based power generation, including solar photovoltaics (PVs), wind, wave, and tidal generators, can generate DC power intrinsically or can be converted to DC power. In addition to that the supportive novel technologies developing around renewable energy generation such as hydrogen storages, fuel cells and associated other alternative energy storage technologies such as battery and supercapacitors all are intrinsically in DC form. Therefore, both the supply and the demand sides of power systems are in favor of moving towards DC systems called DC microgrids. With the elimination of DC/AC and AC/DC converter stages in DC grids, they create a highly efficient, low-cost platform. Also impacts such as skin effect, reactive power usage, power quality issues and grid synchronization are comprehensively reduced too. Since renewable sources like photovoltaics generate on-site DC power, eliminating the need for long distance AC transmission facilities, they are particularly attractive for remote communities and industrial and commercial sites. Since the minimum interaction on main power grids, offshore systems are more attractive to be operated as low voltage DC distribution. DC microgrids have the potential to revolutionize power systems by offering a versatile solution for a wide range of power applications. These microgrids can support various power applications including small-scale generation, energy storage backup, data centers, marine operations, and industrial facilities. With the details provided about the objectives behind the trend towards DC microgrids, their benefits and some issues, a comprehensive discussion about DC microgrid standards, components and controlling are also presented. Furthermore, this paper discusses application of offshore industries like aquaculture, oil and gas. These offshore industries are rapidly integrating with DC microgrids to have low-emission operations with reduced impact on nature. With the information illustrated on this paper, it is desirable to indicate that system and control architecture for a desired offshore application can be designed uniquely from any another industrial application to have sustainable power delivery arrangements.