Intertek announces partnership with the Current/OS Foundation
18 Mar 2024
Supporting the development of a unified standard for DC microgrid control
London, UK: Intertek, a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, has today announced that it has become a partner of the Current/OS Foundation, a non-profit, independent and open foundation for the promotion and adoption of active Direct Current (DC) Microgrids based on the Current/OS set of rules.
The Current/OS Foundation was established in 2021 by founding members, Eaton and Schneider Electric, to develop and promote open standards for DC-based microgrids for ‘prosumer’ applications. DC microgrids are an emerging technology that propose a positive, sustainable alternative over traditional Alternating Current (AC) networks for distributed energy application.
As the global energy landscape rapidly evolves, conventional AC distribution networks are struggling to accommodate rising distributed energy resource adoption and bidirectional power flows, while aging energy infrastructure and climate change impacts are exacerbating grid resilience concerns. Today, more and more household loads and sources operate using DC with an AC distribution system, resulting in inefficient AC-DC conversion. By enabling these products to connect directly via DC conversion losses can be avoided, resulting in a 5 to 10% efficiency gain.
To facilitate cleaner energy integration and enhance grid stability, resilience and future readiness, the Current/OS Foundation is, therefore, working to establish consensus rules to accelerate widespread adoption of safe, reliable, and multi-vendor interoperable DC solutions and modernize energy systems for a sustainable future.
As a pioneer in the World of Energy, helping organisations ensure the safety, quality and sustainability of their products, Intertek is proud to be partnering with the Current/OS Foundation. Intertek will be actively contributing to the advancement of the Foundation’s work to create one unified standard for Direct Current to enable electrical product manufacturers to optimise the energy consumption and impact of future products by full adoption of DC.
Reflecting on this new partnership, Sunny Rai, President of Electrical, Connected World and Transportation Technologies, at Intertek, said: “We are pleased to be partnering with the Current/OS Foundation on its important work and are looking forward to working closely with the team to advance open-source solutions for Direct Current. This collaboration aims to enhance the resilience, sustainability, and safety of energy distribution, marking a significant step towards a cleaner and more efficient energy future.”
Yannick Neyret, President, Current/OS Foundation, said: “We are extremely pleased to be strengthening our collaboration with Intertek and welcoming them as a new member of the Current/OS Foundation. With Intertek’s track record empowering their customers to make their businesses ever stronger, more resilient, and sustainable, this partnership is a natural fit. We are looking forward to drawing on Intertek’s assurance, testing, inspection and certification expertise as we advance to define the set of rules and certification scheme to help product manufacturers fully adopt Direct Current in support of a more sustainable future.”
For Media Information
Please contact:
Lucy Blanchard
Regional Director – Marketing, Europe
E: lucy.blanchard@intertek.com
For Technical Information
Please contact:
Pierrick Balaire
Global Business Line Director
E: pierrick.balaire@intertek.com
About Intertek
Intertek is a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide. Our network of more than 1,000 laboratories in more than 100 countries, delivers innovative and bespoke Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification solutions for our customers’ operations and supply chains. Intertek Total Quality Assurance expertise, delivered consistently with precision, pace and passion, enabling our customers to power ahead safely.