U.S. researchers showed that standard residential air-source heat pumps can be retrofitted to operate directly on DC power with only minor modifications and no significant loss in performance. Their lab, field, and modeling work further indicates that DC nanogrids can improve system efficiency and reduce electricity costs by about 12.5–16.7%, mainly by reducing power conversion losses and improving integration with solar and storage systems.
Researchers from Purdue University in the United States claim to have demonstrated that commercially available residential air-source heat pumps designed for conventional AC systems can run directly on DC power after a few simple hardware modifications, with little loss in performance.
The scientists explained thtam, unlike conventional AC systems, DC nanogrids minimize unnecessary power conversions, potentially improving efficiency by 5–15%, reducing distribution losses, and enhancing voltage regulation. They also offer greater resilience by allowing buildings to operate independently during grid outages. However, widespread adoption remains limited by high installation costs, the lack of unified standards, and technical challenges related to DC protection and equipment availability.
