How Direct Current can shape the city of the future

Europe’s energy transition is reshaping how electricity is produced, transported and distributed. Direct Current (DC) technologies can play different roles across this evolving energy system, from long-distance transmission to distribution and local applications. The session will bring together the technical expertise developed through the Horizon Europe-funded project Direct Current for European Union (DCforEU) with local perspectives. The aim will be to explain why DC technologies matter for Europe’s energy transition and create a dialogue around what these developments mean for cities and communities. In particular, it will introduce the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) and DC technologies to a broader audience, drawing on examples from European projects and asking where DC technologies can add value, when they are needed and what conditions are required for their deployment. Safety, economic considerations and community acceptance will form an important part of the discussion, as the SET Plan recognises that the future power system should not only be technically sound, but also sustainable and socially acceptable.