The latest edition of the Current/OS General Assembly traveled to RWTH Aachen University in Germany between May 26 and 28, following the last meeting held in Lisbon, hosted by INESC ID and the Shift2DC Coordination team, in January 2026.
Once more, the Shift2DC project had the opportunity to showcase its latest research at the Current/OS Foundation Meeting. As an active project partner, RWTH Aachen provided the ideal backdrop for the semestral gathering, bridging the gap between foundational DC standards and practical applications.
Throughout the event, Shift2DC was highlighted in a project poster developed by the RWTH Aachen team. The poster showcased Shift2DC’s core mission: establishing a top-down approach to designing, simulating, and validating both Medium Voltage (MVDC) and Low Voltage (LVDC) solutions across Europe.
Another Shift2DC highlight in the General Assembly was the LAB Tour, which brought attendees to the RWTH Living Lab – the test facility being used by the Shift2DC project to validate real-world DC technologies.
This Living Lab focuses on meshed DC system operation, protection validation, and system-level integration, using 5kV medium-voltage as well as low-voltage converters and components.
The facilities of RWTH-PGS are open to the project consortium for testing and verifying DC equipment and the compatibility of control strategies, especially in multivendor systems. This work will include preparing a new LVDC link, integrated into a larger MVDC system via the modular MVDC-LVDC converter. The converters and the LVAC connection will be prepared for the integration of additional components.
The living lab is open to project partners for testing DC-DC converters, DC circuit breakers, DC cables, DC monitoring, or system control.
Additionally, Shift2DC’s work was highlighted during the main plenary presentation. The project was featured in a high-level briefing aimed at aligning research innovations with global standards.
- Title: “DC Distribution Grids – Future Architecture of the Network”
- Speaker: Prof. Dr. Rik de Doncker (Director of the Institute for Power Generation and Storage Systems at RWTH Aachen and leading Shift2DC investigator)
Prof. de Doncker’s presentation detailed how Shift2DC’s upcoming libraries and hardware tools – such as smart cables, pre-charging units, and bidirectional EV stations – will be integrated with the open-standard architecture advocated by the Current/OS Foundation to build a safer, plug-and-play “All-Electric Society.”
The next General Assembly of Current/OS will take place in Chicago in October 2026.
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