i³DC Initiative

• November 2024 - As it becomes a tradition, the 5^th workshop is expected to be organized in November 2024. Please visit this page later in 2024 to check for schedule updates.
• June 4-6, 2025 - TalTech will organize the IEEE 7^th International Conference on DC Microgrids (ICDCM 2025) - the fully-sponsored conference of the IEEE Power Electronics Society. This is the flagship international event that brings together experts in DC microgrids and provides a platform for the exchange of ideas and for boosting innovation. It will include a rich technical program and an exhibition of DC products and service providers. The venue will be the Nordic Hotel Forum, next to Tallinn's famous Old Town, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
  Mark the date!

The Fifth Estonian DC Innovation Workshop will be held in the TalTech NRG Building (room NRG-226), Ehitajate tee 5/10, Tallinn, Estonia. This edition will span over half a day on November 27, starting from 13:00. The technical program includes representatives of 8 countries who will deliver 17 presentations covering different topics of DC Technology. Presentations from the industry will dominate the technical program.

The fifth workshop is dedicated to "Boosting Energy Efficiency, Security & Resilience." This event aims to create an engaging atmosphere for exchanging ideas and provide a coherent multidisciplinary outlook on the future of energy efficiency and the advantages of adopting DC systems.

Registration

The TalTech Residential DC Innovation Hub was proudly unveiled, a unique facility for development and validation of technologies that can revolutionize building energy efficiency. We were delighted to see a diverse group of about 100 attendees from five countries, with a significant representation from Estonia, show their keen interest in this innovative venture.

The Hub is the unique research and demonstration facility developed by the Power Electronics Group of TalTech to increase public awareness of direct current (DC) technologies and facilitate Energy Transition in the building sector. Being one of the steps toward achieving climate neutrality of the TalTech campus by 2035, the TalTech Residential DC Innovation Hub is the first DC Experience Center in Northern Europe. Here, various DC technologies are implemented and tested, with the aim of developing a DC microgrid for households. DC technology will change residential energy supply principles, optimize energy flows, and increase the energy efficiency of future buildings.

DC technology is expected to save up to 20% of energy and 30% of raw materials, reduce the lifecycle cost by 20%, and helps to avoid power quality and congestion issues in AC grids. However, more awareness about this technology is needed to ensure its industrial uptake. Establishing such facilities allows us to validate DC technologies in Estonian conditions in tight collaboration with the worldwide leading industrial DC consortia — Current/OS Foundation. This facility allows TalTech to be a part of the international team currently developing best practices for implementing residential DC systems. The new knowledge will help us create sufficient evidence for policymakers and enable Estonian companies to enter the new market of DC technologies with beneficial collaboration with TalTech. Also, this knowledge will allow us to update our study programs to stay tuned to the needs of the industry, engage more students and young researchers, and popularize technical sciences in Estonia.
At the heart of DC systems lies power electronics, a technology that the Power Electronics Group is dedicated to advancing. We are focused on reducing the lifecycle cost of DC systems by enhancing their efficiency, reliability, simplicity in design, and safety. To achieve this, we are developing novel energy processing concepts, incorporating the latest semiconductor components, and testing advanced control and protection algorithms. These efforts underscore our commitment to innovation and our role as a leading research institution in the field of power electronics.
We want to thank all attendees of the open-door event for their interest in DC technologies. It was especially important to see the TalTech leadership team - rector Tiit Land, vice-rector for entrepreneurship Erik Puura, vice-rector for research Tiit Lukk, Helen Sooväli-Sepping leading sustainable development and green transition of our campus, dean of the School of Engineering Fjodor Sergejev, Raivo Kasepuu leading partner relations, development advisor to the rector Anu-Mai Levo, head of the Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics Ivo Palu, and others. Also, it was a pleasure to see many colleagues from TalTech sharing our aspiration to advance the sustainable future of Estonia. Also, representatives of the public sector - from Sunly (Estonia), DC Systems (The Netherlands), Schneider Electric (UK), Eesti Energia (Estonia),  Qrypted Technology (Singapore), City of Tallinn, etc.

Event Leaflet        Event Agenda

 The Fourth Estonian DC Innovation Workshop was held in TalTech Innovation Center MEKTORY, Tallinn, Estonia, to facilitate the travel of numerous international participants of the workshop series organized by the i3DC Initiative. Representatives of 9 countries delivered 23 presentations at the workshop. This edition was dominated by presentations from industry, including intentional giants like Schneider Electric and EATON, as well as Estonian key stakeholders like Elektrilevi, Fusebox Energy, Energiapartner, R8 Technologies, etc. The event was opened by Ivo Jaanisoo from the Ministry of Climate of Estonia.

This edition was memorable thanks to the support of the CurrentOS Foundation, the industry-driven NGO popularizing DC systems in the EU and working on their standardization. It was announced that TalTech officially joined the CurrentOS Foundation as the first academic member. 

The fourth workshop was "Enhancing Energy Performance of Buildings." It was focused on DC technologies, power electronic systems and devices as well as control and protection of residential DC microgrids, which enhance the energy performance of buildings and set new standards of living. The workshop agenda covered various topics, including modern construction and architecture approaches, new DC-compatible appliances and energy storage, DC systems design tools, and grid-interactive control of buildings' energy and HVAC systems. This provided a coherent multidisciplinary outlook on the future energy-efficient buildings and districts and the advantages of adopting DC systems.

 The Third Estonian Residential DC Innovation Workshop was a great success on an international scale, reflecting much-increased attention to DC systems from standardization authorities and industry. For the third time, it was organized on the century-old Koplimadise farm near Tallinn. 50 participants attended this hybrid event on December 15, 2022, predominantly in person. This edition of the workshop was attended by representatives of 10 companies and five universities coming from 7 countries, including well-known DC innovators Harry Stokman and Laurens Mackay. Also, international attendees expressed a great interest in visiting the research facilities of the Power Electronics Group of TalTech.

The topic of the third workshop was "Towards Energy Storage Takeoff in Baltics." The main aim of this workshop was to bring together energy storage experts from academia and industry, market practitioners, and policymakers to present and discuss the latest developments and innovation potential in the field of residential DC microgrids. The agenda had a well-balanced list of topics developed by academia and industry. Moreover, it included a roundtable discussion to identify market needs and policy roadblocks, and draft a roadmap for the deployment of energy storage in Baltic states.

 The Second Estonian Residential DC Innovation Workshop was held soon after the first to consolidate stakeholders in Baltic states. It was organized on March 29, 2022, in the historical Koplimadise farm.

The second workshop was dedicated to "Power Electronic Systems for Residential DC Microgrids." The main aim of this workshop was to demonstrate the latest developments in power electronic systems developed in Estonia for residential DC power distribution. The agenda included presentations from Estonia, Latvia, Spain, Portugal, and Iran. From this event, it was decided that this workshop series will continue as annual events organized by the i3DC Initiative in November/December.

The activities of the i3DC Initiative were started with the First Estonian Residential DC Innovation Workshop. It was organized on November 25, 2021, in hybrid mode, following COVID-19 regulations. The event took place in the 100-year-old Koplimadise farm, where attendees got a chance to learn also about Estonian culture, national food, and traditions.

The topic of this workshop was "Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Industry." The main aim of this workshop was to bring together experts from academia and industry, market practitioners, and policymakers to present and discuss the latest developments and innovation potential in the field of residential DC microgrids.

Thanks to the early distribution of the event leaflet, representatives of the Estonian, Belgian, and Dutch industries, as well as Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Danish, and Polish academia, attended the event in person and online to engage in the agenda that combined academic and industrial presentations. This level of interest in the workshop sent a clear signal that the formation of the i3DC Initiative is timely and highly anticipated.