2026 Spring ODCA Plenary session, Delft

Last week, the plenary session of the Open DC Alliance (ODCA) brought together members and partners for two dynamic days focused on accelerating the transition to efficient and future-proof DC infrastructures.

The programme opened with “DC in Action” an inspiring, hands-on start to the plenary. Participants visited The Green Village and the DC Opportunities Living Lab, where direct current (DC) applications are actively tested across buildings, renewable generation, storage systems and EV charging infrastructure. The session began with an introduction by our founder, Dr Laurens Mackay, who presented our ongoing projects and outlined how DC Opportunities contributes to the broader shift toward smarter and more sustainable electrical systems.

Members also had the chance to tour our site in Nieuw Reijerwaard, where we are implementing a 350/700 V DC microgrid powered by solar energy to support public lighting, a practical demonstration of how DC solutions can be deployed at scale.

The plenary discussions resulted in important milestones. Most notably, the alliance agreed to update the nominal voltage from 650 V DC to 700 V DC, supporting global harmonization and providing greater clarity for end users, while remaining fully compatible with existing products. In addition, members exchanged insights from the DC-ready study, explored commercial applications for DC, and shared progress on testing advanced energy management systems for DC grids.

With growing energy demand from data centers and industry, the need for efficient and intelligent infrastructure has never been clearer. This plenary marked another decisive step forward.

We thank all members and partners for the constructive dialogue and continued collaboration and we look forward to turning these shared ambitions into tangible impact.