News
30 April
Vienna, Austria
Two days of DC in Vienna
Together with the OVE the Austrian Electrotechnical Association and the Technology Platform Smart Grids Austria, the IWG for DC Technologies (DCT) co-organized the OVE DC Day 2026, a one-day conference, held in Vienna on 24 February 2026, bringing together 120 experts from across the energy sector to discuss the transformative potential of DC technologies.
The IWG contributed two keynote speakers to the opening session, covering perspectives from academia to industry and policy. Their presentations addressed two critical areas: the potential and need for offshore energy hubs in the future European grid and, particularly, the IWG’s efforts to engage the scientific and industrial communities, policymakers, and consumers to raise awareness and prioritization of DC Technologies as key enablers for reaching the EU’s 2050 climate targets.
The remainder of the agenda brought the latest perspectives on the themes of DC technology in research, innovation, and application. Presentations highlighted movements underway in countries such as Austria, the Netherlands, and Germany, alongside insights from key industry players, and discussions spanned topics ranging from DC micro-grids to medium-voltage distribution networks. The day concluded with a session on DC charging research and applications, followed by a panel discussion on charging standards (find presentation overview here).
During the event, we spoke with Professor Rik De Doncker from RWTH Aachen. In his opening keynote, he highlighted the critical role of Medium Voltage DC technology, a voltage range that is currently not directly represented in the IWG’s working groups. We asked him to elaborate on the role and significance of medium voltage and its role in the power system.
We also talked to IWG members Dirk van Hertem, Professor at KU Leuven, and chair of the IWG DCT, Harry Stokman, co-chair representing the LVDC subgroup, and Angelo L’Abbate, country representative for Italy, to elaborate on the key messages and takeaways from the OVE DC Day.
The following day, 25 February, IEEE Europe hosted a meeting of the IWG at its offices at Austrian Standards. Fifty-eight participants - joining both in-person and online from the LVDC and HVDC subgroups, including country representatives from academia and industry, and a representative from the European Commission’s DG Energy - engaged in a full-day workshop. The goal was to shape the R&I roadmap for DC technologies, bringing together key stakeholders to align on next steps and implementation priorities.
