My Secondment to DC Systems BV, Netherlands, 2017
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Keywords: Industrial Secondment, DC Systems BV, The Netherlands, DC protection, DC microgrid.
In the summer of 2017, I completed a secondment at DC Systems BV in the Netherlands. At the time, DC Systems BV was a startup focused on DC power systems—it has since been acquired by Schneider Electric. During my visit, I was engaged with their work on DC protection and their research and products related to DC microgrid technology.
What I worked on
- DC protection—development and testing of protection solutions for DC systems
- DC microgrid—research and product development
- Real-world applications—I had the chance to visit several installations where DC microgrids were in use. I remember one application in particular: a DC system used in a plant-growing facility (such as a greenhouse), which showed how these technologies are applied in practice.
Life in the Netherlands
I lived in a shared house during my stay, and it remains one of my best memories. The Netherlands is a beautiful country, and the place I stayed was near Schiphol Airport, close to Amsterdam—making it easy to explore the region.
That summer was one of the most memorable periods of my life. I am grateful to have had this experience and to expose myself to an industrial environment early in my career. It has had a lasting positive impact on how I think about both industry and academia, and how I approach the bridge between research and real-world applications.