THE PROBLEM
DEMAND IS SURGING.
THE GRID ISN'T READY.
Electrification, industry, and AI are scaling faster than the wires that feed them.
~950 TWh
Global data center electricity use is projected to roughly double by 2030, from 485 TWh to about 950 TWh. (IEA, Key Questions on Energy and AI)
UP TO 3X
The capacity headroom HVDC conversion can unlock on suitable existing AC corridors. (GridLab/UC Berkeley, 2035 Report: Reconductoring, 2024)
SURGE
The DOE calls the shift on the US grid "an era of unprecedented, exponential load growth." (DOE, National Transmission Needs Study)
THE ANSWER
MORE POWER THROUGH THE LINES WE ALREADY HAVE.
Converted to HVDC (high-voltage direct current), suitable existing lines can carry up to three times as much power through the same corridors.
GRIDLAB/UC BERKELEY, 2035 REPORT: RECONDUCTORING (2024)
INTRODUCING OMNI TERMINAL
THE TERMINAL
THAT MAKES IT
ALL POSSIBLE.
Converter terminals connect AC grids to DC lines. OMNI TERMINAL is a new valve architecture, designed to reduce converter cost and footprint.
ONE STACK. THE WORK OF TWO.
SOLID-STATE POWER MODULE CONCEPT RENDER
THE BUILDING BLOCK
SOLID-STATE AT THE CORE.
Each OMNI TERMINAL valve cell is built from solid-state power modules: semiconductor devices selected from established suppliers and evaluated in loss and thermal simulation.
HOW IT WORKS
ONE SHARED STACK.
A SMALLER VALVE.
Conventional MMCs use separate cell stacks for the upper and lower arms of each phase. OMNI TERMINAL is designed to share one stack between those two functions.
01
SHAPE THE WAVEFORM
Each cell adds, subtracts, or bypasses its voltage to shape the electrical waveform.
02
SHARE THE STACK
Phase-level switches route one shared cell stack between the upper and lower arm functions.
03
KEEP CONTINUITY
A temporary current path maintains power flow during each handoff between arms.
MODELED IN SIMULATION: A VALVE ROUGHLY HALF THE SIZE OF CONVENTIONAL DESIGNS. HARDWARE TESTING GOAL: 2028.
BY THE NUMBERS
GIGAWATT-SCALE POWER.
A SMALLER, LOWER-COST CONVERTER.
OMNI TERMINAL is being developed around ±525 kV and at least 4 GW of transfer capability per station, with a goal of at least 70% lower converter cost and footprint versus the baseline MMC design.
±525 kV
THE VOLTAGE
Designed for long-distance HVDC transmission.
4 GW+
THE CAPACITY
Transfer capability goal per station.
70%+
THE REDUCTION GOAL
Lower converter cost and footprint versus the baseline MMC design.
1
THE ARCHITECTURE
One shared cell stack per phase, serving both arm functions instead of separate upper and lower stacks.
VALIDATION
COMPETITIVELY WON. FEDERALLY FUNDED.
A competitively awarded ARPA-E development program. A DOE national laboratory on the team. A signed NASA Langley Space Act Agreement. Research and utility relationships supporting the work.
THE AWARD
$2.22M
Total project budget, including federal funding and company cost share, under ARPA-E's competitive DC-GRIDS program.
THE INSTITUTIONS
National Laboratory of the Rockies
High Fidelity Electromagnetic Transient Modeling of the OMNI TERMINAL.
NASA Langley Research Center
Advanced Materials Advisory and Validation.
Dominion Energy Virginia
Utility Collaboration and Prototype Testing.
Georgia Tech
HVDC Circuit Breaker Development.
PATENT FILINGS IN PREPARATION FOR THE OMNI TERMINAL ARCHITECTURE
ROADMAP
FROM DEVELOPMENT
TO DEPLOYMENT.
A staged development program advancing OMNI TERMINAL through design, prototype testing and independent validation toward commercial deployment.
2025
FEB: Dominion commitment letter
APR: HVDC America formed
2026
JUL: ARPA-E award
SEP: NASA Space Act Agreement
OCT: Build begins (goal)
2027
OCT: Design review, patent filings (goal)
2028
JUL: Prototype readiness (goal)
OCT: Dominion lab test (goal)
2029
JUL: Independent validation (goal)
GOAL
Commercial deployment
