DDS, or Direct Drive Solar, is a method of electricity production. Like regular solar-power systems, DDS also produces electricity using Photovoltatic Cells (PVC). Unlike typical solar-power systems, DDS bypasses the use of charge controller, batteries and other devices, and sends the produced electricity directly to the load.   

 For example,

• A regular solar-power system is used in a townhome, the solar panels produce energy, which then goes through a battery, which then goes to the appliances.

• A DDS system is used in a townhome, the solar panels produce energy, which then goes to the appliance(s)*.

Traditional solar power systems have batteries, charge controllers and other expensive devices that are between the solar panel and what is receiving the power. These devices drive up costs, and create extra points of failure in the system.

DDS is best used where battery sets would need to be huge to accommodate things like industrial loads. It’s best used for things that can be intermittent and high power and not need to run constantly

DDS shines with large systems where there are many machines that don’t run at the same time, and the tasks they do can be rescheduled easily. 

Another downside of DDC solar is a loss in efficiency as compared to traditional systems. However, the direct Solar Optimizer (DSO) is a circuit  that corrects this, so that the user can optimize their solar output throughout the day.

*DDS can fully support on appliance at once, or multiple at lower power.

It also requires redesigning many appliances to work with it to run off of a simpler power supply. (Ie: you wouldn't be able to run a microwave because it needs a kind of power that DDS cannot produce without a converter [adding said converter would make it a regular solar-power system].)