Atom Power Is Launching the Era of Digital Circuit Breakers

In the darkish, dank depths of your house basement hangs a drab gray box that guards the building’s electrical circuits. The circuit breakers within swap off recent stream when there is danger of an overload or small circuit, keeping you protected from fires or electrocution. It’s a crucial position, and 1 that breakers have been carrying out with a quite uncomplicated, one hundred forty-yr-old electromechanical technology.

But circuit breakers are about to get a electronic overhaul. New semiconductor breakers that merge computing ability and wireless connectivity could turn into the hub of intelligent, power-efficient buildings of the future.

“It’s like going from a telephone that just will make calls to a smartphone with abilities we’d in no way imagined before,” suggests Ryan Kennedy, CEO and co-founder of Atom Power in Charlotte, North Carolina. “This is a platform that modifications almost everything in ability techniques.”

Electronic circuit breakers have been a holy grail in ability engineering circles. Atom Power has now turn into the 1st to receive certification from the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) for its product, which brings together breakers based on silicon carbide transistors with computer software. Whilst UL acceptance is not lawfully needed, it is the market basic safety normal for professional use.