POWER SWITCHING & CONTROLS

The future of smart power.

The Ideal Switch is a MEMS relay that delivers disruptive speed and reliability in a transistor-sized device.

THE IDEAL SWITCH UPGRADES POWER CONTROLS AND SWITCHING:

Intelligent, smart load monitoring.

Smaller package allows for leaner, lighter equipment.

99% reduction in power required to turn on.

Arc-free switching creates safer and more reliable equipment.

Industrial Automation

Optimizing manufacturing lines
Robotics controls
Factory power distribution
Monitoring plant safety

Buildings

Solar and energy storage
HVAC and appliance controls
Lighting/smart plug/GFCI
Commercial and residential microgrids

Transportation

eMobility (EV, eBike)
Battery management
Advanced avionics
Marine and Rail

Electrical Infrastructure

Power grid
LV switchgear
Datacenter power distribution
Communications equipment power distribution

CASE IN POINT:

Buildings

Some of the switches found in buildings: ceiling fan motor regulators, smart switches, smart outlets, miniature circuit breakers, molded case circuit breakers, air circuit breakers, HVAC, and transfer switches.

Carbon footprint

Replacing conventional switches in Buildings with the Ideal Switch would reduce power consumption equivalent to 120 coal-fired power plants globally over 10 years.

Lower cost of ownership

Power consumption reductions would cut building operating costs by $2 trillion over 30 years.

Smart building

The Ideal Switch’s ability to deliver and act on distributed intelligence enables next-gen Building Management Systems (BMS) in commercial buildings.

Smart utility

The Ideal Switch’s connectivity capabilities lets utilities implement demand-response initiatives across homes. This is essential to support EV ownership growth.

IMPACT:

Small devices,
huge savings

Smart lights, switches and outlets are needed to enable various energy management schemes. Passive toggle switches, receptacles and lights will need to be replaced with remotely switched designs.

CONVENTIONAL SMART OUTLET

EMR Standby power: 2 kWh/yr, EMR power losses under load: 0.4 kWh/yr, Total EMR power: 2.4 kWh/yr

WITH IDEAL SWITCH

Replacing EMR with the Ideal Switch. In one year, the Ideal Switch can save the amount of electricity produced by 11 power plants.

Estimated 20B outlets in the US. At 2.4kWh each, that’s a total of 40B kWh annually. One coal-fired power plant produces 3.5B kWh annually.

CONVENTIONAL FAN REGULATOR

Triac with heatsink. Triac excess power: 20 W, Total Trial power: 60 kWh/yr

*Based on operating the fan 8 hours a day 365 days a year.

WITH IDEAL SWITCH

Replacing triac and heatsink with the Ideal Switch. In one year, the Ideal Switch can save the amount of electricity produced by 17 power plants globally.

Estimated 1B ceiling fans worldwide. At 60 kWh each, that’s a total of 60 B kWh annually. One coal-fired power plant produces 3.5 B kWh annually.

CASE IN POINT:

Factories

Factory infrastructure and equipment are full of switches. As many as 8 billion relays are sold to factories each year. The quicker, smaller, and more reliable Ideal Switch has the power to fundamentally change how factories operate and manage workload.

More reliable

The Ideal Switch delivers 2,000x the number of operations compared to a conventional EMR. That translates to $7 trillion in savings.

Smaller size

90% reduction in weight and volume compared to EMR and SSR heatsinks.

Fast actuation

The Idea Switch actuates 1,000x faster than EMRs. This leads to a reduction in PLC process steady state errors and opens the field for entirely new classes of PLC applications.

Lower cost of ownership

Compactness is expected to reduce the cost of installation (CAPEX) while longevity will lead to fewer production interruption (OPEX).

IMPACT:

Preventing
arc flashes

Arc flashes are a major safety concern in power distribution environments. In the US alone there are between 5-10 explosions per day. Each of those can be lethal for anyone within 10 feet.

ARC FLASH HAZARD

Arch Flash and Shock Hazards. Appropriate PPE Required.

WITH IDEAL SWITCH

There is no arcing inherent with Ideal Switch technology. Which means that in one year, the Ideal Switch can prevent the hospitalization of 2,000 people in the US alone—and save $10K to $15M per injury.

“As our world moves to the electrification and wireless of everything, Menlo Micro’s deep innovation is already triggering massive cross-industry upheaval.”

TONY FADELL
FOUNDER OF NEST
PRINCIPAL AT FUTURE SHAPE

The future of smart power.

Control and protect billions of critical assets across markets with the intelligence and efficiency of the Ideal Switch.

Buildings

Small devices,huge savings

Factories

Preventingarc flashes

Small devices,
huge savings

Preventing
arc flashes