Top 10 Manufacturers Shaping the Future of Circuit Breakers

The circuit breaker is a device used to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overcurrent/overload or short circuits. There has been an exponentially growing need for power demand worldwide. This increased demand is mostly from the developing economies of the world. For example, in April 2024, the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group announced the partnership of an ambitious project to provide at least 300 million people in Africa with electricity access by 2030. The World Bank Group would work to connect 250 million people to electricity through renewable energy systems while the African Development Bank Group would support an additional 50 million people. This growing demand for energy-efficient infrastructure and renewable energy sources to optimize power distribution has led to the rising application of circuit breakers as increased awareness about electricity safety and regulation.

Several leading players play a vital role in shaping the future of circuit breakers market:

1. ABB

The ABB Group is one of the largest companies serving in the fields of electrification, renewable energy, process automation, and robotics. Electrification segment alone generated revenue of US$14.6 bn in 2023. The company has a legacy of miniature circuit breakers for 100-year with its inception in 1924. The company’s future is focused on energy efficiency, transparent, and sustainable practices. They intended to build a portfolio of compact, modular, and flexible designs to integrate renewable energy sources. In November 2023, ABB provided switchgear and circuit breaker solutions in a new mining plant in West Africa. The solution included 13 of ABB’s VD4 vacuum circuit breakers, which had the potential to minimize maintenance, increase safety, and provide protection. ABB technology offered compact technology without SF6 insulating gas in the switchgear or the circuit breaker.

2. Eaton Corporation

Eaton Corporation is the leading manufacturer of circuit breakers in the industry and is continuously the landscape of the market. On March 29, 2021, Eaton acquired a 50 percent stake in HuanYu High Tech (HuanYu Group) which manufactures low-voltage circuit breakers and contactors in China. Further, in July 2022, Eaton acquired a 50 percent stake in Jiangsu Huineng Electric Co., Ltd’s circuit breaker business, which manufactures and markets low-voltage circuit breakers in China and had revenues of $35 million in 2021. These acquisitions gave them significant advantage to expand for growing needs of high-growth market segments such as renewable energy and grid modernization over the Chinese market and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Besides, in October 2024, Eaton announced a collaboration with Lunar Energy to simplify the installation and functionality of home energy storage and solar systems. The integration of Eaton’s new AbleEdgeTM smart breakers with the Lunar System would make it easier for installers to deploy solar and storage, manage loads, optimize costs, and extend the life of the solar battery system.

Additionally, Eaton launched a collaboration with Tesla at RE+ 24 streamlining new and retrofit home energy storage deployments in September 2024. This collaboration would make it easier for customers to integrate residential solar, energy storage systems. Tesla’s Powerwall would support Eaton’s new AbleEdgeTM smart breakers. This will make it easier to achieve intelligent load management functionality to optimize energy use and extend backup duration.

With all these developments the company is aligned with Eaton’s Home as a Grid strategy. The ‘Home as a Grid’ means homes can now act as energy hubs by producing their power to support flexibility and stability and manage energy consumption in an integrated way.

3. CG Power and Industrial Solutions Limited

CG Power and Industrial Solutions Limited is a leading player in power systems in India. They are the first Indian manufacturer to develop and supply Ultra High Voltage 765kV SF6 gas circuit breakers. They were implementing the three main strategies, i.e. expansion of capacity, enhancing exports, and accelerating technological advancements. Recently in FY2023, they launched vacuum interrupter railway trackside circuit breakers.

And initiated the product upgradation in EHV Switchgear by design, such as 420kV, 63kA Gas Circuit Breaker suitable for -40°C application, which resulted in executing an order from Ukraine and opened an opportunity for in many European countries. Further, degradation of 245kV, 50kV Gas Circuit Breaker for higher altitude applications. These developments and innovations put the company at the forefront in India and overseas markets of Burkina Faso, Cameron, Congo, Greece, Kenya, Paraguay, Philippines, UAE, Suriname, etc.

4. Salzer Electronics Limited

Salzer Electronics Limited has its major revenue share from the industrial switchgear which was 53.9% in Q1 FY24 and 51.8% in Q1 FY25. The company took pride itself to be the largest supplier of rotary and load break switches to Indian Railways. Further, the company is focused on its several research and development products, including receiving two patents for CAM-operated rotary switches & Motor protection Circuit breakers’ for 20 years which is ending in 2036.  Moreover, the company has a unique design in India for load break switches and single-hole mounting switches.

5. Hitachi Energy Ltd.

Hitachi Energy Ltd. is a key innovating leader in the market for circuit breakers. Hitachi, Ltd. announced that it would supply five units of Hitachi Energy’s sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)-free EconiQ 300 kilovolt (kV) circuit breaker to Chubu Electric Power Grid. This was the first project in Japan where SF6-free circuit breakers would be installed at voltages of 275 kV and above. The SF6-free EconiQ circuit breaker reduces CO2-equivalent emissions from the insulating gas by 99.3 percent, this helps in achieving sustainable power grids in Japan and reducing emissions to zero by 2050.

Additionally, in August 2024, Hitachi Energy launched today a new technology to tackle emissions of sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆), 80 percent of which come from the power sector. Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) is used in switchgear, its is a critical component protecting power grids. But it is 24,300 times more climate-hostile than CO₂. To overcome this challenge, Hitachi Energy launched the world’s highest voltage SF₆-free switchgear – the EconiQTM 550 kV circuit breaker that can be used in gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) or dead tank breakers (DTB) and the EconiQ 420 kV Live Tank Breaker (LTA).

6. Toshiba

Toshiba has high standards for its products and manufacturing. This is the leading company in the market. Such as, their high-voltage vacuum circuit breakers are designed and manufactured by the latest IEC standards, IEC 60056, and IEC 2300, and for indoor switchgear purposes. These can be used at altitudes up to 1,000m. Further, HVK 5-15 kV vacuum circuit breakers are the smallest and the lightest of its kind. The 15 kV, 1200 A rated breaker weighs only 95 kg (210 lb.) which is much less than the most competitive vacuum circuit breakers, which can weigh up to 95 kg (210 lb.).

Besides, Toshiba agreed to team up with Meidensha Corporation. Both companies are jointly developing to accelerate the adoption of a new GIS with natural-origin gases. They combined the electrical insulating technologies of natural-origin gases with the advantages of vacuum circuit breakers achieving both size reductions and a high current interrupting capability. However, the development curve was steep. The development process for the new GIS included further size reductions and support for higher voltages.

7. Siemens AG

Siemens is following up on the renewable economy, with new electronic switching technology and digitalization to integrate into existing systems. Siemens and BASF announced collaboration on driving the circular economy in June 2024. Siemens would provide a circuit breaker which is the first electrical safety product to use plastic components where fossil raw materials have been replaced by biomethane derived from recycled biowaste. This material changeover in the SIRIUS 3RV2 circuit breaker production will reduce the emission of carbon dioxide equivalents by ~270 tons per year.

Additionally, Siemens introduced innovative circuit protection devices which is multifunctional, parametrizable, and sustainable in March 2024. This new product requires up to 80 percent less space in the distribution board, compared to conventional solutions. This is a space and energy savings compared to conventional solutions.

8. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced it signed an agreement with Siemens Energy Global GmbH to co-develop Direct Current (DC) Switching Stations and DC Circuit Breaker requirement specifications in August 2024. The agreement aimed to realize Multi-terminal High Voltage DC (HVDC) systems to enable efficient operation of large-scale renewable energy resources. This would accelerate the global deployment of Multi-terminal HVDC systems.

Further, on February 2023, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced into entered into the acquisition of Scibreak AB, a Swedish-based company that develops direct current circuit breakers (DCCBs). The two companies aimed to strengthen the development and distribution of DCCB technologies for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems to support the increasing global deployment of renewable energy.

9. Fuji Electric

Fuji Electric offers different types of circuit breakers such as Moulded Case Circuit Breakers, Magnetic Contactors And Starters, Miniature Circuit Breakers, Power Monitoring Units, Air Circuit Breakers, etc. Their Moulded Case Circuit Breakers are intended for photovoltaic power generation. It is compatible with DC750V and 1000V and is ideal for the junction box and power conditioner. MCCB would lead the market demand for the photovoltaic renewable energy generation.

10. Schaltbau

Schaltbau is a major company specializing in DC power and providing products and solutions enabling electrification. In April 2024, Schaltbau announced the introduction of its Smart Circuit Breaker product line, a family of intelligent circuit breakers that cut off currents ten to a hundred times faster than conventional contactors, therefore better protecting all kinds of energy storage systems. It could simplify the integration of renewable energy sources, energy storage systems, and energy consumers into industrial microgrids.

Further, for its expansion in Europe, announced a sales distribution partnership with Heilind Electronics, a major global distributor specializing in electromechanical products in November 2024. This collaboration aimed to accelearte the sale of Schaltbau’s Eddicy products to customers across Europe.

Conclusion:

The companies are moving towards sustainable practices, such as the development of technologies to reduce or remove SF6 from the circuit breaker. Further, the companies are trying to make the circuit breaker for the application in the renewable energy power generations namely, photovoltaic, wind, etc. The digitalization and modernization of the circuit breaker are major factor driving innovations in the market.