With few deployment barriers, great flexibility, and unmatched reliability, here’s why Fault Managed Power is set to define the future of electrical distribution in intelligent buildings.
By Ronna Davis
When it comes to the future of building technology, we have a bold prediction to make: Within the next two decades, Fault Managed Power distribution will become the standard for new building designs. (From there, we believe the revolution will expand into the grid, but that’s a story for another time!)
Many factors are coming together to make today the time when building owners need to rethink their approach to power for tomorrow’s facilities:
- Electricity demands are increasing across all sectors, making it difficult for conventional electrical infrastructure to keep up with our high-energy world.
- Sustainability priorities are escalating as owners are pressed to lower energy consumption, reduce waste, and work toward net-zero targets.
- A shortage of qualified electricians, combined with the complexity of conventional electrical distribution, is stalling projects and delaying progress.
- Supply chain disruptions surrounding electrical components aren’t going away, which further delays project timelines.
It’s Time for a Power Reset
Electricity is long overdue for an evolution. Buildings and the connected devices that control them are progressing rapidly. They’re becoming smarter and more powerful as they optimize operations and efficiency. But there’s just one problem with this transformation: The AC power distribution method the world relies on hasn’t kept up. In fact, it hasn’t evolved at all since 1893.
While the systems connected to them look different than they did over a century ago, the infrastructure and distribution methods behind the technology are pretty much the same as they’ve always been: expensive, slow and dangerous to install, and inflexible. They’re also incompatible with data. The professionals trained to work on data lines aren’t always qualified to work with conventional electricity systems.
In 2023, the National Electrical Code (NEC) adopted a new section to address fault managed power. This is a major indicator that FMP is becoming an industry-accepted technology. Many types of FMP systems are available today; more than 1,000 systems have been deployed by VoltServer alone.
Now, just a few years after the NEC recognized and standardized FMP, we believe it’s primed to take over power distribution for whole building design in the next 20 years. Why? Because modern facilities prioritize many capabilities that conventional distribution systems can’t support:
- Sustainability
- Efficiency
- Resilience
- Flexibility
- Automation
- Safety
- Intelligence
With few deployment barriers, great flexibility, and unmatched reliability, here’s why Fault Managed Power is set to define the future of electrical distribution in intelligent buildings.
1. Smart Power for Safer Buildings
There’s nothing traditional about intelligent buildings—except for their electrical distribution systems.
To mitigate arc faults, electrical fires, and hazards to people and property, traditional power distribution requires complex and expensive protection mechanisms. However, Fault Managed Power is designed to limit electrical faults and make them safer to install and operat For instance, if someone touches a live wire or a water leak is present, the system can sense the fault disruption and stop power transmission immediately, preventing injury or worse.
As smart buildings move toward autonomous and adaptive operations, Fault Managed Power enables proactive fault prevention to de-escalate dangerous situations.
2. Smaller Footprints for Bigger Possibilities
FMP’s built-in safety capabilities not only protect people but also redefine the requirements for installing and integrating electricity into buildings.
Components like circuit breakers, panels, and conduits are no longer necessary with Fault Managed Power. Instead, receiver and transmitter units enable packet energy transfer to safely deliver significant power over significant distances.
These power systems can be deployed in compact spaces to help designers and owners optimize square footage and use it in more intentional and impactful ways.
3. Flexible Power for Evolving Spaces
Adaptability and flexibility are key features of modern buildings. These facilities need to accommodate whatever users need and owners envision in the moment.
Because a Fault Managed Power system doesn’t rely on traditional infrastructure, a building designed with FMP is ready for the future. If the needs of occupants or the purpose of a building change, costly retrofits and infrastructure upgrades can often be avoided. Instead, power distribution can be reconfigured with minimal disruption.
Fault managed power is also fully capable of supporting technologies that aren’t widely deployed yet, whether it’s virtual reality, AI-driven predictive maintenance, or quantum computing. As smart buildings continue to become more connected, FMP systems make sure they’re ready to respond to what’s next.
4. Uninterrupted Power Means Unstoppable Operations
With connected systems and devices acting as the command center for modern buildings, constant connections to power and data are more essential than ever. Any interruption in flow could disrupt the operation of critical systems. Consider a data center housing financial transactions or ER surgery suite that suddenly experiences a fault. In these environments, uninterrupted power and data are top priorities.
FMP’s ability to instantaneously isolate faults can reduce downtime and ensure continuous power delivery. If a fault is detected, power can automatically be rerouted along alternative pathways to ensure that the connection is stable.
5. Turn Insights into Savings
Because it can integrate real-time analytics and automated control into a building’s power systems, Fault Managed Power helps owners manage consumption and reduce energy waste.
For example, Digital Electricity® (VoltServer’s form of FMP) enables precise monitoring of energy usage so owners understand which devices are consuming energy—and how much—so they can improve inefficiencies. Usage reports can be generated to analyze patterns and detect anomalies that may need to be addressed.
FMP also has the ability to dynamically adjust power distribution levels. This allows the system to allocate energy based on demand.
Tomorrow’s Buildings Will Run on Fault Managed Power
As Fault Managed Power continues to improve, it will move that much closer to becoming the platform that helps modern buildings become living systems that self-monitor, self-heal, and adapt to changing needs.
VoltServer’s Tetra solution builds on previous Digital Electricity® by providing more power, control, and communications capabilities. It offers a new standard of reliability and continuity to foster buildings that are resilient, safe, and adaptable.
Learn how we support intelligent buildings.
Ronna Davis is the chief revenue officer at VoltServer.
