World Voltage Regulator Markets

Frost & Sullivan

- Pub ID: MC973043

Countries covered: Global

Creating Awareness of Potential Damage from Voltage Fluctuations to Drive Product Uptake

While customers readily invest in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems to safeguard against blackouts, they seldom feel the need to install voltage regulators because of the invisibility of power fluctuations. This mind-set has to be remedied by emphasizing the importance of controlling fluctuations to prevent damage to loads connected to the supply. This effort can be shored up through a recent finding by Bell Telephone Laboratories that 95 percent of power problems can be attributed to voltage fluctuations such as sags, surges, and impulses. Greater customer awareness about the advantages of each voltage regulating technology and the applications they are suited for can also drive demand.

This Frost & Sullivan research service examines the world voltage regulator markets and discusses the various market trends and opportunities for the technologies of ferro resonant, tap switching, and buck boost in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest-of-World. The study provides drivers, restraints, and challenges that affect the market and presents strategic recommendations to overcome growth barriers.

Poor Main Supply Power Quality in Developing Nations Creates Vast Market for Regulators

There is a sizable potential market for voltage regulators in Asia, South America, Africa, and the Middle East since their electrical generation and distribution infrastructure is still nascent. While fluctuations in the supply voltage in the United States is about 5 percent, it is around 20 percent in Mexico and South America and 10 to 15 percent in developing nations of Asia. Such fluctuations are very damaging, especially because most applications connected to the supply have many electronic components.

Countries that lack a basic national power infrastructure generate power for individual establishments on a small scale using crude facilities. Such plants, especially the ones located near mines and oil wells, have substantial need for voltage regulation. The drive to modernize industrial and telecommunication systems in developing countries has to be backed with investments in voltage regulators to protect the equipment and extend their lives.

Innovative Technologies for Voltage Regulation Sustain Global Demand

"The mature voltage regulator industry is likely to keep up demand due to economic recovery, newly developing markets, and novel regulating technologies replacing the older ones to suit contemporary applications," notes the analyst. A case in point for the last driver is the development of voltage regulating products using insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) technology for its better protection properties. Once customers are convinced of IGBT's ability to shield equipment with its isolation and fast response features, it is expected to bring in revenue from high-power voltage regulator market.

Traditional tap switching technology is also finding new uses in contemporary high-speed electronic applications. This is hardly surprising considering this technology's strongest selling point has been its ability to cater to a vast range of applications. Tap switching products are also becoming popular for mining and petroleum exploration activities in Africa and South America. The market is open to global competition in developing countries since there are few local vendors that can meet domestic demand for voltage regulators.

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