Is Solid-State Electricity the Future of Home Electricity?

While some products, like cell phones and e-bikes, have skyrocketed with technological innovations over the last couple of decades, the electrical grid in our homes and other buildings has remained pretty much static. But that might be about to change.

Starting in late 2024, silicon chips with solid-state technology will begin to be incorporated into some home electrical components, such as LED lighting, circuit breakers and outlet receptacles. For a non-techie, that might sound insignificant, complicated and/or boring, but it’s something that could notably affect your life. Behind the scenes, these products are designed to keep you safer and make your home more energy efficient.

“The fact that today’s modern world is still being powered by the same dangerous infrastructure from back in Thomas Edison’s day shows how ready society is for a change,” says Thar Casey, founder and CEO of AmberSemi. “Once this upgrade has occurred, solid-state will be the norm for every outlet, smart home ecosystem and LED dimmer switch in your home. A true second electrical revolution of the power grid will be complete.”

Casey is understandably enthusiastic about solid-state chips. His company is leading the charge, partnering with components manufacturers to roll out the new technology. Gradually, consumers will start seeing packaging with the phrase “Powered by AmberSemi solid-state power technologies.”

Here’s what to know about solid-state home electrical components, and when you can expect to see them in your home.

What Does Solid-State Mean?

Solid-state refers to electrical components, devices and systems based on semiconductor technology. These components are digital, so they operate without the need for moving or analog parts. Solid-state technology as a whole is not new, but it has been rapidly expanding to new products, from cellphones to rechargeable batteries.

“The best way to illustrate the impact of solid-state tech is with televisions,” says Casey. “Look at the intelligence and expanded features possible in solid-state-based smart TVs, and how they are worlds more advanced than the old-school, bulky tube TVs that were the norm all the way up until the early 2000s.”

What Are Solid-State Home Electric Components?

Solid-state home electrical components are endpoints, such as dimmers, circuit breakers and smart-home systems that incorporate silicon chips. This makes them safer, because they cannot arc (create a prolonged electrical discharge). It also means they can be controlled digitally.

Currently, AmberSemi holds a series of patents on the technology, and is working with global electrical products and semiconductor companies to integrate their chips into those products.

Advantages of Home Electric Solid-State Components

Solid-state components can control electricity digitally, and what that means for your home is that they are:

• Safer, because they are arc-free, so they don’t have the potential to create house fires.
• Surge proof.
• Programmable, so they can interface with AI and other smart-home tech to increase energy efficiency.
• Smaller in size, so they take up less infrastructure space.

“Simply put, solid-state is the future of home electricity because it will make buildings profoundly safer, healthier, smarter and more energy-efficient,” says Casey.

Solid-state electrical components may also have a profound effect on the industrial and regulatory sides of the industry. Being programmable means manufacturers don’t have to design as many components specific to product types and regions. Increased safety and efficiency also means new electrical codes could be more simple.

Will Solid-State Products Cost More?

In theory, no, says Casey. Once the technology reaches mass-market manufacturing scale, solid-state components should generally cost less per unit to manufacture than traditional components, while also providing energy savings in homes.

“The big unknown will be if manufacturers increase the price of their technologies once solid-state is adopted, because of the direct increase in the value of their products based on added features,” says Casey. He uses an innovative Nest thermostat as an example. It initially launched at a high price point, sold well because of the technology, but is now available at a more reasonable price.

When Will Solid-State Home Electrical Components Be Available?

Some consumer products with solid-state tech will begin to hit the market in late 2024. But, it may take a while for it to become the norm. Casey attributes that in part to an “It ain’t broke, so why fix it” mentality within the industry.

“The ‘old tech’ still works, the factories’ tooling is in place and optimized and they’re regularly pumping out millions of units efficiently around the world,” he says. “Plus, consumers are familiar with and accept the products and functionality as-is, and the companies make a lot of money today with the current arrangement, which creates hesitation to change.”

Yet, solid-state technology has become the norm with many other products, so it’s likely home electric will be no exception. “There’s more motivation than ever to make the transformation,” says Casey. “The process is currently in motion. Within the next decade, we expect virtually all electrical endpoints to be solid-state.”

About the Expert

Thar Casey is founder and CEO of AmberSemi, where he oversees and spearheads all aspects of the company’s current growth trajectory. He is a seasoned, serial entrepreneur with a passion for bringing disruptive technology companies from concept to success.