everything PE recently interviewed Darrel Kingham, Chief Executive Officer at Pulsiv. Pulsiv focuses on improving the efficiency and performance of power supplies in electronic devices.

Q. Can you give us a brief history of Pulsiv? When was the company formed and how has it evolved over the years?

Darrel Kingham: Pulsiv was founded in 2013 by Dr Zaki Ahmed after he invented new methods of dramatically improving power conversion efficiency. Located in Cambridge (UK) and Plymouth (UK), we use a growing patent portfolio to design & develop world-leading electronic solutions for AC to DC Power Supplies and Solar Energy applications. Our unique power electronics technology can benefit billions of electronic devices and solar installations around the world.

Our goal is to maximize performance, simplify thermal management, and reduce overall energy waste to make future products safer, more reliable, and less harmful to the environment.

Q. What products do you develop and what market segments do you cater to?

Darrel Kingham: Pulsiv OSMIUM is designed for future electronic products that operate or charge from an AC mains supply. USB-C adaptors, LED lighting, home appliances, and off-the-shelf power supplies are just a few of our target applications.

Pulsiv HORIZON aims to generate more energy from every solar panel and can export electricity directly to the grid, support local battery storage, or work within a hybrid setup. Future systems can be easier to install, more scalable, and avoid round-trip losses that waste valuable electricity.

Q. Can you tell us about your power electronics business? Has this area been growing? How significant is this segment for Pulsiv?

Darrel Kingham: Market analysis shows that global electrification, rising energy prices, energy labeling, tightening regulatory standards, and consumer awareness (of the green agenda) are driving the need for more efficient product design. Our target markets have an estimated CAGR of 8% to 19% from now until 2030.

Q. What are the key benefits of Pulsiv's AC to DC power electronics? What sets you apart from other companies in this domain?

Darrel Kingham: Pulsiv OSMIUM is about revolution and not evolution in power electronics. It offers a unique combination of benefits that impact every aspect of product design:

WORLD-LEADING EFFICIENCY PROFILE

Pulsiv OSMIUM technology delivers exceptional performance gains at low loads. Our unique profile delivers consistent efficiency under all operating conditions with a 99.5% peak and 97.5% average. Traditional power supply performance will vary wildly depending on how it is used in the real world. Vampire devices have been identified as a practical example of this problem.

 INCREASE OVERALL AVERAGE EFFICIENCY

The electricity consumed by most products will often vary depending on the typical operation and intended purpose, with the majority spending only a small percentage of their time running at full power. Devices often remain in standby mode or perform background tasks for much of the day (IoT applications).

This figure demonstrates the average efficiency of a product using traditional power supply technology under different usage scenarios:

As a result of improved performance at low loads, Pulsiv OSMIUM improves average efficiency by up to 50%. This reduces electricity costs, energy waste, and overall power consumption over the lifetime of a product. 

ULTRA-COOL OPERATING TEMPERATURES

Pulsiv OSMIUM technology ensures that critical system components operate at significantly lower temperatures when compared to conventional designs. This allows the use of smaller components, simplifies overall thermal management, and improves reliability. 

INRUSH CURRENT ELIMINATED

Pulsiv is the first company to offer a way of eliminating inrush current. This game changing achievement simplifies product design, reduces cost, and improves overall system reliability. Inrush is a particular issue for LED lighting and other applications where many units are connected to a single wiring circuit and powered up simultaneously.

INPUT VOLTAGE DERATING ELIMINATED

Pulsiv OSMIUM technology has eliminated input voltage derating. We can deliver maximum power across the full universal input voltage range. Many power supplies advertise different output capabilities depending upon the AC supply in a particular geographical region.

Q. Pulsiv is known for its patented Osmium Technology. How does this technology help in replacing expensive LLC solutions?

Darrel Kingham:

Q. How does Pulsiv's Solar Power Technology improve the efficiency of solar panels?

Darrel Kingham: Pulsiv HORIZON uses patented techniques to extract more energy (5% average, 30% peak) from solar panels than alternative solutions. By generating more electricity and minimizing conversion losses, our Module Level Power Electronics (MLPE) can maximize the full potential of every solar installation. We can efficiently generate AC or high-voltage DC to support new system configurations and improve scalability, while also cutting overall energy waste.

Q. What are the benefits of Pulsiv's dual power interface for energy storage?

Darrel Kingham: Grid-tied solar installations typically use a central inverter, string inverter (with optional power optimizers), or microinverters; depending upon budget, performance, and scale. With the growing popularity of battery storage, hybrid systems, and DC-coupled equipment, Pulsiv HORIZON offers total flexibility. It provides a single architecture that can generate AC, high-voltage DC (HVDC), or both. The HVDC interface offers: 

• All of the recognized benefits of existing power optimizers, but no more strings. Parallel connectivity provides seamless system expansion.
• An output voltage that remains constant, regardless of how many panels are deployed in a system. 
• A central or string inverter can be optimized for one specific input voltage rather than trying to accommodate a wide range and compromising overall efficiency.
• Direct battery charging without the round-trip losses associated with multiple conversion steps in an AC system
• Simultaneous AC and DC connectivity can balance local storage and grid export to ensure that every watt of power does something useful. No interim conversion steps or complex control are required.

Q. What is the roadmap for Pulsiv's power electronics product portfolio? Are there any new or emerging sectors you plan to target?

Darrel Kingham: While Pulsiv OSMIUM is broadly applicable, customers want to see complete solutions in their particular application space. After successfully developing the core technology, USB-C has been our primary focus due to global standardization, predicted growth, and the demand for fast charging. Our roadmap is rapidly evolving to support applications where the benefits of Pulsiv OSMIUM will add maximum value.

About Darrel Kingham

Darrel Kingham has a first-class degree in Electronics Engineering and a strong background in product design. Having spent the last eighteen years leading commercial organizations and delivering long-term growth, Darrel is passionate about customer success and working with industry partners to deploy Pulsiv technology where it can deliver the most value. Previously head of ARM’s European sales operation, Darrel is a pioneer of new business models and enabling a global electronics ecosystem to benefit from the latest innovation.