POWER
NEXT-GEN SURGE PROTECTION
Power quality is often overlooked, yet modern industrial and commercial facilities are increasingly exposed to voltage disturbances that can damage sensitive equipment. While surge protection is commonly associated with lightning or visible spikes, most damaging transients originate from internal sources such as switching
events, harmonics and fast-rising voltage anomalies from power electronics. Here Mike Torbitt, managing director of resistor manufacturer Cressall, explains how next-generation surge protection approaches can strengthen system resilience while improving reliability and reducing maintenance demands.
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oltage transients are brief, high- speed deviations from standard supply levels and represent one of the most widespread power quality issues in modern systems. Although external influences such
as lightning can introduce high-energy surges, most transient events are internally generated. According to Eaton, a global power management company, “up to 80 per cent of power surges occur on the customer side of the electric meter, with high-powered electrical devices within a facility generating internal surges through switching and load cycling.” Industry data suggests that a significant majority of surges occur downstream of the utility meter, often triggered by routine operations of high-powered equipment. Motors, transformers
and variable speed drives (VSDs) are key contributors, producing frequent high-frequency spikes during switching and load cycling. These disturbances can gradually degrade insulation and electronic components, often without immediate or visible symptoms.
Supporting this, a survey by the Electrical Safety Foundation International found that nearly half of industrial and commercial facilities experienced surge-related interruptions in the past year, with many reporting measurable improvements in uptime after installing surge protective devices.
EVOLVING PROTECTION STRATEGIES Traditional surge protection devices alone are no longer sufficient for complex electrical environments. Modern approaches focus on coordinated, multi-stage protection systems designed to respond to different types of transients across the network.
In these systems, an initial stage reacts almost instantaneously to fast-rising voltage spikes, while subsequent stages absorb and dissipate residual energy. This layered approach helps prevent overvoltage conditions from reaching critical equipment and reduces stress on both protection devices and connected systems. Effective solutions must also account for system-specific characteristics, including operating voltage, network impedance and the expected magnitude and frequency of transient events. Proper engineering ensures that protection remains consistent, reliable and capable of handling repeated exposure.
THE ROLE OF RESISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES High-power resistors are increasingly used
Spring 2026 UKManufacturing
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