Innovative technology for future oriented off-the-grid applications

Allschwil and Brugg, Switzerland - June 1, 2017 - Stäubli Electrical Connectors (formerly Multi-Contact), the pioneer and global market leader in electrical connectors for Photovoltaic solutions, and Power-Blox the award-winning Swiss start-up enter into a strategic partnership for innovative energy storage solutions.

Stäubli Electrical Connectors, the specialist in advanced contact technology and the rewarded start-up company Power-Blox signed a strategic cooperation and will jointly offer efficient solutions in the field of energy storage and off-the-grid systems.

With over 20 years of experience in the photovoltaic industry and more than 1 billion installed PV connector components, Stäubli Electrical Connectors provides more than 150 GW or 50% of the worldwide PV capacity. With the new technology called "Swarm Power", developed by the Swiss start-up company Power-Blox and its intelligent energy cubes, an off-the-grid energy supply can be produced without any technical know-how or configuration.

Power-Blox is the first modular solar energy system, which offers alternating current up to the megawatt range based on swarm technology. This revolutionary concept also allows for a completely mobile supply and functions as a portable outlet.

"The product and solution portfolio of Power-Blox fits very well into the strategic development of our 'alternative energies' business. Combined with our powerful and durable connector solutions for photovoltaic plants, these innovative systems and the swarm technology open up totally new fields of application in the growing market of energy storage systems", says Franco Delvecchio, CEO of Stäubli Electrical Connectors and member of the Executive Committee of the Stäubli Group about the cooperation.

"Swarm Power" imitates complex systems by their nature to create fully autonomous and intelligent power grids all over the world. Anyone can create an independent, decentralized power supply grid without additional technical know-how. The "plug and play" solution consists of stand-alone energy cubes with an integrated battery, which can be expanded as desired, thus enabling a scalable power supply. Each cube can supply electricity which is independent of the grid and is supplied by external sources such as solar systems or wind energy. Typical applications include the supply of mobile or temporary installations for aid organizations, rural electrification in remote areas, military installations or as a reserve battery for bridging in power in the event of power outages in unstable public networks.

Alessandro Medici, co-founder of the Intersolar Award finalist and CEO of Power-Blox, is delighted: "We are thrilled that Stäubli Electrical Connectors, a world leader in the industry, acknowledges our technology. Through the experience of Stäubli Electrical Connectors, as well as through its global engineering and sales network, we gain valuable resources for further development and market cultivation."


About Stäubli:
Stäubli offers innovative mechatronic solutions in three core areas including Connectors, Robotics and Textile. With more than 4,500 employees, the company achieves annual revenues of 1.1 billion Swiss francs. Founded in 1892, today Stäubli is an international group headquartered in Pfäffikon, Switzerland. Stäubli has a presence in 29 countries with production companies, sales and service subsidiaries and is supplemented by agents in 50 countries. As a world market leader, Stäubli manufactures quick connector systems for all types of fluids, gases and electrical energy. The Electrical Connectors product portfolio ranges from miniature connectors to high-performance connectors for power transmission, test and measurement. In Photovoltaics, Stäubli is the global market leader with its connector components. The core of all Stäubli electrical connectors is the unique MULTILAM technology. www.staubli.com/electrical


About Power-Blox:
Power-Blox is an award-winning Swiss start-up company that develops, produces and distributes energy solutions based on swarm intelligence. The company developed a technology called "Swarm Power", which allows the construction of an energy network with decentralized architecture and without centralized control. The system regulates power generation, storage and distribution in the grid intelligently and autonomously. Power-Blox was awarded with the Axpo Energy Award 2014 and the UN National Energy Globe Award of Tanzania 2015. Power-Blox was founded by Alessandro Medici and Armand Martin and is a privately-owned company based in Brugg, Switzerland. www.power-blox.com.