The FREEDM Systems Center at NC State University is proud to announce that ERMCO, a transformer manufacturer based in Tennessee, recently acquired GridBridge, one of our early spin off companies. GridBridge licensed three patents from NC State University that relate to the solid state solutions, technology developed with funding from the National Science Foundation and support from our industry members.

As part of its core mission, the FREEDM Systems Center aims to stimulate the formation of startup companies that bring technology and power electronics expertise to the Cleantech sector. “It was great to collaborate with FREEDM over the years,” said Chad Eckhardt, CEO of GridBridge. “We are pleased to be part of the Research Triangle Cleantech community and serve as further proof of the region’s strong track record of commercializing clean technology. The FREEDM Center is a key component of that community and GridBridge was fortunate to be able to partner with FREEDM to accelerate the company’s growth during the company’s critical early years.”

“We believe the purchase of GridBridge shows that electric utility suppliers find value in the FREEDM System design and foresee market growth for power electronics solutions for the power system,” said Iqbal Husain, PhD, Director of the FREEDM Systems Center and ABB Distinguished Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at NC State. “We fully anticipate commercialization for other technologies we are working on, like our medium voltage DC fast charger for electric vehicles, DC house technologies, and our high power inverter design. It’s a very exciting time.”

Click here to view the official press release from GridBridge.