Active Power
Active Power designs and manufactures battery-free flywheel UPS systems in Austin, Texas, serving mission-critical enterprise facilities including AI data centers, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, defense, and industrial manufacturing across 50+ countries via its parent Piller Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Active Power does
Active Power, Inc. designs and manufactures battery-free flywheel uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems from its headquarters and production facility in Austin, Texas. Its core technology platform, CLEANSOURCE, stores kinetic energy in a spinning rotor and releases it instantaneously when grid power is interrupted, providing ride-through power for mission-critical facilities without the toxic chemistry, periodic replacement, or monthly maintenance cycle of conventional battery-based UPS. The product family spans single-module (CLEANSOURCE PLUS SMS), multi-module scalable (CLEANSOURCE PLUS MMS), extended-runtime (CLEANSOURCE XT), high-density (CLEANSOURCE HD), containerized turnkey (POWERHOUSE), and the GenSTART battery-free cold-cranking system for standby generators. Combined installed base exceeds 5,500 flywheels, 1,400+ MW of protected critical load, and 70,000+ accumulated runtime-years across 50+ countries.
The company's commercial motion is enterprise field sales targeting data centers (including AI infrastructure), healthcare, pharmaceuticals, industrial/manufacturing, military and defense, broadcasting, transportation, and leisure venues. Revenue is generated through direct hardware sales, professional services (installation, preventive maintenance, POWERSERVICE all-inclusive agreements), and short- and long-term UPS rentals. Distribution leverages the global subsidiary and service-partner network of its parent, Germany's Piller Group GmbH, giving Active Power multinational sales and service coverage it could not replicate as a standalone entity. Active Power has been a privately held subsidiary of Piller Group since Piller's November 2016 take-private of the former NASDAQ-listed company; Piller itself sits within the Power Solutions Division of UK-based Langley Holdings plc, alongside Bergen Engines and Marelli Motori.
Active Power firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Active Power
- Legal name
- Active Power Solutions Ltd
- Website
- https://activepower.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Active Power designs and manufactures battery-free flywheel UPS systems in Austin, Texas, serving mission-critical enterprise facilities including AI data centers, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, defense, and industrial manufacturing across 50+ countries via its parent Piller Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Active Power industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems
- NAICS
- Switchgear and Switchboard Apparatus Manufacturing (335313), Mechanical Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing (333613)
- SIC
- Switchgear & Switchboard Apparatus (3613), Engines & Turbines (3510)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) (HDACAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Energy Storage Systems (BESS, Flywheels, Batteries) (HDABAKAC), UPS Systems & Backup Power (Online/line-interactive UPS, industrial backup) (IMAGADAD), Mechanical LDES (Pumped Hydro, Compressed/Liquid Air, Flywheels) (EUAFADAB), Power Distribution & Switchgear (UPS, PDUs, Busway) (HDABAKAA)
Keywords
Where Active Power is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Active Power business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- UPS System Sales: Sale of flywheel-based UPS systems including CLEANSOURCE® product lines. Systems are sold directly to enterprise customers for mission-critical power protection applications.
- Installation, Maintenance & Repair Services: Professional services including site survey, system design, start-up, commissioning, and ongoing maintenance. Service plans range from preventive maintenance to comprehensive all-inclusive POWERSERVICE agreements.
- UPS Rentals: Short and long-term rental of UPS systems including standalone POWERHOUSE systems and transportable containerized systems. Flexible rental periods from one month to extended durations with turnkey installation options.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Active Power product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Active Power designs, manufactures, and services battery-free flywheel uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems that store energy kinetically rather than in chemical batteries, providing backup and power conditioning for mission-critical facilities. Its CLEANSOURCE® product family, the containerized POWERHOUSE® solution, and the GenSTART™ generator starting module are complemented by installation, preventive maintenance, repair, and rental services delivered through the global Piller service network.
Product overview
Active Power designs and produces battery-free flywheel uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems for mission-critical operations. The product portfolio centers on the CLEANSOURCE® brand of flywheel UPS products, available in multiple configurations: CLEANSOURCE® PLUS SMS (single module system) for standalone applications, CLEANSOURCE® PLUS MMS (multi-module system) for scalable redundant configurations, CLEANSOURCE® XT for extended runtime requirements, and CLEANSOURCE® HD for heavy-duty industrial use. The POWERHOUSE® offering provides containerized or standalone UPS solutions for flexible deployment. GenSTART™ is a complementary battery-free generator starting module that supplies 1725 Cold Cranking Amps to ensure reliable generator set startup. All products are manufactured at the company's Austin, Texas facility and are supported by installation, maintenance, repair, and rental services through the global Piller network.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CLEANSOURCE®: Battery-free flywheel UPS technology platform including CLEANSOURCE® PLUS SMS, CLEANSOURCE® PLUS MMS, CLEANSOURCE® XT, and CLEANSOURCE® HD products.
- GenSTART™
- POWERHOUSE®
Products and services
- CLEANSOURCE® PLUS SMS (Single Module System) Battery-free flywheel UPS single module system providing uninterruptible power protection for mission-critical facilities.
- CLEANSOURCE® PLUS MMS (Multi-Module System) Scalable battery-free flywheel UPS multi-module system offering expanded power capacity and redundancy for larger installations.
- CLEANSOURCE® XT Extended runtime battery-free flywheel UPS system designed for applications requiring longer backup duration.
- CLEANSOURCE® HD Heavy-duty battery-free flywheel UPS system engineered for demanding industrial and critical infrastructure applications.
- POWERHOUSE® Complete flywheel UPS solution in a containerized or standalone configuration for flexible deployment and rapid installation.
- GenSTART™ Battery-free modular generator starting system providing 1725 Cold Cranking Amps to ensure reliable standby generator startup and adding 5 nines uptime availability to standby generator sets.
- Installation, Maintenance & Repair Services Professional services including site survey, system design, start-up, commissioning, and ongoing maintenance, offered under POWERSERVICE plans ranging from preventive maintenance to comprehensive all-inclusive coverage.
- UPS Rentals Short- and long-term rental of UPS systems including standalone POWERHOUSE systems and transportable containerized systems, with flexible rental periods from one month to extended durations and turnkey installation options.
Quantifiable outcome
- Minimal maintenance - annual maintenance vs monthly/quarterly for battery systems
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Active Power
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Active Power technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Active Power partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Nebius Group NVflagshipNebius Group NV, a leading global AI infrastructure provider headquartered in Amsterdam, selected Active Power's CLEANSOURCE® battery-free UPS for its Mäntsälä data center expansion project in Finland. Active Power is supplying over 200 UPS units for the 75MW facility expansion to support AI compute demand.
- Piller Group GmbHcoreActive Power is a member of the Piller Power Systems group. In 2016, Piller Group GmbH acquired Active Power Inc, the Austin TX kinetic energy storage specialist. Active Power operates as part of Piller's Power Solutions Division alongside Bergen Engines and Marelli Motori. Piller is a division of Langley Holdings plc.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Active Power competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ABB: Global electrification and automation leader offering UPS, switchgear, and power protection for data centers, industrial, and infrastructure. Competes with Active Power in industrial and data center UPS, with broader portfolio depth and global service network.
- Eaton: Diversified power management company with a strong UPS portfolio (e.g., 93PM, 9PHD) for data centers, healthcare, and industrial customers. Overlaps with Active Power across mission-critical UPS use cases but serves them with battery-based systems and integrated switchgear.
- Schneider Electric: Global energy management and automation major offering Galaxy UPS systems for data centers and industrial sites. Competes head-to-head with Active Power in UPS but bundles power, cooling, and DCIM software, making it a broad incumbent alternative to Active Power's specialized flywheel offering.
- Rolls-Royce Power Systems (MTU): Provider of MTU-brand backup power systems, diesel generators, and UPS for mission-critical facilities. Competes with Active Power in backup and critical power for data centers, healthcare, and industrial customers.
- Caterpillar: Through its Electric Power division, supplies generator sets, UPS, and integrated backup power solutions for data centers and industrial facilities. Competes with Active Power-GenSTART in generator starting and with broader critical power offerings.
- Piller Group: Parent group of Active Power and a global manufacturer of UPS systems and power conversion equipment. Closely related entity providing larger rotary and static UPS systems that partially overlap with Active Power's flywheel product lines.
- Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems (TMEIC): Industrial UPS and power electronics manufacturer serving data centers, semiconductor fabs, and large industrial customers. Competes with Active Power in heavy-duty UPS applications including CLEANSOURCE HD's industrial target segment.
Emerging players
- Amber Kinetics: Developer of long-duration flywheel energy storage systems for grid and commercial applications. Adjacent peer using similar kinetic storage technology, focused on longer-duration energy storage rather than ride-through UPS.
- Vycon Energy: Manufacturer of flywheel-based kinetic energy storage systems for UPS and power quality applications. The most direct technology peer to Active Power, offering battery-free flywheel UPS targeted at data centers and industrial customers.
Direct peers
- Vertiv: Leading global provider of critical digital infrastructure including UPS systems for data centers and industrial facilities. Directly competes with Active Power in mission-critical UPS, particularly for hyperscale and colocation data centers, though with a much broader portfolio (cooling, power, IT management).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Active Power social profiles
Digital presenceActive Power financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Active Power leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Active Power funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Active Power M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Active Power
What does Active Power do?
Active Power designs, manufactures, and services battery-free flywheel uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems that store energy kinetically rather than in chemical batteries, providing backup and power conditioning for mission-critical facilities. Its CLEANSOURCE® product family, the containerized POWERHOUSE® solution, and the GenSTART™ generator starting module are complemented by installation, preventive maintenance, repair, and rental services delivered through the global Piller service network.
Is Active Power a public or private company?
Active Power is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Active Power founded?
Active Power was founded in 1996. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Active Power based?
Active Power is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Active Power make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. UPS System Sales are the primary driver. The others are installation, Maintenance & Repair Services and UPS Rentals.
Who are Active Power's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ABB, Eaton, Schneider Electric, Rolls-Royce Power Systems (MTU), Caterpillar, Piller Group and Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems (TMEIC). Emerging players are Amber Kinetics and Vycon Energy. Vertiv is listed as a direct peer.
Does Active Power have an API?
No public API is recorded for Active Power.
What industry is Active Power in?
Active Power's product category is Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDACAJAA, Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), with a secondary code of HDABAKAC, Energy Storage Systems (BESS, Flywheels, Batteries). Its NAICS code is 335313 and its SIC code is 3613.