Schneider Electric has opened a new data centre and microgrid research laboratories in its Global R&D Center in Andover, Massachusetts. The new labs are a part of €2.26 billion (approx. $2.4 billion) that the company invested in 2024 globally to support research and development. Andover is one of five R&D Centers operated by the company.

France-based Schneider Electric designs and develops power distribution units that are tested and validated in Andover for the AI data centre market. The company’s new microgrid lab simulates, tests and validates microgrids in real-world situations.

With the addition of the new spaces, Schneider Electric now has 40 labs in Andover. The 6,000-square-foot Power Distribution Unit (PDU) laboratory contains three testing bays and allows researchers to test high-powered voltage systems that the company designs and develops for the AI data centre market. The 1,500-square-foot microgrid laboratory includes four 90kW grid simulators and three 45kW solar simulators, simulating the power demands of roughly 300 homes and solar energy for 110 homes. The lab enables researchers to test fully functioning microgrids under real-world conditions, allowing Schneider to more quickly design and deliver microgrids for its customers.

Schneider Electric recently released new data centre reference designs in partnership with Nvidia to support liquid-cooled, high-density AI clusters. In North America, Schneider Electric has designed, built and maintains 350-plus advanced microgrid projects. Last year, Schneider Electric microgrids in the United States managed more than 100 gigawatts of energy, enough to power 75 million homes.

The new labs solidify Schneider Electric’s position as the largest clean energy company in Massachusetts. The company employs 1,600 people in the state, including 700 at the Andover facility. Schneider Electric’s many investments in the Boston region include sponsoring all Boston Athletic Association events as the organisation’s “Official Sustainability Partner,” including the iconic Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America, as well as the Boston 5K, Boston 10K and Boston Half.

The investment also supports the recently passed Massachusetts Leads Act, which aims to grow the state’s economy via emerging industries, such as climate tech, life sciences and artificial intelligence. Yvonne Hao, Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development, and Rebecca Tepper, Energy and Environmental Affairs, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, attended today’s ceremony.

The data centre lab features high-voltage test stations and 3D-printing stations. Schneider Electric offers modular and configurable PDUs. These units are known for their robust design, ease of installation, and integration with Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure software platform, ensuring seamless operation and optimisation of power usage. This includes testing basic, metered, and switched PDUs that offer varying levels of monitoring and control to meet different needs. For example, NetShelter Metered Rack PDUs provide remote monitoring of connected loads, which helps in managing and optimising power usage.

“As AI revolutionises industries and consumers demand more data for digital services, the need for data centres continues to rapidly expand,” said Pankaj Sharma, Executive Vice President, Data Centers & Networks at Schneider Electric. “Additionally, industrial environments, businesses, municipalities, hospitals, and schools are seeking resilient solutions for their energy needs, and microgrids offer a terrific solution. These new R&D labs will help us deliver future-proof, reliable and efficient energy solutions to our customers.”

“Microgrids are a critical tool to power our homes, businesses, and growing industries like AI,” said Secretary Tepper. “Schneider Electric’s innovative technologies tested and utilised here in Andover will help meet growing demand with clean energy resources, demonstrating again that our economic development and climate goals are closely linked.”

Secretary Hao added: “The opening of Schneider Electric’s new data centre and microgrid laboratories signals a continued era of growth and innovation for our state. Data centres are critical to our nation’s economy from everything to banking, manufacturing, education and entertainment, and microgrids have emerged as a game changer in strengthening facilities and communities against energy disruptions.”

The microgrid lab can test various Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), including on-site renewables like solar, backup generators, battery energy storage systems and EV charging, for buildings on campuses or in office parks.

“The microgrid lab is used to pre-test and validate our EcoStruxure Microgrid Flex solutions, helping to deploy microgrids more efficiently,” said Khaled Fakhuri, Schneider Electric’s Senior Vice President of Global Microgrids. “By integrating a spectrum of DERs, alongside a grid connection, the lab delivers tested, validated and documented architectures using a more standardised approach to accelerate the deployment of robust microgrid controls.

“The lab has already aided us with the deployment of several microgrids including JFK Airport’s New Terminal One project, overseen by AlphaStruxure, a joint venture of Schneider Electric and Carlyle, and for Bimbo Bakeries’ facilities in California, a GreenStruxure project,” Fakhuri added.

The microgrid lab also offers rigorous testing for battery energy storage systems to ensure peak performance during critical periods, such as high-peak pricing or grid interruptions. The Andover facility features Schneider Electric’s new Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), an all-in-one, behind-the-meter, energy-storage system. Seven-foot and 20-foot containerised battery systems were installed and are used to simulate energy storage.