Today’s data centers operate with utility-level power requirements and reliability expectations, yet many still rely on electrical distribution systems designed around centralized architectures with single points of failure, leaving them vulnerable to outages.
And no one knows the cost of outages better than data centers.
It’s time to upgrade your electrical distribution system to support the reliability, scalability, and operational resilience your campus demands.
S&C Electric Company applies utility-proven power distribution principles to design and equip distributed electrical systems that improve power supply resilience, reduce operational risk, and maintain continuous operations through fast fault isolation and power rerouting.
Our design approach means that we build resilient systems that match load profiles, enable scalability, and protect data centers from widespread outages.
Achieve Better Uptime With a Utility-Style Electrical Distribution System
Driven by AI, cloud computing, and electrification, data centers are growing in size and power demand. Conventional centralized electrical distribution systems are challenged to meet their reliability requirements.
With its single point of failure, a conventional centralized system puts data centers at risk of widespread outages that cost time, money, and customer trust.
Utility-style distributed systems, on the other hand, feature multi-switchgear lineups that limit the impact of faults and reduce the risk that a single equipment issue disrupts service across the system. As data centers continue to scale, those same design principles become increasingly important.
No more single points of failure. No more unnecessary downtime.
Enable Continuous Operations With Purpose-Built Medium-Voltage Switchgear
Vista® Underground Distribution Switchgear, S&C Electric Company’s hermetically sealed, eco-friendly medium-voltage switchgear solution, enables a distributed electrical system design that:
- Isolates faults to the affected area to reduce fault impact
- Reroutes power from an alternate source to energize unaffected sections and maintain power supply
S&C’s Custom Metal-Enclosed Switchgear (MES) is a medium-voltage switching and protection solution that is custom-designed and custom-built for your data center’s unique needs.
Like Vista switchgear, Custom MES increases your resilience and uptime by isolating faults and rerouting power to maintain electricity supply.
Because this solution is custom-built, S&C can work with your data center to:
- Design a solution using the configuration of switches, fuses, and breakers that best meets your system’s requirements
- Create a switchgear shape, appearance, and footprint that fits your campus and square-footage needs
Why Leading Data Centers Use S&C Switchgear in Medium-Voltage Applications
Improved Uptime
More reliable, resilient power distribution that limits fault impact
Cost Savings
Lower lifetime equipment cost, higher operating profit, and flexible expansion as loads grow
Voltage Expertise
More than a century designing medium-voltage distribution systems
Low Maintenance
Minimal and infrequent maintenance needs, with monitoring options that support operational planning
Small Footprint
Free up valuable indoor square footage for revenue generation
Cybersecure
Tailored cybersecurity services that help ensure control systems remain protected and connected
Why Vista Switchgear Over Conventional Circuit Breaker Lineups?
Get to know the differentiators Vista switchgear offers compared to conventional circuit breaker-based systems, including advanced protection, control, and relays that reduce fault risk.
Unlike a conventional circuit breaker lineup, Vista switchgear combines advanced switches, fault interrupters, and relays for protection and control, helping isolate a fault fast while keeping unaffected circuits connected.
Switchgear Comparison Matrix
Footprint
Compact
Saves space and improves aesthetics
Placement
Indoors or outdoors
Maximizes valuable facility space
Switching and protection
Distributed loop, dispersed protection
- Faults are isolated to impacted area
- Rerouting source power energizes unaffected sections
Maintenance needs
Very infrequent
Lower costs, error margins, and safety consequences
Installation procedures
Simple
Time and cost savings
Arc resistance
Certified and built in
- Safer operation
- Lower costs
Weather vulnerability
Resilient: designed to be outdoors or subsurface
- Fewer repairs and replacements
- Lower costs during weather event recovery
Features That Help Your Data Center: Safety, Resilience, and Regulatory Compliance
Resilient Design
Built to withstand severe weather and help ensure equipment remains connected under stress
Easy Operation
Operable without high-voltage exposure, with clear visible breaks and control access that reduces risk
Arc-Resistant Construction
Arc flash mitigation helps ensure safety for operators
Environmentally Friendly
Green insulation option available for Vista switchgear, configured to align with standards
Ready for Data Center Expansion: Scale Up Simply With S&C Switchgear
Ever-increasing demand has data centers looking for simple expansion opportunities without sacrificing reliability—or profit.
Data centers that rely on centralized, breaker-based electrical distribution systems face difficult choices when expanding: Either add more load to the existing system at the risk of overtaxing it or invest in an additional onsite centralized system to support the added load.
As campuses grow, the risks of centralized architecture increase with them. Distributed electrical systems are designed to scale while maintaining operational continuity.
Using a distributed system with S&C switchgear, data centers can expand existing electrical systems into newly built structures by simply adding more switchgear units.
As visualized here, each switchgear unit distributes power to a set number of server racks. When the data center expands its physical footprint and adds more racks, the distributed electrical system expands as needed, adding switchgear units to accommodate the extra racks and higher loads.
Since distributed systems are capable of fault isolation and power rerouting no matter the size, the data center’s expanded system maintains its reliability, empowering the data center to scale up without sacrificing uptime.
How S&C Switchgear Has Helped Data Centers
Data centers rely on S&C to design and deploy distributed electrical systems that improve resilience, limit fault impact, and support long-term growth.
Reducing System Costs
A Texas data center reduces system cost by 35-45% while improving protection, relay coordination, and continuity after a fault.
READ FULL CASE STUDY
Improving System Design
Your data center operates with utility-level reliability expectations. Learn how utility-style distribution design can improve resilience, reduce operational risk, and support future growth.
READ FULL BLOG
Scaling System Infrastructure
Scaling a sustainable power infrastructure for your company— is it Mission: Impossible?
READ FULL BLOG
Prioritizing System Safety
Prioritize electrical safety during the data center boom with arc flash protection and control best practices that are aligned to standards.
READ FULL BLOG
Tailoring Solution Design
Why custom-made? Because it’s timeless. We’ve partnered with customers to design custom MES for more than a century.
READ FULL BLOGNeed Support?
S&C is here to help you through any stage in your grid-modernization journey, from system studies to installation videos. Explore more below.
