Data Centers

Data centers are the backbone of global digital infrastructure. As data needs continue to expand, especially with the growing use of AI, the demand for data centers is predicted to increase exponentially. A reliable power system is paramount for continuous operation of these crucial facilities.Whether you operate an enterprise, colocation, or cloud data center, continuous uptime is critical to meet customer commitments. Data centers need reliable power for both IT equipment and the mechanical systems that support it. We offer scalable solutions that monitor power quality, manage onsite generation and backup power, and protect and control equipment in the gray space.

Ensure Resilient Power for Your Data Center

For over 40 years, industries around the world have trusted SEL solutions to protect, monitor, and control their power infrastructure.Our solutions are built on the capabilities of our devices, which exceed industry standards for resistance to extreme temperatures, humidity, corrosion, shock, electric stress, electromagnetic interference, and other harsh operating conditions.Explore our key offerings:

Protective relays that provide comprehensive protection of critical electrical assets, as well as arc-flash mitigation for switchgear to protect personnel and minimize downtime after an event.
Advanced revenue meters and power quality monitors that optimize energy usage and detect subsynchronous oscillations and other power quality disturbances.
Automated solutions for power management and control that balance utility power with onsite generation to optimize cost and resiliency.
Cybersecure networking solutions and rugged network switches that are purpose-designed for operational technology (OT) environments and enhance the resiliency of power systems and related systems.
Comprehensive services, from consulting and design through installation and commissioning, that help you rapidly deploy new data centers or upgrade existing infrastructure.

Data from decades of field performance verify that SEL devices minimize the need for repairs and replacements, making your systems more reliable and lowering the lifetime cost of ownership.

SEL Meter Helps Data Center Supply High-Quality, Uninterrupted Power

Learn how the SEL-735 Power Quality and Revenue Meter helped this data center maintain low energy costs, exercise transparency with their customers, and meet ANSI requirements.

“Finding a reliable, accurate, utility-grade metering solution that could also measure power quality was critical to Vantage achieving marketplace success.”

Vantage Data CentersSanta Clara, California

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Our Approach

For decades, SEL has specialized in designing, manufacturing, and implementing solutions for power system challenges. In the event of an electrical fault or unexpected outage, our fast-tripping digital relays and sophisticated automation systems respond quickly to isolate problematic portions of your power system and automatically balance load and demands using alternative power sources.

Scalable Designs

We design our solutions to scale effectively, allowing you to deploy new facilities rapidly with highly configurable, switchgear-agnostic protection and control solutions. At the enterprise level, these solutions streamline electrical power management system integration.

Sustainable Solutions

Sustainability is an important factor to consider throughout the construction and continued operation of your data center. Increase uptime and reliably integrate renewables and diverse energy resources using SEL microgrid solutions.SEL engages in our own sustainable and environmentally responsible practices through:

Continuous efforts on our campuses, including the use of SEL meters to reduce our daily water consumption by over 4,000 gallons.
Custom-engineered molds made of recycled foam to minimize packaging and shipping waste.
High-quality products designed and manufactured to stay in service for over 20 years.

Securely Manufactured in the U.S.A.

SEL specializes in creating digital products and systems that protect, control, and automate electric power systems. Headquartered in Pullman, Washington, we manufacture all our electronic devices in the United States and serve customers worldwide.We believe that a robust foundation in cybersecurity starts at the component level. To that end, we’ve developed a five-part approach to supply chain security:

Build trusted supply chain networks by fostering strong supplier partnerships.
Ensure component integrity and availability while minimizing the impact of disruptions.
Verify the security of firmware and software with rigorous internal testing and digital signatures.
Protect operations and control access with a layered approach to security, including exhaustive background checks for all SEL employees.
Monitor for quality and security vulnerabilities, releasing applicable service and security bulletins and supporting customers in their implementation.

Learn more about our supply chain security practices

Our Solutions

Every solution from SEL delivers field-proven reliability by starting with the fundamentals of power system protection and control. Our products protect critical power system equipment against failure or damage—tripping for faults when they’re supposed to and, just as importantly, not tripping when they shouldn’t.In addition to protection, SEL offers a comprehensive set of solutions designed to work together as integrated solutions across communications, networking, and automation domains.

Protection

Power system protection and control has always been foundational to our work. Our comprehensive catalog of solutions helps ensure uninterrupted power to servers and cooling systems.

Protect, monitor, and control the major electrical assets connected to your high-voltage substations with SEL solutions that electric utilities have trusted for decades.
Ensure the maximum availability of your medium-voltage power system by relying on SEL protection and control solutions to protect equipment and control sequence of operations.
Seamlessly integrate alternative power sources with vendor-agnostic microgrid and automation controllers.

Safeguard transformers with multiwinding protection, frequency tracking, and through-fault monitoring and protection.
Protect and control generators using current differential protection, islanding detection, and breaker wear monitoring.
Add arc-flash protection to reduce incident energy by up to 88 percent, helping keep operations and maintenance personnel safe and limit equipment damage—even during a catastrophic event.
Take advantage of features such as an intuitive touchscreen, adaptable I/O options, and detailed event analysis for feeder protection.

Power Quality Monitoring

Our power quality meters provide precise, reliable measurements to detect and analyze system anomalies. These scalable solutions help operators detect disturbances and maintain system performance.Related Products

Microgrid and Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Control

The intelligent, scalable SEL powerMAX microgrid controls provide continued power stability for your facility by using a three-step "separate, survive, and synchronize" algorithm. Upon sensing a power disturbance from the bulk power system, SEL powerMAX automatically:

Separates your system from the rest of the electric grid.
Dispatches available DERs and performs seamless load balancing to keep critical equipment operational.
Synchronizes your DERs back to the utility and reconnects to the grid upon sensing the bulk power system has resumed normal activity.

Redundant Power With Automated Control

For larger facilities with demanding operational requirements, such as more complex distribution systems and additional server racks, fully redundant power systems ensure continuous operation in the event of equipment failure or an unexpected outage. To help mitigate outages, SEL Real-Time Automation Controllers (RTACs) enable automated failover to an adjacent site. Designed to be entirely switchgear-agnostic, RTACs can be installed in any system and communicate with any other protective equipment.

Analytics and Reporting

Advanced automated data reporting and analysis provides access to useful metrics for improving energy efficiency. SEL Blueframe—our security-first, modular platform for OT applications—includes multiple applications expressly designed for that purpose. Simplify the ongoing management of your system of devices with the Data Management and Automation (DMA) application suite, which collects, stores, and manages device-specific information.Related Products

The SEL OT software-defined networking (SDN) solution serves as a foundational piece of zero-trust network architecture. Safeguard OT network traffic against cyber threats designed to disrupt the critical systems that ensure IT availability.A true deny-by-default solution, OT SDN allows the operator to define all communications flows and specify exactly what type of traffic and devices are allowed on the network. Anything not matching those specifications is identified, denied by default, and dropped.Related Products

From Our Knowledge Base

Our Services

From consulting and design to installation and commissioning, SEL is a full-service partner with the added expertise and connections that come with manufacturing the products we install.Our teams of experienced engineers are prepared to assist you by standardizing protection and control scheme designs, performing system modeling and studies, and testing your system for cybersecurity preparedness.

Design Standardization and Implementation

Our teams work with you to standardize protection and control scheme designs, expediting development and construction for new data centers and streamlining upgrades for existing facilities.Learn more about protection solutions from Engineering Services

System Modeling and Studies

We use advanced modeling and simulation, informed by decades of power engineering experience, to analyze system requirements, validate full system designs, and optimize the performance of the power system through the devices that protect and control it.With the actual protection and control hardware that will be installed in your system wired into our Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) test bed, we use our extensive library of validated power system models to systematically test thousands of faults and adverse scenarios, providing the equivalent of years of operational history in only a few days.Learn more about system modeling and studies

Cybersecurity Preparedness

Strengthen your OT defenses and streamline the demands of maintenance and compliance. Partner with our engineers to evaluate cybersecurity controls, centralize asset management, develop secure remote access, and more.Learn more about cybersecurity preparedness

Engineering Services—Protection

Take advantage of our expertise in protection systems and hardware by having our engineers specify, design, implement, test, and commission your protection systems.

Engineering Services—Cybersecurity

Our cybersecurity professionals provide secure solutions tailored to your priorities and objectives.

Discover the SEL Difference

Ten-Year WarrantySEL backs every product with a worldwide, ten-year warranty. If a product fails under warranty, we’ll repair or replace it at no cost.

The SEL warranty

Custom-Engineered SolutionsSEL solutions solve engineering challenges in industries around the globe. SEL Services can further customize, design, and deliver systems that provide the precise functionality you need.

Learn more about our services and custom solutions

Local Support, Global ExpertiseTechnical support is available at no cost for the entire service life of every SEL product. With application engineers located around the world, we can provide expert support no matter where you are.

SEL quality, reliability, and ongoing support

World-Class ManufacturingWe design and manufacture our devices in factories we own and operate in the U.S.A. We prioritize vertical integration and supply chain security to ensure the quality, reliability, and availability of our products, because we realize how our supply chain affects yours.

Securing the supply chain

Short Lead TimesOthers measure lead time in weeks. SEL measures it in days. We keep lead times down with a robust manufacturing infrastructure, streamlined processes, supply chain risk management, and strategic vertical integration.

Products that ship within ten days