Powering the energy transition with new energy tech

The New Energy Landscape is the result of that shift: a system moving from predominantly centralized and unidirectional electricity to one that is more electrified, decentralized, digital and flexible. Electricity is generated and consumed at millions of connected sites, flows in multiple directions instead of one, and requires real-time coordination across assets the traditional grid was never built to manage together. It spans utility-scale generation and storage, behind-the-meter assets like rooftop solar and EV charging, and the software that coordinates them.

Front-of-the-meter (FTM) assets sit on the utility/grid side of the meter — equipment external to the consumer, such as distribution grid transformers, utility-scale generation, and grid-scale storage. Behind-the-meter (BTM) assets sit on the consumer's side of the meter, usually under the consumer's control — including rooftop solar PV, on-site batteries or generators, EV charging, energy management systems, and demand response controls.

Decentralization allows energy to be generated closer to where it's consumed, which reduces transmission losses, improves grid resilience, avoid grid congestion, strengthens energy sovereignty, and supports sustainability goals.

Energy flexibility is required to adjust when electricity is generated, stored or consumed in response to changing situations (demand, generation, or grid conditions). By co-operating different DERs, flexibility helps balance supply and demand, reduce peak loads, and increases renewable energy utilization.

Hybrid AC/DC distribution relies on software-defined energy (SDE) — software rather than fixed hardware — allows for real-time updates and adjustments to meet changing conditions and address emerging threats and addresses the challenges by enabling real-time reconfiguration of substations, isolating faults, and preventing widespread outages. Key capabilities include smart grid coordination, automated demand response and load balancing, predictive maintenance, and real-time integration of intermittent renewables.

Behind-the-meter systems reduce peak demand and stabilize local loads. Front-of-the-meter systems provide large-scale balancing, frequency control, and energy reserves. Together, they enhance flexibility and resilience across the grid.

Hybrid AC/DC distribution lets solar, battery storage, and EV charging — all DC-native by design — connect to the grid with fewer power conversion stages than traditional systems. This reduces conversion losses and gives grid operators finer control over how decentralized, renewable-heavy power flows are balanced in real time. This reduction in conversion losses is a core feature of what Schneider Electric calls next-generation AC/DC power distribution — the broader architecture that combines power electronics, software controls, and storage into one coordinated system.

800VDC distribution delivers power to AI compute racks at high voltage and low current, reducing resistive losses, minimizing copper requirements, and enabling the power density next-generation GPU infrastructure's high demands. Most modern loads — servers, high density IT racks, and distributed energy resources like solar and storage — are already DC-native, so DC distribution aligns infrastructure with how energy is actually consumed.

Battery storage helps manage the variability of renewable energy generation (solar, wind, etc.) by storing energy when it is available and dispatching it when needed, without overloading or excessively relying on the grid. It also helps reduce peak demand tariffs, provides ancillary services (such as voltage and frequency support), supports backup power, and enables the integration of flexible on-site loads.