At its AmpaCity R&D Center in Lyon, Nexans has commissioned the first phase of a direct current microgrid pilot designed to test DC-powered building infrastructure in operational conditions.
Developed with Schneider Electric and VINCI Energies Building Solutions, the installation forms part of the first Current/OS pilots deployed in France. The demonstrator moves DC distribution beyond a laboratory environment by applying it to office workstations, lighting, battery storage, and electric vehicle charging inside an active R&D facility.
A 700 VDC main distribution bus supplies workstations through USB-C, feeds lighting systems, connects a 14.4 kWh battery storage system, and supports two 30 kW fast chargers for electric vehicles. Nexans’ dedicated DC bus cable connects the system, while an interlink converter integrated by Schneider Electric links the DC architecture to the site’s AC network. A photovoltaic installation is planned for the second phase.
As buildings combine onsite generation, storage, EV charging, and electronics-heavy loads, DC distribution is attracting greater attention as a way to reduce repeated conversion between AC and DC systems. The technical challenge is no longer simply whether DC works, but how it can be designed, protected, standardised, and maintained at building scale.
“This pilot is a key milestone in our ambition to accelerate the adoption of direct current in buildings,” said Jérôme Fournier, VP Group Innovation at Nexans. “By working closely with partners such as Schneider Electric and VINCI Energies Building Solutions, we can test, validate and refine DC architectures in real-world conditions.”
Within the pilot, Nexans is also validating its DC Series cable portfolio for building-level electrical architectures. The company says the cables are engineered for DC ageing performance, safety functions including inter-tripping capabilities, and interoperability aligned with Current/OS specifications.
Although the first phase is built around office and mobility loads, the architecture also points towards higher-demand applications. Nexans said the DC cable deployed at AmpaCity can be applied to data centres, where 700–800 V DC architectures are being explored to improve power distribution efficiency in dense digital infrastructure.
Andrea Quarteroni, New Electrical Distribution League Leader at Schneider Electric, said direct current offers an opportunity to rethink how energy is distributed and managed inside buildings. VINCI Energies France Building Solutions is contributing microgrid engineering and design expertise to the project.
By converting part of AmpaCity into a working DC environment, Nexans is giving its cable systems, power electronics, and protection concepts a more demanding validation route than a bench test alone can provide. Further information on the company’s electrification and direct current work is available from Nexans.
