Schneider Electric Galaxy VL, 200-500 kW
Manufacturer: Schneider Electric
Schneider's compact modular UPS at 200-500 kW, built from 50 kW Live Swap modules in a 0.8 square metre footprint
This model is part of SecondWatt’s ups system research catalogue. Specifications and price observations are included where supported by sources. Equipment availability and commercial terms require confirmation.
Schneider Electric Galaxy VL dossier: 200-500 kW in 50 kW Live Swap modules, 99.4% eConversion, new list and street pricing, and inspection guidance.
Galaxy VL is Schneider Electric's modular UPS between the Galaxy VS below it and the Galaxy VX above, launched on 13 April 2021 and rated 200 to 500 kW at unity output power factor. It scales in 50 kW power modules, tolerates a load power factor from 0.5 leading to 0.5 lagging without derating, and occupies a claimed 0.8 square metres. Double conversion efficiency runs 96.4 to 97.2% depending on load and voltage, eConversion reaches 99.0 to 99.4%, and up to six units parallel for capacity with five plus one for redundancy.
Live Swap is the feature that changes serviceability, and it is conditional. Modules can be inserted or removed in any operating mode with no transfer to bypass or battery, but only on units carrying the physical Live Swap label; a unit without it must be bypassed or powered down. The operation manual also requires at least 200 mm of standoff from the cabinet front while energized, which is a stricter requirement than the marketing word touch-safe implies. Verify the label physically at intake rather than accepting a seller's description.
No used or refurbished Galaxy VL carries a published price anywhere. That is the expected result for a 2021 product whose fleet is about five years old, mid-life and under service contract. The one tradeable part today is the GVPM50KD power module, which is shared between the VS and the VL at 400 and 480 V, so any VS-derived module supply in the channel is also VL-compatible.
Why it matters
Shared modules turn two product lines into one spares pool. The GVPM50KD is a live catalogue item used by both the Galaxy VS and the Galaxy VL, so a module pulled from a decommissioned VS is immediately useful to a VL owner at 400 or 480 V.
Who buys it
Colocation and enterprise data center builders in the 200 to 500 kW band, and integrators assembling 1.6 to 2 MW systems from the same 50 kW modules under Schneider's October 2025 system specification. No used VL has reached a public secondary channel; the first supply should appear when 2021 to 2023 colocation builds churn, realistically from 2028.
Role in the data center
Primary modular UPS for colocation and enterprise halls in the 200 kW to 2 MW range, sitting on the critical bus in a claimed 0.8 square metre footprint. It is configured N+1 in-frame and paralleled up to six ways for capacity or five plus one for redundancy, always with an external battery cabinet rather than internal strings.
Key specifications
| Rating range | 200-500 kW |
|---|---|
| Output power factor | 1.0 |
| Double conversion efficiency | 96.4-97.2 % |
| eConversion efficiency | 99.0-99.4 % |
| Power module | GVPM50KD, 50 kW at 400/480 V, 38 kg |
| Parallel capability | 6 for capacity, 5+1 for redundancy units |
| Input window (UL 480 V) | 408-552 V |
| Battery configuration | External only; 480 VDC (40 blocks) or 576 VDC (48 blocks) |
| Standards | UL 1778 5th ed.; CSA C22.2 No. 107.3-14; IEC 62040-3:2021 |
| Live Swap standoff requirement | 200 (8 in) from the cabinet front while energized mm |
| New list price, 200 kW | 100,240.00 (501 USD per kW) USD |
| New street price, 200 kW | 66,752.99 (334 USD per kW) USD |
Technical summary
Ratings: 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 kW at unity output power factor. Load power factor tolerance: 0.5 leading to 0.5 lagging without derating. Input (UL, 480 V): 408-552 V; bypass 432-528 V; output regulation within 1% symmetrical. Efficiency: 96.4-97.2% double conversion; 99.0-99.4% eConversion; 98.8-99.4% ECO. Power module: GVPM50KD, 50 kW at 400/480 V and 25 kW at 208 V, 38 kg, shared with Galaxy VS. Parallel: up to 6 units for capacity, 5+1 for redundancy. Footprint: 0.8 square metres. Battery: external only; VRLA at 480 VDC (40 blocks) or 576 VDC (48 blocks), or Galaxy lithium-ion. System extension: 1,600-2,000 kW system specification issued October 2025 on the same modules. Standards: UL 1778 fifth edition; CSA C22.2 No. 107.3-14; IEC 62040-3:2021.
Major variations
Seven ratings at 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 kW in 400 V IEC and 480 V UL builds, all assembled from the same GVPM50KD 50 kW power module. Schneider published a 1,600 to 2,000 kW system specification in October 2025, document 990-94386-001, that builds 1600 scalable to 2000, 1800 to 2000 and 2000 kW systems from those same modules at 415 and 480 V. Batteries are external VRLA at 480 VDC on 40 blocks or 576 VDC on 48 blocks, or Galaxy lithium-ion cabinets, in every configuration. Live Swap capability depends on the physical label being fitted to the unit.
Configurations and options
Seven ratings from 200 to 500 kW are all assembled from the same GVPM50KD 50 kW power module, so the frame rating and the installed module count are separate facts and the second one sets the delivered capacity. Build choices that move price are the 400 V IEC or 480 V UL variant, the battery arrangement, VRLA at 480 VDC on 40 blocks or 576 VDC on 48 blocks against Galaxy lithium-ion cabinets, and the startup service level written into the SKU. Third-party battery plants are supported with specified circuit-breaker requirements. Schneider issued a 1,600 to 2,000 kW system specification in October 2025, document 990-94386-001, built from the same modules at 415 and 480 V. The one option that changes serviceability rather than price is Live Swap, which is present only where the physical label is fitted.
Compatibility and dependencies
The UL 480 V build accepts 408-552 V with a bypass window of 432-528 V; the IEC build runs 340-460 V at 400 V nominal. Batteries are external in every configuration, so a VL cabinet price never includes them, and Galaxy lithium-ion cabinets are 1970 x 650 x 587 mm at 355-490 kg and are shared with the Galaxy VS, EPS 7000 and EPS 8000. Watch the battery part number rather than the family: the LIBSMG95EUL rack was discontinued on 25 June 2026 with end of standard service on 31 December 2029 and replaced by LIBSESMG16UL, so a VL bundled with the older rack carries a 2029 service cliff on its battery asset. The frame occupies 0.8 sq m but the operation manual requires at least 200 mm of standoff at the front while energized, every module slot must hold a module or a filler plate for airflow, and modules are 38 kg two-person lifts. Six units parallel, five plus one for redundancy.
Pricing and availability
Comparable secondary-market band: 334–501 $ per kW. Trend: rising Lead time, new: 20-32 weeks for engineered orders (100-500 kVA class benchmark). Lead time, used or refurbished: No used or refurbished unit listed as of August 2026. Warranty, used: 1-year typical from refurbishment dealers.
Lifecycle and maintenance
Modular frames outlive their modules: cabinet, bus and static bypass run 15 years or more while the hot-swap power modules carry the fans and DC capacitors that wear, so the question is module hours and module count rather than cabinet age. A 1,500 kW ABB DPA system holds 30 module-level fan and capacitor sets. Eaton rates DC bus capacitors at 7 years of continuous duty and up to 10 in favourable conditions, and Vertiv field data gives 6 years for capacitors and 5-6 years or 40,000-50,000 hours for fans. Batteries turn over far faster, at 3-5 years for sealed VRLA and 12-15 for flooded cells, and spent lead-acid leaves as regulated waste through compliant recycling rather than resale. Eaton's 93PM service life extension program rebuilds the power train inside the existing shell in about 24 hours and resets another 10 years.
Thermal and emissions profile
UPS systems produce no combustion emissions, so the regulatory weight sits on the battery. The 2026 edition of NFPA 855 broadens detection to smoke, thermal-imaging and radiant-energy systems, mandates large-scale fire testing alongside UL 9540A to prove no propagation between adjacent units, and adds a staging exception for batteries held at or below 50% state of charge that matters directly to anyone moving lithium cabinets through a secondary market. Uptime Institute's 2026 outage analysis names lithium-ion batteries in UPS systems as a clear contributor to a gradual rise in major data center fires. Confirm UL 1973, UL 9540A and UL 9540 status on any lithium cabinet, then confirm what the authority having jurisdiction requires to requalify the room.
Common failure points
- Power module population — A frame sold on nameplate ships with fewer modules than the rating implies
- Module fans and capacitors — Consumables sit inside each module, so wear scales with module count not cabinet count
- Battery strings — VRLA capacity fades below 80% of nameplate and takes the ride-through with it
- Missing filler plates — Open slots break the cooling path and signal careless handling
- Live Swap entitlement — A frame without the Live Swap label must be bypassed for any module work
- Controls obsolescence — Controller and display boards reach end of life ahead of the power train
Inspection checklist
Module count: count populated slots against the frame rating; Eaton lists a 4 kVA 9PXM power module at 4,377 USD. Filler plates: Schneider's manual requires a module or filler plate in every slot on a 50 kW module bay. Module consumables: fans and capacitors live inside each module; a 1,500 kW DPA system carries 30 such sets. Live Swap label: verify the physical label; a Galaxy VS or VL without it must be bypassed, at 200 mm standoff. Module part numbers: confirm interchange; Schneider GVPM50KD is 50 kW at 400/480 V and 25 kW at 208 V. Battery age: sealed VRLA turns over at 3-5 years per Eaton lifecycle guidance; assume a full string past that. Battery capacity: reject any string below 80% of nameplate capacity under IEEE 1188 practice. Battery impedance: treat ohmic readings more than 20% above the commissioning baseline as an investigation trigger under IEEE 1188 field practice, then confirm against the battery manufacturer limit for the chemistry before condemning a cell.
Procurement channels
New units through Schneider and APC distribution, with published list and street pricing at CDW, Insight and SHI. No secondary channel exists yet for the cabinet; the GVPM50KD module is the only VL-compatible part appearing in surplus inventory.
Regional notes
Sold under both the Schneider Electric and APC by Schneider Electric brands with identical product-range identifiers. UL builds carry UL 1778 fifth edition and CSA C22.2 No. 107.3-14; IEC builds cite IEC 62040-1, -2 and -3 with ICC-ES AC 156 seismic qualification.