Top Ten Cleantech Initiatives of Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is a well known French global company offering energy efficient solutions for both homes and businesses around the world. As the “Global Specialist in Energy Management,” Schneider Electric provides the technology and solutions needed to fully optimize energy usage in all commercial, industrial and residential buildings. Schneider Electric has been committed to increasing sustainable development that will assist in lowering energy consumption and making the world a much better place. Here are some of their top initiatives in the field of clean technology.

1) Schneider Electric Partners with Alstom for New Cleantech Fund. In 2010, Schneider Electric and fellow electricity company Alstom partnered to co-launch a new venture capital fund for new investments into energy and environment start-up companies. It will be based in Paris, France and will have over €140 million at its disposal.

2) Schneider Electric Tasked with Supplying Largest Solar Inverter in North American History. In July of 2011, Schneider Electric’s Renewable Energies Business was selected by a company to supply them with photovoltaic inverters throughout the 2011 calendar year. It will provide over 100 megawatts and be the largest order in Schneider Electric’s history and the largest order in the North American market.

3) Schneider Electric Receives Missouri Energy Efficiency Contract. In October 2010, Schneider Electric received a contract to implement $800,000 in energy system improvements throughout the Marceline, Missouri Marceline R-V School District. These improvements will increase energy efficiency, lower cooling and heating costs, and increase overall student comfort. Some improvements include replacing the boiler in the Marceline High School with a new energy efficient HVAC system. Windows will also be replaced to improve heating efficiency throughout the elementary school.

4) Schneider Electric Collaborates with IBM for Building Energy Efficiency Improvements. In October 2010, Schneider Electric collaborated with IBM to improve energy efficient in buildings and help businesses and organizations decrease energy operating costs by up to 30 percent. The collaborated efforts are available to government facilities, hotels, hospitals, universities and schools. The two companies integrated Schneider Electric’s systems with the Green Sigma Analytics from IBM and their Business Services Manager and Maximo Asset Management for Energy Optimization. This will offer organizations the information they need to make beneficial decisions regarding energy use.

5) Schneider Electric Partners with the Masdar Initiative. In early 2010, Masdar, the renewable energy company in Abu Dhabi, teamed up with Schneider Electric for a strategic partnership agreement for a number of initiatives. These initiatives include a number of renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions within Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s cleantech cluster. Schneider Electric will assist in building the “living laboratory” Innovation Center, which will includes a research and development facility and a technical center of excellence. The strategic agreement will have Schneider Electric providing a number of turnkey solutions for solar farms within Masdar City and the creation of the Schneider Electric Innovation and Application Competency Center.

6) Schneider Electric Delivers Transformational Energy Management Capability with Cisco. In July 2011, Schneider Electric partnered with Cisco Systems, Inc. to supply a comprehensive and innovative energy management solution monitoring and managing energy consumption throughout buildings. The combined solution will allow building managers and owners, as well as contractors, architects and IT personnel to optimize energy efficient strategies within business operations to save energy. The combined solutions will allow businesses and organizations to “Monitor, report and manage energy usage across the entire corporate network or real estate infrastructure; create an energy-efficient architecture for the IP/IT domain outside of the data center; better control where and how energy is being used to more intelligently and efficiently respond to smart grid signals; [and] realize a new source of energy savings to fulfill corporate sustainability requirements, free up capital resources and improve an organization’s overall bottom line.”

7) Schneider Electric Signs Agreement with EMT to Develop Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Estonia. July 2011 saw a partnership between Schneider Electric and Estonia-based mobile operator EMT to build an electric vehicle charging solutions for the Estonian market. The agreement will offer both companies a great opportunity to assess the currently market for charging and payment. Schneider’s quick-charging infrastructure technology will allow batteries to charge 80 percent in less than 15 minutes. This infrastructure allows vehicles to charge their batteries safely and in an optimized fashion.

8 ) Schneider Electric Displays their new One Megawatt Dual Voltage Solar Farm in Tennessee. In July of 2011, Schneider Electric announced that it would be putting up a one megawatt dual voltage solar farm over six acres at its manufacturing plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. It will generate approximately 1.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity, which is 25 percent of the total energy use for the facility. Jeff Drees, US country president for Schneider Electric, said, “The issues around reliability and availability of energy sources coupled with today’s rising energy costs are driving increased awareness for the benefits of alternative energy sources. Schneider Electric sees renewable energy sources – particularly solar energy – as a key driver in addressing today’s energy challenge. Through this investment, we hope to serve as an example for other businesses and provide a test bed for the development and design of solutions that enhance the deployment of renewable power.”

9) Schneider Electric Partners with Parkeon to Develop Electric Vehicle Charging System. In June 2010, Schneider Electric and Parkeon signed a new agreement to work together in the development of an EV charging system. In the agreement, the two companies will develop a technical and commercial offer for pilots on EVs and related charging infrastructures in North America and Europe. The goal is to start installing the infrastructure for the charging stations by 2011.

10) Schneider Electric Supplies EV Chargers for Strasbourg Trial. In April 2010, Schneider Electric supplied 135 chargers for a plug-in hybrid vehicle trail in Strasbourg. The chargers are to be placed in the parking lots of a number of partner companies and some participating Strasbourg residents. This system will allow vehicle batteries to charge according to the needs of the vehicle and the power made available by the energy grid.

Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com