A carbon-neutral city: Schneider Electric’s vision

11 / 03 / 2020

By CSO Magazine -

Held in high regard for its long-standing commitment to sustainability, Schneider Electric is helping to pave the way for the modern smart city.

According to C40, global cities consume over two-thirds of the world’s energy and emit 70% of the CO2. For the environmental targets to be met successfully, a fundamental overhaul of the way cities are designed, constructed and operated will need to occur.

Recognising this challenging and firmly picking up the gauntlet is Schneider Electric, which is determined to decarbonise cities using digitisation as a key method of transformation.

The blueprint for a smart city

Citing research from the World Resources Institute, Schneider concludes that decarbonised buildings will play a crucial part in meeting the terms of the Paris Agreement – i.e. to be climate-neutral by 2050.

To achieve this, the company proposes a three-point roadmap for determining the future direction of cities:

Introducing ultra-efficiency to buildings – reducing the average 150kWh per year consumption rate by 66% to a far more optimal 50kWh.
Removing all fossil-fuels from heating, air-conditioning, etc, and making all processes fully electric.
The introduction of integrated renewable energy sources.

The implementation of state-of-the-art tech to regulate these new buildings and solve operational issues will be necessary.

“To help coherently achieve this goal, one such significant step that can be taken is to utilise the technology of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and smart panels,” said the company in a blog post.

A particularly challenging hurdle will be the threat of power outages and blackouts. Schneider’s smart panels can overcome this by locating surges and providing data which can allow engineers to increase operational efficiencies.

A digital transformation story

Schneider is convinced that the digital revolution is changing and will continue to change our lives, “It is pervasive – from our homes to entire cities; from our workplaces to industry; and from our communication devices to our mode of transportation.”

Conducting a study of 230 digitisation projects that used its EcoStruxure platform, the company found 330 data-proven gains that directly benefited the customer.

With the advantages of Schneider’s products already felt in 41 countries, the company has clearly chosen its direction and is committed to its aims. Schneider Electric is likely to be an essential asset to bringing a new vision of the modern city into fruition.