There is no time to lose in the fight against climate change and with innovation as one of its pillars, Schneider Electric presented its philosophy and main guiding principle “Electricity 4.0”. The starting point is digitization and energy efficiency in an interconnected environment.
The framework to talk about how the individual and collective work of private companies, the public sector and society is essential to achieve these goals was the annual Innovation Day event. It is the meeting between specialists, clients and users to learn more about the tools available in the construction of a more sustainable and resilient environment.
One of the approaches was that although more than two centuries of technological progress have marked historical milestones, at the same time they have brought with them challenges such as pollution and the inefficient use of resources (including electricity). However, today there are great opportunities for generating energy from clean sources.
In this regard, Jesús Carmona, president and CEO of Schneider Electric Mexico and Central America, stressed that buildings are responsible for 60% of energy consumption globally, so it is necessary to carry out more intelligent management to reduce polluting emissions. and collaborate in controlling the increase in temperature on the planet.
The purpose, he said, is to truly be agents of change, through Schneider Electric’s offer of solutions and services, which stands out for leading by example as it is considered one of the most sustainable companies in the world. Without a doubt, added Carmona, this distinction also becomes a great responsibility with the communities in which the company operates.
Therefore, in the Electricity 4.0 scenario, the world of Information Technologies (IT) and Operational Technologies (OT) converge. Through applications such as the Internet of Things (IoT, for its acronym in English), possibilities are opened for the industrial, commercial and even the residential segment.
Although, the core part is not only the operation of the systems, but also the collection and analysis of data that, in combination with tools based on Artificial Intelligence, provide greater capacity for decision-making, even in real time. With this, a reduction in consumption of up to 30% can be obtained.
To achieve this, Carmona proposed the three stages of the process. The first is the definition of the strategy to reduce energy consumption, followed by the establishment of a comparative basis to measure the current level.
Finally, action must be taken through solutions to encourage efficiency, as well as migrating to a cleaner source of electrical energy, where possible.
“Following the Electricity 4.0 route will also allow us to be zero emissions, zero pollution, zero waste and, hopefully in the near future, zero concern. Climate change forces us not only to be more efficient, but more innovative and we want to be the technological ally to accompany our partners and clients to take that step”, he pointed out.
Similarly, for this transition to originate in a reliable environment, cybersecurity becomes more relevant, with the aim of shielding the equipment connected to the network, helping to mitigate risks and prevent cybercrimes.
The president and general director of Schneider Electric Mexico and Central America affirmed that the commitment is that its solutions portfolio already has embedded security for devices, interfaces and interconnections in different layers of the OT.
Evolve to a new electrified world
During the forum, a panel was also held between the main leaders of the company’s business units, who addressed specific cases about the digital transformation of electricity. They highlighted implementations in the hotel sector, in IT infrastructure and even in a factory of coffee products.
Mario Maldonado Svensson, vice president of the Secure Power business unit for Mexico and Central America at Schneider Electric, explained that facing the challenge of climate change is leaving less time to react to the use of electrical energy, so awareness must be raised of the contribution of all users to use this resource more responsibly.
For example, at a global level, data centers reach 5% of the energy consumption of any type of industry and their sustained growth is projected, given the advance of digitization. Therefore, it becomes essential to have platforms that are capable of carrying out detailed monitoring, so that the devices operate more efficiently and with a smaller footprint in the environment.
“Our solutions are accessible to everyone and users can invest according to their needs. It is possible to start with small but smart teams and, through a cloud service, do the monitoring to achieve the objectives”, he concluded.
In this way, Schneider Electric is helping to build the networks, data centers, industrial facilities, buildings and homes of the future. All of the above through a wide range of software and tools such as SureSet or Smart Factory, as well as the synergy of information technologies and data analysis with EcoStruxure, called the “core of the IoT systems architecture”.
