EcoStruXure initiative announced by Schneider Electric

Broad-based solutions part of  "war on waste" in energy systems

By Bob Vavra June 5, 2009

Pointing toward what one company official called "declaring war" on electrical system waste, Schneider Electric discussed its EcoStruXure energy management platform at its editor’s event in Newport, RI Friday.

The initiative is built around Schneider’s global branding and solutions model, also discussed at the forum, which brought together editors from 15 nations. "You have the opportunity to watch a company transform," Chris Curtis, vice president of Schneider Electric’s North American operations, told the group. "We’re a global specialist in energy management, but executing on this energy management strategy is not just about being big. We have to understand the individual constituencies of our end users."

EcoStruXure is designed "to show people how to make the most efficient use of energy," said chief marketing officer Aaron Davis. "We’re looking for solution partners and development partners."

Company officials painted a picture of energy systems that are overtaxed and yet wasteful. Schneider proposes to bring to market both the automation and management strategies designed to use energy more effectively and efficiently throughout its suite of products. The solutions would address issues in manufacturing, commercial and residential buildings.

"We’re at the low-hanging fruit stage of this right now," said Neil Rasmussen, senior vice president of innovation. "There’s a lot of stupid things being done in these buildings that can be solved by smart people with the right tools. In the long run, it’s going to have to be done by automation. There are a huge amount of opportunities that will not be achieved with audits that will be achieved by automation."

"We are a 20-billion euro start-up declaring war on waste," said Davis. "Our obligation is to educate the next generation of workers."

To that end, the company has announced the launch of Energy University, which is patterned after their existing Data Center University. The Web-based information center courses and white papers center around energy efficiency.
"Schneider Electric believes there is a significant opportunity for sustainable energy savings that is unaddressed by industry and consumers today. Through Energy University, we expect to enable anyone to better understand and act on these opportunities, so they can do more with less," said senior vice president Paul Hamilton. "Energy University will reduce complexity and raise awareness by providing global users easy access to practical education on all aspects of energy management."


Author Bio: Bob is the Content Manager for Plant Engineering.