Energy management and infrastructure provider Schneider Electric has committed to 100% renewable electricity by 2030, with ambitions for a doubling of its energy productivity.
The company said it strongly believes it cannot go renewable without first ensuring optimisation of its energy system.
“Today’s commitments,” said the company, “are yet another step-in Schneider Electric’s journey to becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
Schneider Electric also announced that it will join two global, collaborative initiatives, led by The Climate Group and bringing together influential businesses committed to accelerating climate action. The first is RE100, which is to use 100% renewable electricity by 2030, with an intermediary objective of 80% by 2020. The second is EP100, which is to double energy productivity by 2030, against a 2005 baseline, setting an ambitious target of doubling the economic output from every unit of energy consumed.
To deliver on the commitments of sustained energy efficiency efforts, Schneider Electric said it will leverage its own technical solutions (EcoStruxure Power, EcoStruxure Grid). Using these solutions, the Group said it has been able to reduce its energy consumption by 10% every three years for the past 10 years. More specifically, Schneider Electric said it has reduced consumption by six between 2008 and 2017 at its French headquarters, The Hive in Paris.
These commitments, said the company, will cover more than 1,000 electricity consuming sites around the globe, including 200 factories. Schneider Electric will leverage a broad range of renewable energy sources, including but not limited to solar, wind, geothermal and biomass.
The move to renewables will be accomplished through three main strategies. The first is through on-site projects at its facilities around the world, such as roof-top solar in India and Thailand, as well as geothermal and solar at the Hive.
Offsite long-term procurement through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) will enable developers to secure financing for new wind, solar or other renewable electricity projects and allow buyers to enjoy predictable pricing from clean energy sources.
Schneider Electric will use Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs) as a flexible and fast way to acquire and track renewable electricity.
“We are in a new world of energy that is becoming more electric, more decarbonised, more decentralised, and more digital,” said Emmanuel Lagarrigue, chief strategy officer and executive vice president, Schneider Electric. “Our mission at Schneider Electric is to supply the technologies that permit, drive and catalyse the transition to a new world of energy. The commitments we have made today in joining RE100 and EP100 to source 100 per cent renewable electricity and reflect on the doubling of our energy productivity are a demonstration of how consumers and business can be empowered to ensure the affordability, resilience, sustainability, and security of the energy that they consume.”
The Schneider Electric joins the likes of Facebook, Google, eBay, HPE and more who have signed up to the RE100 commitment on renewable energy sourcing and usage.
The value of green credentials, as well as the business advantages, of renewable energy and efficient power usage are now moving centre stage, even as it has been estimated by the Digiconomist web site that Bitcoin mining is consuming for about the same amount of energy as Denmark.
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