Schneider Electric Launches California Energy Action Program to Improve Resiliency, Fight Climate Change and Give Communities and Buildings Wildfire Energy Solutions
Schneider Electric, leading the digital transformation of energy management and automation, announced today it has launched the California Energy Action Program, to help California building owners and operators find energy solutions to prepare for future wildfire and climate events, manage rising energy costs and enable more energy independence.
- Program created to help building owners and operators take control of their energy and make smart decisions to put solutions in place for next year’s fire season
- GreenStruxure launched, a new company targeting the underserved medium-sized building market with solar, storage and backup power alternatives
- Analytics and artificial intelligence will be used to prioritize communities and help businesses make more informed choices
The program’s cornerstone is the launch of GreenStruxureTM, a new company specifically designed to provide targeted energy solutions to the thousands of medium-sized buildings that deliver critical community services such as hospitals and health care facilities, food and beverage operations, refrigerated warehouses, governmental buildings and universities, as well as critical economic engines such as agriculture and wine regions.
Unlike large corporations or residential customers, these medium-sized building owners and operators have few options available to them today that give them assurance their power will be on when they need it most. The company is focusing on customers with demanding sustainability targets, a need for reliable power to run their business, and spend of at least $30,000/month or about $350,000/year in electricity. For larger scale projects, Schneider Electric can leverage its existing AlphaStruxure joint venture with The Carlyle Group, which currently serves its growing California base of commercial, industrial, data center, government and infrastructure customers.
In addition, the California Energy Action Program will use analytics and artificial intelligence to help identify and prioritize communities where solutions are particularly viable. The company will use the data to identify specific patterns, geographies and classifications of buildings that have the greatest need for resiliency. It will also share this data with local decision-makers, regulators and others, beginning in high-fire threat zones, to create dialogue and spur action on readily available options.
“As regions continue to suffer from historic wildfires, climate events, public safety power shutoffs and rolling blackouts, building owners from hospitals to refrigerated warehouses need to have confidence that their power will be there when they and their customers need it most. Additionally, with the continued growth of electric vehicles, more localized resilient and sustainable energy sources are a must,” said Annette Clayton, CEO and president, Schneider Electric North America.
“The time to act is now if we’re going to be ready for next year’s fire season. We launched the California Energy Action Program to let our 1,200-plus employees in the state and tens of thousands of customers in California and neighboring states know they’re not alone, solutions are available and we are ready to assist them.”
2020 is already California’s worst wildfire season and in three of the last four years, including this one, fires are on track to cause damages in excess of $10 billion.
GreenStruxure Delivers Options for an Underserved Market
Building owners and operators today are challenged by a prolonged wildfire season, rising energy costs, unpredictable service and demanding clean energy standards. GreenStruxure was created to help customers address these challenges and take control of their energy. At the core of the GreenStruxure solutions are simpler, modular, standardized renewable energy microgrids and a new Energy as a Service model.
Similar to its AlphaStruxure offering, customers have no upfront capital expenses, do not operate or maintain any equipment and commit to a predictable, long-term contract for energy that provides cost-effective, resilient, sustainable power. The new GreenStruxure solution can be up and running in under a year. This quick turnaround time is a critical benefit for businesses in California that must begin preparing for next year’s fire season with solar, storage and back-up power alternatives.
“We created GreenStruxure because medium-sized building owners and operators who want to adopt a clean, reliable energy solution need a trusted partner ready to work beside them for the long-term to meet their goals,” said Jose Lorenzo, GreenStruxure CEO. “This predictability and confidence has not been available to this size building but it’s more important now than ever in California.”
Accelerated Learning and Services
As part of the Energy Action Program, Schneider will also provide free educational materials and webinars for businesses across California. This information will help provide clarity on the energy options available to them. It also ensures the company’s network of California distributors, contractors, technology providers, system integrators and utility stakeholders are ready to mobilize to support California businesses.
With its combined GreenStruxure and AlphaStruxure offerings, Schneider Electric can now serve the full spectrum of growing Energy as a Service demand from customers across myriad project sizes and use cases.
“Cost-effective, reliable and sustainable energy solutions are available, and we are committed to working alongside California building owners and partners to meet these challenges,” concluded Clayton. “Now is the time to take bold actions as we face another devastating fire season. Together, we can build a more resilient, efficient and sustainable California and world.”
Schneider Electric is recognized as one of the world’s most sustainable companies, tackling the urgency of rapidly reducing carbon emissions and adopting renewable energy solutions to fight the climate crisis. At last week’s Climate Week in New York City, the company was recognized as the 2020 Clean Energy Trailblazer by The Climate Group’s RE100.
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