Looking at the current situation, we can easily see the need for investments in storage solutions. Here we can also play a role to compensate for the occasional fluctuations, when needed. Another way we can contribute is by providing solutions designed to make the national grid more resilient, flexible, efficient, and better able to integrate prosumers. In short, Romania’s energy mix is indeed becoming more decarbonised, which is great, but with more volatility and price uncertainty, which we need to mitigate. What we aim to do is provide solutions in storage, efficiency, and grid performance, as well as flexibility and resilience.
This summer, Romania has had some of the highest energy prices in Europe and energy cost fluctuations have been affecting all businesses. What would be your recommendations in terms of how companies can better protect themselves amid such unstable energy costs?
There are two key solutions. The first is producing and managing your own energy—in other words, becoming a prosumer. We’re seeing more and more customers who want to know in advance how big their energy bill will be, who want to manage the price fluctuations, and who require a resilient source of energy with no blackouts or downtime.
One solution is a microgrid that combines storage, solar, and batteries with EV chargers, all managed by software that optimises both production and consumption. This way, businesses can manage their own energy directly. Customer demand for energy management has been increasing steadily.
The second solution is efficiency. The more you control the way you consume energy, the more you can prioritise and automate energy usage. For example, building management systems can optimise energy consumption by using data regarding occupancy, temperature, and lighting. With artificial intelligence, we can reduce energy consumption in buildings by up to 30%, achieving significant savings. These solutions are available today and by combining prosumer energy production with energy efficiency systems, we can address many of the challenges related to price volatility and energy resilience. To this end, the European Commission, Council, and Parliament have agreed on a new Energy Performance Building Directive, which aims to deploy building management systems on a large scale. Around 70% of existing buildings in the EU still rely on old systems that aren’t connected or properly managed, so there is huge potential for optimising consumption.
Schneider Electric aims to help its top 1,000 suppliers, covering 70% of its upstream emissions, halve their carbon footprint by 2025.
Schneider Electric has been assisting companies in their digital transformation and green transition for many years now. Would you say it’s easier to work with big international companies or with smaller, local, entrepreneurial companies?
Traditionally, we’ve worked directly only with large, strategic accounts—both global and local. However, in our sustainability journey, we’ve also realised that if we don’t address smaller companies, we’ll miss out on significant opportunities to reduce emissions.
For example, in terms of our carbon footprint, only 1% comes from our direct and indirect emissions. The majority comes from our suppliers and customers. Many of our suppliers are small companies, so if we don’t help them in their transition to decarbonisation, we won’t solve the broader issue of climate change.
We’ve made a commitment: to help our top 1,000 suppliers, representing 70% of our emissions upstream, halve their carbon emissions by 2025. However, smaller companies often don’t know how to measure their carbon footprint—they don’t have the required IT systems. That’s where we come in to help them find solutions. We’ve been doing this with our own suppliers and are now doing it for other companies with similar challenges.
We’ve also been helping companies in the pharmaceutical industry decarbonise their own suppliers. We’ve become a trusted advisor for them and now we’re scaling this solution across other industries.
You have an outstanding reputation in terms of ESG and sustainability. How do you transfer your knowledge and expertise to your partners and clients and how do you guide them on the path to sustainability?
I’ve talked a lot about suppliers, but our customers are also key. We need to communicate transparently about how we develop our products. We’ve made commitments regarding green materials, reducing plastic, and more, so we share a lot of data on sustainability. This is an enabler for our customers to understand how our products can generate savings for them.
One concrete solution is electrification. Many industrial players still rely on fossil fuel processes and by switching to electrification, they can achieve significant savings. However, the solutions vary depending on the customer. We approach each case individually, offering a consultative process where we explain the levers for achieving sustainability.
Additionally, we’ve established a Sustainability Academy, which is open to our partners, where they can learn about sustainability. We believe that if they understand the basics, they’ll be more receptive to our solutions.
Many international companies have clear sustainability objectives and pathways towards net zero. How does Schneider Electric leverage its international partnerships with local subsidiaries in each country, including Romania?
It’s essential to note that sustainability encompasses both environmental and social aspects. In Romania, for example, we’ve established partnerships with universities to engage the younger generation in our field. We also prioritise diversity: 50% of our employees in Romania are women, which is notable in a tech and engineering-heavy environment.
Our goal is to ensure that our global sustainability strategy is implemented locally, but with a focus on initiatives that are relevant to each region.
From your perspective, what are the main areas of improvement needed for Romania to reach its sustainability targets, in both the public and private sectors?
Romania already has the technology and knowledge; now it’s about deploying it at scale. Investments in infrastructure, particularly in grid resilience and renewable energy, are crucial. The quicker we can implement these solutions, the quicker we’ll address challenges like energy pricing volatility and water scarcity.
The key is to implement the technologies that already exist. For instance, we’ve discussed water scarcity—do we have a resilient plan in place for that? Technology exists to address precisely such challenges, but the question is how quickly we can deploy it.
Romania also faces challenges in the healthcare sector and we have important projects in this area as well. We’ve made great strides over the last 10 years. The health segment demands reliable energy—blackouts aren’t an option. We’ve developed certified, connected energy management solutions specifically for healthcare, integrating data and software to ensure both efficiency and resiliency.
What are the business segments where Schneider Electric services and solutions can make the biggest difference to sustainability?
Our three focus areas are grid digitalization, renewable energy production, and energy efficiency. These apply across various sectors—from buildings and industry to healthcare and water management. For example, water and wastewater treatment are areas where our solutions can have a profound impact, so this is where we started in Romania. Prioritising critical business segments and tailoring our approach to each segment are key to achieving meaningful sustainability improvements.
Source link : https://business-review.eu/br-exclusive/br-interview-schneider-electric-powering-romanias-sustainable-energy-future-271733
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Publish date : 2024-10-09 13:13:30
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