Schneider Electric Unveils Growing Portfolio For Grid And Energy Industry Stakeholders Striving For Clean And Secure Energy

Schneider Electric, the globally renowned company in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, is announcing several new technologies that solve pressing challenges in renewable power generation, grid operation and equipment, and legacy fuels at Enlit 2022 event, which is taking place in Frankfurt, Germany.

New energy technologies

The company’s new energy technologies and latest projects being showcased at the event offer practical and sustainable remedies to Europe’s short- and long-term energy uncertainty. The latest additions to Schneider Electric’s market-leading offerings are aimed at small, medium and large utilities, as well as energy players on the generation and demand sides of the grid.

“In a nutshell, we are facing two significant, simultaneous energy challenges,” says Frederic Godemel, EVP Power Systems & Services, Schneider Electric, adding “The first is energy crisis, where the solution is energy security, especially in Europe. The second is climate change, which can be solved by energy decarbonization. Energy choices and investments should address each challenge, and we recognize that digitalization answers both and should be the focus of all energy stakeholders today.”

Digitalization is the key to energy transition

Digitalization is an indispensable factor enabling energy transition and business continuity for all energy players

Digitalization is an indispensable factor enabling energy transition and business continuity for all energy players. That includes distribution grid operators, which occupy a central role in the decarbonized energy landscape by enabling energy transition on both the supply and demand sides of the energy equation.

On the supply side, the focus remains on integrating many more sources of low-carbon electricity generation, such as renewable farms. On the demand side, the objective is facilitating the prosumer and electrification revolutions underway in industries, buildings, and mobility, such as new EV infrastructure and the shift of industrial processes from fossil fuels to electricity.

Dual challenge of energy security and decarbonization

Executing with the haste required minimizing the consequences of the energy crisis and climate change, which has never been more important.

Schneider Electric’s new offers and project announcements address the dual challenge of energy security and decarbonization through the fundamental values of Grids of the Future, which enable energy transition and a net-zero future through their sustainability, flexibility, reliability and resilience, and efficiency.

Sustainability

• EcoStruxure for Renewables smoothly extends digital twins from the design and engineering stage into the operations and maintenance stage of renewable energy installations. The new solution is designed for companies developing renewables projects including hybrid projects that mix solar, wind, and storage. It is also ideal for industrial businesses on a mission to decarbonize by integrating hybrid power sources in their operations, such as on-site solar plus traditional gensets.
• Network decarbonization: Two important pilots of AirSeT pure air medium voltage switchgear technology are live in the field in southern Germany. Distribution network operator Netze BW installed Schneider Electric's AirSet ring main unit in its network. Another important milestone is the large-scale installation of 17 primary AirSeT switchgear cubicles by grid operator ED Netze in November.
• Green energy: Schneider Electric is creating a strategy to help grid owners build a control room of the future capable of managing multi energy delivery, including green hydrogen, based on a work model developed with Gasunie in the Netherlands.

Flexibility

• Active Network Management: Schneider Electric and ENWL are working together to increase the flexibility of the grid to connect more renewables, electric vehicles, energy storage and the increasing electrification of load. EcoStruxure ADMS with DERMS module enables flexible customer connection contracts and new types of grid services to avoid grid constraints, defer infrastructure investments and achieve carbon-free energy goals.
• EV charging orchestration: Working alongside EV manufacturers and German utilities such as EWE Netz and Bayernwerk Netz as part of the unIT-e2 project Schneider Electric is enabling the electrification of transportation through more transparent and flexible grids. The project delivers energy management solutions and expertise, including EcoStruxure DERMS for grid optimization, smart charging infrastructure, and smart buildings with a focus on low voltage grid management.

Reliability & Resilience

• EcoStruxure Grid Operation is a scalable, future-proof software solution offering Outage Management and SCADA modules specifically tailored for small to medium-sized utilities. This modern technology that helps maximize reliability, resilience and operational efficiency is easy to deploy and maintain while also serving as a foundation for a stepwise journey to Advanced Distribution Management.
• EcoStruxure XR Operator Advisor is a comprehensive array of services enabling field crews to service and maintain equipment using a digital overlay projected in real-time using 1:1 digital modeling for real-life assets.

Technologies and services for grids of the future

“We are thrilled to pioneer these technologies and services for grids of the future, enabling energy independence and decarbonization,” said Alexis Grenon, Senior Vice President of Digital Grid at Schneider Electric.

Alexis Grenon adds, “And the timing is right, as we see many governments removing barriers and incentivizing the move toward green and digital energy technologies, such as the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in the US.”