Building a brighter tomorrow through smart energy solutions and strategic partnerships

The Schneider Electric Sustainability Impact Awards shines a spotlight on companies working to create a more sustainable and resilient future.

When it comes to energy consumption, it is reasonable to assume that an airbase hangar would require a substantial amount of power to run its operations.

However, in contrast, a particular airbase facility in Singapore operates quite differently. This eight-storey building generates 1,225MWh of electricity annually, exceeding the hangar’s energy needs by about 30 per cent, classifying it as a net-positive-energy building that redirects surplus energy to other uses.

In recognition of its expertise in guiding the airbase operator toward energy-efficient smart technologies, GreenA Consultants – a Singapore-based sustainability consulting firm – was among the winners at the inaugural Schneider Electric Sustainability Impact Awards held last year.  Out of 241 submissions, the event celebrated six global winners, 39 regional winners and 92 country/zone winners.

The awards honour the contributions of Schneider Electric’s partner ecosystem in creating a more sustainable and electric world by integrating clean energy and energy efficiency to accelerate the decarbonisation process.

This year, Schneider Electric has broadened the scope of eligible companies to include its customers, suppliers and channel partners.

Said Mr Yoon Young Kim, Schneider Electric’s cluster president for Singapore and Brunei: “By celebrating the progress and achievements of our stakeholders through the awards, we reaffirm our commitment to helping them transition to a new electric world.”

DIGITALISATION IS KEY

GreenA Consultants, a country winner under the Sustainability Impact to My Customers category, has also worked with customers such as DBS Bank and the Mercedes-Benz Concept Store to establish decarbonisation targets for their operations.

“By listening to our clients’ sustainability aspirations, we craft roadmaps built on existing corporate strategies and propose innovative technological solutions that can help them meet their sustainability goals,” said Ms Farizan d'Avezac de Moran, founder, GreenA Consultants.

An example of this strategy can be seen in the implementation of optimisers powered by artificial intelligence (AI) at DBS Bank’s retrofitted four-storey office building at Newton, aimed at boosting the performance and efficiency of the onsite solar panel array. Complementing this feature, the building also employs intelligent occupancy-based lighting, self-powered air-conditioning systems and system integrator technologies that leverage the Internet of Things (IoT).

Acknowledging the pivotal role of digital technologies in the decarbonisation journey, Schneider Electric has refined the selection criteria for the Sustainability Impact Awards 2023 to include efforts focused on forging an Electricity 4.0 future through a ‘strategise, digitise and decarbonise’ approach.

Mr Kim explained: “After companies define their climate strategy, they should establish a single source of truth for energy and sustainability data. The final step involves deploying a portfolio of proven digital solutions to execute their decarbonisation plan.”

Mr Kim envisions Electricity 4.0 as an energy landscape characterised by the large-scale convergence of electric and digital technologies, poised to enable a more effective response to the global climate crisis.

TRACKING CONSUMPTION FOR BETTER ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Bollore Logistics, a leader in transport and international logistics, was named a regional winner in the Sustainability Impact to My Company category at the awards.

With a global presence in more than 63 countries and a workforce of over 14,900 employees, the company’s operations encompass a wide spectrum, ranging from freight forwarding and contract logistics services to end-to-end supply chain solutions.

With such large-scale functions, ensuring energy resilience and efficiency is crucial for achieving business growth and sustainability goals. Bollore Logistics’ new-generation warehouse in Singapore, Blue Hub, uses Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Power, a digitally connected power distribution solution, to track energy usage, monitor consumption, make predictive building analyses and operate a smart lighting system.

According to Mr Olivier Boccara, CEO of Bollore Logistics Asia Pacific, advances in technology and IoT-enabled devices are empowering building owners and operators to make better-informed decisions, which lead to lower operating costs.

“Our ambition is to embed sustainability principles into our value chain and offer customers end-to-end solutions that prioritise sustainability alongside cost and time savings,” shared Mr Boccara. “We believe that everyone plays a vital role in generating solutions to minimise our collective environmental footprint.”

COLLABORATING TO BUILD THE NEW ELECTRIC WORLD

Both GreenA Consultants and Bollore Logistics have found value in their partnership with Schneider Electric, as it provides them with access to cutting-edge technology solutions and fosters high-level collaboration on smart energy projects.

“The Sustainability Impact Awards not only recognises and amplifies the efforts of companies contributing to the development of Electricity 4.0, it also highlights the significance of partnerships in a business’ decarbonisation journey,” said Mr Kim.

“We innovate to deliver value, reliability and flexibility to our customers. Partnering with Schneider Electric accelerates our sustainability efforts, which, in turn, supports our customers' environmental targets,” shared Mr Boccara.

In alignment with its carbon pledge, Schneider Electric is committed to advancing and delivering smart energy solutions across various sectors to contribute to a climate-positive world. “We’re uniquely positioned to facilitate connections among all stakeholders in the ecosystem to forge a more sustainable, resilient and efficient future,” said Mr Kim.

Participate in the Schneider Electric Sustainability Impact Awards 2023. Nominations are open till Nov 17.