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Schneider Electric Forecasts AI’s Impact on Energy Consumption

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Schneider Electric has released two reports from its Sustainability Research Institute (SRI). These reports fill key knowledge gaps regarding AI’s impact on sustainability, particularly in energy use.

 

The first research, Artificial Intelligence and Electricity: A System Dynamics Approach, examines four possible scenarios for AI’s electricity consumption over the next decade. Considering the growing concern around AI’s energy consumption, Rémi Paccou, Director of Schneider Electric’s Sustainability Research Institute, and Prof. Fons Wijnhoven, Associate Professor at the University of Twente (Netherlands), have built a system dynamics model that forecasts diverse scenarios for AI electricity demand, highlighting the path forward for sustainable AI development strategies and policies to mitigate environmental impacts.

 

The authors construct four scenarios of AI development and their associated impacts on electricity consumption. These scenarios, which are not predictions but rather tools to understand the complex factors shaping our future, span a range of possibilities: from sustainable AI development to limits to growth,including more radical scenarios such as abundance without boundaries and even the possibility of energy crises caused by AI.

 

Alongside these forecasts and analysis, the report also contains recommendations for policymakers and decision-makers, contributing to a thoughtful and responsible approach to development, aiming for a path that balances progress with sustainability.

 

The second report, AI-Powered HVAC in Educational Buildings: A Net Digital Impact Use Case, also by Rémi Paccou and Gauthier Roussilhe, Research Fellow and Doctoral Student at RMIT, demonstrates how AI-powered heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems can enhance energy efficiency and environmental conservation in buildings. HVAC systems account for 35 to 65 percent of total building energy consumption.

 

The study examined over 87 educational properties in Stockholm, Sweden, over an extended period under real-world conditions. Between 2019 and 2023, the study observed a total carbon emission reduction of 65tCO2e/y, roughly 60 times the actual embodied carbon footprint of the AI system deployed.

 

The research reveals opportunities for even greater carbon reductions in environments with more demanding heating, cooling, or air conditioning requirements. A comparative analysis between Stockholm and Boston showed that implementing the same solution in Boston could yield carbon emission savings seven times higher than in Stockholm.

 

The publishing of these reports coincides with the IEA’s Global Conference on Energy & AI, where Schneider Electric is in attendance. This conference gathers experts from the energy and tech sectors, government, civil society, and academia to discuss the potential impacts of AI on global energy systems and the opportunities for leveraging AI for energy and climate goals.

 

“The release of our reports comes at a crucial time, as the IEA conference highlights the transformative power of AI in the energy sector. As a company and as researchers, we are committed to keep shaping the future of energy and climate solutions”, stated Vincent Petit, Climate and Energy Transition Research SVP at Schneider Electric.

 

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Schneider Electric Pursues Ambitious Sustainability Transformation Programme

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Schneider Electric has released its sustainability performance scores for the second quarter of 2024, alongside its half-year financial results. Tracking and disclosing the quarterly progress of Schneider’s Sustainability Impact (SSI) programme is central to achieving its 2021–2025 global and local ambitions, contributing to its six long-term sustainability commitments.

 

Recently, Schneider Electric topped the list of “World’s Most Sustainable Companies for 2024” compiled by TIME Magazine and Statista, further emphasising the strategic importance it places on sustainability impact. This recognition underlines Schneider Electric’s climate leadership in setting ambitious targets and its expertise in helping customers become more energy efficient and reduce their emissions.

 

“Coming top in TIME’s list of most sustainable companies confirms just how much ambition and dedication are needed to decarbonise value chains and evolve business models,” said Xavier Denoly, Senior Vice President of Sustainable Development at Schneider Electric. “With one and half years to meet our 2025 sustainability ambitions, each of Schneider’s transformative global and local initiatives helps us to steadily and deliberately build on our achievements and strive for long-lasting impact.”

 

This quarter, Schneider Electric kept up the pace on:

  • Climate action: breaking the 600 million tonne barrier on reporting saved and avoided carbon emissions for customers, thanks to energy-saving products, software, and services. Schneider Electric continues to make steady progress every quarter and is well on the way to meeting its target to help its customers save and avoid 800 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2025. Efforts to accelerate supplier decarbonisation and tackle scope 3 emissions were also rewarded with an impressive progression from 19 percent this time last year to 33 percent this quarter. Schneider Electric’s Zero Carbon Project encourages strategic suppliers to switch to cleaner energy, matching them with solution providers, as well as offering on-site support, renewable energy market analysis, and specialist training

 

  • Empowering all generations and providing learning and development opportunities to meet Schneider’s ambition of training 1 million people with energy management skills by the end of 2025. By working extensively with NGOs and encouraging employees to volunteer as trainers, 682,000 people worldwide have benefitted from these education and entrepreneurship opportunities. Recently, the Schneider Electric Foundation partnered with INCO in Senegal on a “Get into Energy Transition” digital learning programme.

At the end of the quarter, Schneider’s Sustainability Impact score came in at 6.78, on track to reach the 2024 end-year objective of 7.40 out of 10. Find more details in the Q2 2024 report of Schneider’s Sustainability Impact programme, including the progress dashboard. Other key second-quarter sustainability highlights:

  • Awarded the prize for Best Universal Registration Document at the Transparency Awards  2024
  • Awarded Living Wage certification for the second year by the Fair Wage Network for ensuring that all employees are valued and compensated fairly
  • Ranked #1 on Gartner’s Supply Chain Top 25
  • The Schneider Home solution was recognised as the 2024 Sustainable Product of the Year by Green Builder
  • Launch of Villaya Flex rural electrification and clean power system for off-grid communities

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Nine Out of 10 Singapore Companies Not Fully Measuring Scope 3 Emissions

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A joint study by Schneider Electric and the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA), the national accountancy body of Singapore, reveals that 94 percent of Singapore organisations are not fully measuring and analysing Scope 3 emissions, which is impacting the readiness to report.

 

Launched today, the report titled “Counting to 3: Navigating Singapore’s Emissions Journey  Together”, analyses the perspectives of over 500 of Singapore’s senior business leaders involved in sustainability strategies for their organisation. These leaders represent companies ranging in size from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to large multinational corporations and come from a broad range of industries.

 

The report comes ahead of new requirements for all listed companies and large non-listed companies in Singapore to make climate-related disclosures from 2025 and 2027, respectively.

 

Starting Point is a Distinct Lack of Knowledge

 

Only 39 percent of respondents claim to have a strong understanding of Scope 3 emissions, which is overall much lower than for Scope 1 (52 percent) and 2 (34 percent). This gap is significant among less senior team members: 58 percent of board members and 51 percent of C-level executives claim strong knowledge of Scope 3,  while only 27 percent of senior managers report the same.

 

Differences are also seen based on roles and responsibilities, with 47 percent and 42 percent of those in General  Management and Sustainability roles saying they have a strong knowledge of Scope 3, while only 33 percent of those in Operations & Supply chain say the same.

 

Respondents cite the correlation between greater seniority and greater knowledge exists due to senior executives having increased access to briefings on emissions management and strategies. However,  the importance of knowledge being equally distributed across all functions and divisions within organisations was also emphasised, as change management programmes require both strategic understanding coupled with the capability to implement the step changes needed for Scope 3 reporting requirements in Singapore.

 

Knowledge Deficits Linked to Inaction

 

While over three quarters (76 percent) of business leaders say they have completed feasibility studies to  better understand their organisation’s readiness to measure, report, and manage its Scope 3 emissions, only 6 percent say their organisation is fully measuring and analysing Scope 3 emissions, lagging significantly behind Scope 1 (52 percent) and Scope 2 (30 percent) emissions.

 

As a result, confidence in meeting their Scope 3 emissions targets is significantly lower, with only 27 percent  believing these are highly achievable, compared to 40 percent for Scope 1 and 31 percent for Scope 2 emissions.  Leaders from larger businesses are significantly more likely to indicate they have set targets for Scope  3 (54 percent) compared with those at small businesses at 31 percent.

 

In further findings, only 32 percent believe their organisation’s net zero targets are achievable, but in a show  of optimism 64 percent of those whose organisations have not yet set emissions targets believe they should have done so. Business leaders who adopted science-based targets (SBTis) were more likely to drive meaningful action within their organisations, helping define a clear and credible path to sustainability success.

 

Four Groups of Organisations Identified Based on Scope 3 Progress

 

The report identifies four groupings of organisations in Singapore with progress around managing Scope 3 emissions and the degree of management required: high adopters (10 percent), moderate adopters (30 percent), low adopters (38 percent), and emerging adopters (22 percent). From this analysis, the industries in Singapore identified as containing the highest proportion of high and moderate adopters combined are consumer goods, energy and mining, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, financial services and engineering and construction.

 

Expertise, Resources, Motivation and Tech are Key Progress Barriers

 

Overall, a lack of human and financial resources, commercial motivation, and access to fit-for-purpose technological infrastructure are highlighted by respondents as the top barriers to progressing Scope 3 emissions reduction agendas and initiatives.

 

However, there are differences in impact, based on segment status. For instance, while high and moderate adopters identify a lack of human resources or expertise as the biggest barrier to reducing Scope 3 emissions, low adopters and emerging adopters cite a lack of technological infrastructure as the biggest.

 

Yoon Young Kim, Cluster President, Schneider Electric Singapore and Brunei said, “Scope 3  presents the next frontier of emissions management and still unchartered territory for many organisations in Singapore. Education is critical for advancing Singapore’s green agenda. We see correlations throughout the findings of this study that a lack of understanding of key areas of management of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions leads to a lower level of planning, target setting,  and ultimately action.

 

“At Schneider Electric, we are deeply committed to meaningful and thorough emissions management, and we are constantly growing our capacity to help partners strategise, digitise, and decarbonise. But as with all initiatives to tackle climate change, everyone needs to be in lockstep on this journey:  government and private sector businesses of all sizes and across all industries. Schneider Electric,  together with ISCA, hopes this report shines a light on the most pressing areas that must be addressed  if we are to make the changes that will facilitate Singapore’s path to net zero.”

 

 

Accountants are Poised to Play Key Role in Sustainability Reporting

 

Accountancy and finance professionals are well-placed to take on the role of sustainability reporting. As corporate reporters, they already have fundamental skills in financial reporting. They are also familiar with applying accounting standards and ensuring that reporting is transparent, verifiable, comprehensive, independent, and fair. In addition, accountancy and finance professionals are proficient in data collation and analysis to provide meaningful explanations for informed decision-making. These skillsets are transferable to sustainability reporting, including Greenhouse Gas scope 3 reporting.

 

Kang Wai Geat, Divisional Director, Professional Standards, ISCA said, “Sustainability is a megatrend that is reshaping the accountancy profession. Increasingly, organisations are turning to the accountancy profession for sustainability reporting and assurance. To take full advantage of the opportunity to help organisations advance their emissions agenda, accountants must upskill and reskill to keep up with the latest developments in sustainability.

 

“The accountancy profession is key to reporting sustainability performance to shed light on how companies earn their profits. Having consistent and comparable sustainability reporting will help stakeholders make informed decisions in support of sustainability. ISCA is delighted to collaborate with  Schneider Electric to delve deeper into GHG scope 3 emissions management and reporting.”

 

 

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Schneider Electric and SGBC Release Joint Report on Green Building Adoption in Singapore

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Schneider Electric, the global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, and the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) have launched a  joint report highlighting the critical challenges that need to be tackled as well as key recommendations to accelerate green building adoption in Singapore.

 

The report, titled “Going Green from the Inside Out: Accelerating Green Building Adoption in Singapore”,  presents and analyses the findings of a survey by Schneider Electric involving 500 business leaders across MNCs and SMEs in Singapore, as well as findings from a qualitative study conducted with members of the SGBC on the level of awareness, preparedness, understanding and views of business leaders on green buildings in Singapore. Fieldwork was conducted between October 2022 and February 2023.

Most business leaders in Singapore have a general understanding of green buildings only

The report unveils that most business leaders (51%) in Singapore have a general understanding of green buildings, while only four in 10 (38%) have a comprehensive understanding. These findings highlight the crucial need for more business leaders to develop a deeper knowledge of green buildings so as to spur greater adoption and progress.

Low awareness may be holding back adoption, but momentum is expected to pick up

In line with the lack of understanding of green buildings, low awareness over its benefits may be holding back greater adoption of green buildings, as only 12% of respondents indicate that all their operations already utilise green buildings. Nevertheless, the adoption of green buildings is expected to gain momentum, as over half (52%) say their organisation plans to increase investment in using green buildings in the next one to two years.

Sustainability goals and energy efficiency are the top drivers for adoption

In terms of the drivers for adoption, the report finds that “sustainability and ESG considerations” (41%),  as well as “energy efficiency” (40%) are the top two factors for organisations looking to increase the use of green buildings.

“Cost and ROI” seen as the biggest barrier to increasing access to green buildings

As for barriers, 61% of survey respondents indicate that “cost and return on investment (ROI)” is the biggest barrier when looking to increase the use of green buildings in the next one to two years. This highlights the opportunity to convince more organisations to tap into the various support schemes available and reap their benefits.

Most business leaders are highly supportive of Singapore’s Green Plan 2030 targets

Business leaders are generally still highly supportive of Singapore’s green building targets, with 95%  agreeing that 80% of Singapore’s buildings should be ‘green’ by 2030, and 98% agreeing that 80% of  Singapore’s buildings should be ‘Super Low Energy’ from 2030. Of those who indicated support for the latter goal, 56% believe the target should be lower.

 

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Recommendations

 

In light of these findings, Schneider Electric and SGBC have listed five recommendations in the report  to accelerate the adoption of green buildings in Singapore:

 

  • Stakeholders, particularly developers and landlords, can take the lead to advance the green agenda: Within the private sector, developers and building owners especially play a critical role in ensuring that green features are accounted for from the onset in upcoming developments or by retrofitting existing buildings.
  • Promote greater awareness to leverage technology and tap on support schemes: To enable the scalability of green buildings, upfront costs and doubts over subsequent potential cost savings reaped from green solutions must be tackled.
  • Grow pool and pipeline of green building professionals: Institutes of higher learning can work closely with the industry to groom the next generation of green building professionals.
  • Enabling greater access to green finance: Green financing must become more mainstream and accelerated to drive sustainable financing for the sector.
  • Forging impactful partnerships and co-innovating solutions: Stakeholders’ strengths can be leveraged to co-develop new innovative solutions and industry best practices.

“As we approach key national sustainability milestones, it is imperative that we continue accelerating efforts to reduce emissions and advance towards a net-zero future,” says Lee Ang Seng, President of the SGBC. “While it is heartening to see companies taking action, more can be done to improve the awareness and update of green building solutions towards a low-carbon future. We are heartened to work with SGBC Founding Member Schneider Electric on this meaningful report which will definitely help the industry to identify common challenges, outline actionable steps, and leverage collective effort  to decarbonise the built environment.”

 

“With Singapore’s buildings accounting for over 20% of national carbon emissions, the case for greening its infrastructure has never been greater, and developers, building owners and business leaders play a  critical role in helping to drive this agenda on sustainable development,” says Yoon Young Kim, Cluster  President, Schneider Electric Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei.

 

“At Schneider Electric, we are deeply committed to this cause and are constantly growing our capacity to help partners strategise, digitise and decarbonise. We are confident that by taking this first step towards understanding the opportunities  and challenges of going green, we can better help companies navigate this complex but critical task  and sustain stronger results in their decarbonisation journeys.”

Schneider Electric Paves the Way to Carbon Neutrality

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Schneider Electric’s ambition is to drastically cut CO2 emissions from its operations, following a 1.5°C trajectory in line with Science-Based Targets. In just a year, Schneider Electric reduced CO2 emissions by 130,000 tonnes, a 22 percent decrease (2018 compared to 2017). As of October 2019, 13 of the Group’s buildings are net zero carbon, thanks to Schneider Electric’s  EcoStruxure and digital energy management solutions.

With the signing of Paris Agreement in December 2015, the fight against climate change appears as a race to cut global emissions fast enough to limit global temperature rise. The building and construction sector has a leading role to play in this transformation, as it is responsible for around 30 percent of global energy consumption and GHG emissions. According to the World Green Building Council’s (WorldGBC) Advancing Net Zero project, between now and 2050, existing buildings must be renovated at an accelerated rate and to net zero carbon strandards, so that all buildings operate at net zero carbon by 2050.Schneider Electric has adopted the WorldGBC’s definition of “net zero carbon buildings”: a net zero carbon building is a building that is highly energy efficient and fully powered from on-site and/or off-site renewable energy sources, to achieve net zero carbon emissions annually in operation.

As of October 2019, 13 of Schneider Electric’s buildings in China, Europe and North America are net zero carbon. These buildings leverage digital energy management with EcoStruxure Power and Building to deliver year-on-year energy savings. Schneider Electric has delivered over 30 percent energy savings globally over the past 10 years since the start of its Schneider Energy Action energy efficiency program. In addition, as of October 2019, 45 percent of Schneider Electric’s operations are powered with renewable electricity.

“At Schneider Electric, we want to lead and shape the transition towards the future energy landscape. Our sites deliver energy efficiency year on year, a number of them enjoy on-site production of renewable electricity, and in some cases microgrids and energy storage. Net-zero carbon innovation is technologically possible today and makes economical sense. Such sites are real life showcases of the benefits of digital energy management with our architecture and EcoStruxure platform.” said Xavier Houot, Schneider Electric Senior Vice President Global Safety, Environment, Real Estate.

To deliver this transformation, Schneider Electric leverages the expertise of its Energy Sustainability Services (ESS) consulting teams, as a strategic partner to deliver its renewable and energy efficiency ambitions.

“I am very pleased to join the board of the Asia-Pacific Chamber of World Green Building Council. We support the WorldGBC ambition to transform the built environment and make it healthier, energy efficient, and more sustainable. Buildings hold an immense potential to help reduce global CO2 emissions, with the future in mind to design every new building and retrofit the existing building stock.” said Tommy Leong, Zone President, East Asia and Japan.

Schneider Electric Named a Leader in Facility Optimisation Software

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Schneider Electric, one of the world’s leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, recently announced that independent analyst firm Verdantix has positioned the company as a leader in its Green Quadrant Facility Optimisation Software report.

By combining benchmark data from live product demonstrations and questionnaires with an independent customer panel, this year’s report recognises a market shift. Facility administration has evolved away from the reactive state of energy management and towards facility optimisation solutions that help save money, lower risk and improve efficiency. This evolution has been powered by the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), allowing even greater connectivity between systems.

The report placed Schneider Electric in the leader quadrant by assessing its wide range of software capabilities and strategic momentum in the market for facility optimisation software. As part of its report analysis, Verdantix examined Schneider Electric EcoStruxure Building offers and noted the following strengths:

  • Energy risk and utility bill management: EcoStruxure Resource Advisor received high marks for its energy procurement and risk management capabilities.
  • Facility data capture: EcoStruxure Building Operation building management software that achieved top scores for its ability to capture facility performance data from energy meters, sensors, HVAC and lighting systems, equipment and external sources such as weather data.
  • Energy monitoring and tracking of energy management projects: EcoStruxure Building Advisor recognised for its ability to identify energy efficiency opportunities and was noted for its ability to provide insight into HVAC system poor performance and faults.

“Schneider Electric breaks away as a leader in our Facility Optimisation Software report,” said Derrek Clarke, industry analyst, Verdantix. “Firms with complex operations that seek to future-proof their building system investments should shortlist Schneider Electric among their considered vendors.”

“We are honoured that Verdantix recognises us as a leader in facility optimisation software. Their independent analysis validates the work we do to make EcoStruxure the backbone of our clients’ smart building strategies,” said Laurent Bataille, executive vice president, Eco Building, Schneider Electric. “As buildings can produce massive amounts of data, EcoStruxure Building helps clients capture and use that data to create greater efficiency, productivity and sustainability,” he added.

The Green Quadrant report provides a detailed comparison of 14 facility optimisation software applications. The report provides guidance for senior executives and decision-makers, including CFOs, heads of procurement and directors of energy, facilities and real estate. It helps those in industries such as banking, commercial real estate, healthcare, hotels and leisure, insurance, media and retail select a software supplier to assist in improving the performance of their firm’s facility operations, from the office building to the enterprise level.

Schneider Electric and Bolloré Logistics Strengthen Green Partnership

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Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, and Bolloré Logistics, a major player in international logistics and freight forwarding, have strengthened their partnership through a new contract to upgrade the power management systems at the Bolloré Logistics Singapore Headquarters with Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ Power Monitoring Expert, with the view to improve energy efficiency and sustainability.

EcoStruxure™ Power Monitoring Expert helps to maximise system reliability and optimise operational efficiency by tracking real-time power conditions, analyse power quality and network reliability.

This new system enables Bolloré Logistics to collect and organise data gathered from the company’s localGreen Hub facility’s electrical network, including monitoring points for critical loads such as server UPS as well as transfer pump, freezer and chiller functions.

This data is then presented as meaningful, actionable information via an intuitive web interface, allowing the company to make informed decisions on energy saving measures to improve operational efficiency, reduce energy-related costs, as well as optimise equipment utilisation and cost of operations.

Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ Power Advisor service will be used in tandem with the Power Monitoring Expert tool to identify gaps in the power management system and power quality issues within the larger electrical distribution system, and provide recommendations to ensure optimised performance and power reliability.

The EcoStruxure™ Power Advisor is a proactive analytics-based service for power management systems to deliver optimised performance and power reliability. This will be the first time Schneider Electric will be deploying the EcoStruxure™ Power Advisor within the logistics industry worldwide, as it is mostly used in critical facilities such as hospitals, data centers, oil refineries and more, demonstrating Bolloré Logistics’ commitment to be at the forefront of energy efficiency and sustainability.

“Our Green Hub office in Pioneer Turn is already equipped with Schneider Electric’s building management, card access, and CCTV systems. This new powerful energy management solution will help us operate in a more sustainable manner and adhere to the highest Quality, Health, Safety, Environment (QHSE) standards,” said Fabien Giordano, Regional Director – South East Asia of Bolloré Logistics.

Damien Dhellemmes, Country President, Singapore, Schneider Electric added: “Bolloré Logistics is more than a customer to us. We have been working for decades together in the transport and logistics field with Bolloré Logistics being a strategic supplier for Schneider Electric. More recently, we have supported BlueSG – car-charing programme by providing electrical components inside every EV-Charging station. We will continue to find synergies between us.”

Launched earlier this year, Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ is an open, interoperable, IoT-enabled system architecture and platform that delivers enhanced value around safety, reliability, efficiency, sustainability, and connectivity. EcoStruxure™ leverages advancements in IoT, mobility, sensing, cloud, analytics and cybersecurity to deliver Innovation at Every Level.

This includes Connected Products, Edge Control, and Apps, Analytics & Services, which has been deployed in more than 450,000 installations, with the support of 9,000 system integrators, connecting over 1 billion devices.