Schneider Electric commits to 100% renewable electricity by 2030

Dec. 12, 2017 – Schneider Electric has committed to sourcing 100 per cent renewable electricity and is throwing light on the doubling of its energy productivity.

The energy management and automation giant has decided to join two global collaborative initiatives, led by The Climate Group, bringing together businesses committed to accelerating climate action:

• RE100: to use 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 with an intermediary objective of 80 per cent by 2020; and
• EP100: to double energy productivity by 2030, against a 2005 baseline, setting an ambitious target to doubling the economic output from every unit of energy consumed.

In order to deliver on its new promises and its sustained energy efficiency efforts, Schneider Electric will leverage its own technical solutions – EcoStruxure Power and EcoStruxure Grid. Using these solutions, the group has already reduced its energy consumption by 10 per cent every three years for the past decade.

These commitments will cover more than 1,000 electricity consuming sites around the globe, including 200 factories. The company said it plans to leverage a broad range of renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal and biomass.

The plan to drive the transition to 100 per cent renewable electricity, with an interim goal of achieving 80 per cent renewable electricity use by 2020 to 100 per cent in 2030, includes:

• On-site projects at Schneider Electric facilities around the world: with renewable energy initiatives, already in place at some Schneider Electric locations, such as a solar rooftop at its sites in Vadodara (India), Bangpoo (Thailand), or geothermal energy and a solar rooftop at its flagship office in France, among multiple others. Schneider Electric will install on-site renewable energy projects to help achieve its 2030 target.
• Offsite long-term procurement through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs): a PPA is a long-term (12-20 year) contract between a renewable energy developer and a dedicated buyer. PPAs enable developers to secure financing for new wind, solar or other renewable electricity projects and allow buyers to enjoy predictable pricing from clean energy sources;
• Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs) and green tariffs: an EAC is a free market instrument which verifies that one megawatt hour of renewable electricity was generated and added to the grid from a green power source. Schneider Electric will use EACs as a flexible way to acquire and track renewable electricity.