APC 2011 Annual Report Download - page 57

REGISTRATION DOCUMENT 2011 SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC 55
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
2
GREEN AND RESPONSIBLE GROWTH DRIVING ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
>PARTNERSHIPS WITH START-UPS
Aster Capital, the joint Schneider Electric, Alstom
and Rhodia risk-capital fund, endowed with
EUR 100 million, focuses on identifying new
opportunities for growth and innovation in the areas
of energy and the environment. It detects emerging
market and technology trends ahead of the curve
and develops partnerships with promising start-up
Electric vehicle
Context
Fully electric or hybrid vehicles are likely to undergo rapid
development over the next few years and could represent 10% of
vehicles sold worldwide by 2020.
They are quieter and cause less pollution than petrol vehicles
and are part of the solution to the energy challenge, as well as
to urban policies that aim to reduce congestion and pollution in
cities. Development of the electric vehicle mainly depends on the
re-charging infrastructure, which must combine safety (for users,
the vehicles, buildings, and the electricity grid), facility (availability
of charging terminals at all times, in every location, and for all
requirements), and the effective integration of the electricity grid
(fi rstmobile charge in history).
Schneider Electric contributes to electric vehicle development
through recharging infrastructures.
Offers
Schneider Electric’s offers include safe recharging infrastructures,
effi cient energy management systems and high added value
accompanying services.
The recharging infrastructure must be completely safe, fi rstly for the
user but also for the vehicle, building and electricity grid. Schneider
Electric has developed a full range of solutions for residential or co-
owned garages, public and private car parks or roadside parking
and for rapid recharging during a journey.
However, for an electric vehicle to be “green”, the electricity used
for charging must also be green. Priority for charging must therefore
be given to the periods in which energy sources with low CO2
emissions are available. Peak periods must also be avoided as
the electricity grid is already experiencing very high demand for
all other uses. This is why Schneider Electric is developing energy
management solutions adapted to grid cycles.
Finally, the variety of charging environments, whether public or
private, single or collective, requires information and invoicing
systems to be put in place for businesses and car service providers.
Smart grid - Intelligent networks
Context
The electricity grid faces several constraints. Demand for
energy continues to increase, electric infrastructures are old
or lacking suffi cient capacity, installations need to be more
environment- friendly, and renewable energy sources are increasing
but remain intermittent and dispersed.
The grid must therefore be developed into an effective electric
infrastructure combined with an intelligent IT infrastructure: the
smart grid, ensuring continued balance between energy production
and consumption.
Citizens and companies are increasingly energy effi cient in terms
of energy use; in terms of production, grid operators (transmission
and distribution) are developing automation and control systems;
and between the two, new mechanisms are being implemented:
load shedding, optimal management of renewable energy sources,
reduction of carbon peak, fi nancial valuation of changes in use
behaviour, etc.
Offers
Schneider Electric offers products and solutions in all the main fi elds
relating to the smart grid:
•buildings, industrial sites, and residential buildings: energy
effi ciency products and solutions, complex solutions for
integrated energy management, operational and fi nancial project
management, electric vehicle charging systems;
•production of renewable energy: installation and equipping
of solar, wind or hydroelectric plants, automation and control
systems, SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition),
engineering and maintenance;
•distribution: control and automation of sub-stations (between
high and medium voltage and medium and low voltage networks),
SCADA, protection and metering systems, outage devices;
•demand-response: consultancy and implementation of software
platforms to share data and for load shedding aimed at energy
operators.
Recovery service for equipment containing SF6
In the framework of its Planet & Society Barometer, Schneider
Electric looks to create SF6 gas recovery processes, for end-of- life
products in 10 countries, in Europe and in China. SF6 is a gas
used as an insulator in medium voltage devices. It has an elevated
heat capacity and therefore requires special treatment to prevent it
leaking into the atmosphere.
The fi rst devices containing SF6 gas sold by Schneider Electric
reached their end-of-life at the start of 2000. The objective is to
develop commercial offers that allow customers to dispose of their
end-of-life, SF6 containing devices, in order to completely extract
the gas and recycle it.