Categoria: Energia

Author: Schneider Electric

This audio was created using Microsoft Azure Speech Services

I have always been an outgoing person and open to meeting new people. I’ve always been curious about people’s story – their personality, culture, ambitions, and interests. I believe that the diversity that characterizes each of us is a source to be valued.

My journey so far

A bit about me to start: energetic, dynamic and responsible, with a sense of humor. Always ready for new challenges and curious to learn new things. I’m passionate about theatre, travels, books and pizza. In my academic career I tried to combine my interests and my values by learning new languages to be able to communicate with people all over the world and discover new cultures and new places; by studying international relations since I’ve always been fascinated by geopolitics and diplomacy; by exploring environmental economics to better understand climate change and the challenges we face. Academic experiences such as cultural exchanges and Erasmus+ and professional ones such as the Internship at the permanent mission of Italy to the UN but also event and entertainment management had been part of my personal growth and helped me to develop different skills. But most importantly, these experiences had been an occasion to connect with people from all over the world. 

Within Schneider, I found company that shares my values 

As an EcoStruxure Technology Advisor in Schneider Electric now, I support companies in their digital and energy transformation by presenting our EcoStruxure solutions that better answer to the client’s needs. Moreover, I organize and participate in events in collaboration with the local industrial association, representing Schneider Electric. I’m lucky because I have the chance to work in Florence but I also travel around the city and Siena so I can enjoy the magnificent landscape that Tuscany offers.  

When I graduated, I looked for a company that shared my values. Not only environmental but also, and above all, social ones, where I could share ideas and activities in synergy within a team.   

Career and skill development

I started my experience in Schneider Electric with an Academy where I could meet other new entry people in Schneider. The Academy was a three month experience based in Stezzano (BG) where there is the HQ of Schneider Italy. Together with the other new EcoStruxure Technology Advisors we had trainings on our products and solutions, and we also attended courses to learn and develop new skills like time management, emotional intelligence, and social selling. We also learned Schneider Electric’s core values and the mission of the company.

We had the opportunity to work together in multiple projects and share doubts or ideas. I found people in the Academy with different backgrounds, and this helped to enhance the experience. We spent all day together, so we ended up sharing a lot and becoming good friends. Each person with their contribution in the project taught me something and made the experience unforgettable. 

Embracing teamwork

When I started working in my office in Florence and I met my team and other colleagues, I was well welcomed. In one case in particular, I experienced the importance of teamwork. When I met a client with a special request for a solution related to sustainable mobility, I could count on different colleagues to help me provide the perfect solution which answered all the client’s requests.  

In my opinion, working in a team means feeling free to share ideas, doubts, concerns and proposals. It means knowing how to listen to the point of view of others and value diversity to find creative and effective solutions and proposals. Teamwork means involving colleagues but also being able to ask for support when needed. Give honest feedback and be able to accept negative feedback creating the basis for constructive dialogue. Teamwork means trust, respect and collaboration. 

In Schneider Electric we live the value of teamwork every day

Colleagues are open to dialogue, support and collaboration.  Like any other soft skill, teamwork can be improved and Schneider Electric offers moments and activities to develop and enhance teamwork. 

Impact starts with us!

Interested in a career with us? Start by checking our website.

About the author

Alessandra Cerini, EcoStruxure Technology Advisor

Alessandra, an EcoStruxure Technology Advisor at Schneider Electric, believes that teamwork is a crucial value to develop and share. She advocates that teamwork divides tasks and multiplies success, and within Schneider Electric, there exist numerous opportunities to exchange ideas, address concerns, and share experiences. Alessandra encourages exploring the new blog about teamwork to understand its contribution to generating the positive impact that the world needs, emphasizing that impact begins with the collective effort of the team.

Tags: career, development, EcoStruxure, teamwork

Author: Rinnovabili.it

Foto di Michael Fousert su Unsplash

Oltre la soglia del 5%, di norma scatta l’adozione di massa degli EV

(Rinnovabili.it) – Nel 2023, è salito a 31 il numero di paesi che hanno superato la soglia del 5% di auto elettriche sul totale dei nuovi veicoli immatricolati. Oltre questa percentuale, si innescano meccanismi per cui l’adozione di EV impenna e questa tecnologia diventa rapidamente più conveniente rispetto alle auto diesel e benzina. Lo sostiene un’analisi di Bloomberg.

Nel 2022, i paesi sopra la soglia del 5% di auto elettriche di nuova immatricolazione erano appena 19. In base alle curve di penetrazione degli EV in questi paesi, di norma si riesce a passare in appena 4 anni dal 5 al 25% di auto elettriche sul totale delle vendite, e dal 5 al 15% in 3 anni. In pratica, il 5% è il limite oltre il quale scatta l’adozione di massa.

Perché? La curva della penetrazione di questa – e di altre tecnologie ha la forma di una S. All’inizio i numeri restano bassi e il tasso di crescita annuale è minimo. Pesano fattori come i costi, la mancanza di infrastrutture adeguate e anche lo scetticismo dei consumatori – che nel caso delle auto elettriche è alimentato anche da una girandola di teorie del complotto senza alcun fondamento.

Una delle bufale più diffuse, ad esempio, è che gli EV in realtà inquinerebbero più dei veicoli diesel e benzina, ma un’analisi sull’intero ciclo di vita di ICE ed EV mostra che le emissioni sono fino al 70% in meno, anche contando il contributo della produzione di batterie.

“Una volta che si verificano abbastanza vendite, si ha un circolo virtuoso”, spiega Corey Cantor, analista di veicoli elettrici di BloombergNEF. “Un numero maggiore di veicoli elettrici significa che più persone li vedono come mainstream, le case automobilistiche sono più disposte a investire nel mercato e l’infrastruttura di ricarica si espande seguendo una buona traiettoria”.

Anche l’Italia ha superato la soglia del 5% di auto elettriche nel 2023

L’anno scorso tra i paesi che hanno superato la soglia del 5% di auto elettriche figurano stati del sud-est asiatico e dell’Europa orientale. Come la Thailandia, che ha oltrepassato il limite nel primo trimestre dell’anno arrivando al 13% dell’ultimo quarto del 2023. O la Turchia, che grazie all’immissione sul mercato di un modello full electric da parte della Togg, una casa auto turca, è diventata alla fine dell’anno il 4° maggior mercato degli EV in Europa. Appena oltre la soglia si è piazzata finalmente anche l’Italia, che nell’ultimo trimestre del 2023 ha raggiunto quota 5,4% di vendite di EV sul totale delle nuove immatricolazioni.

Author: Schneider Electric

This audio was created using Microsoft Azure Speech Services

On the surface, the data center and the energies and chemicals industry could not be more different. Data centers require a very clean and controlled white space environment, while oil and gas companies operate in the harshest outdoor environments.

Yet, these industries find themselves facing similar pain points. Both are under pressure to decarbonize, as private capital and government grants for data center and oil and gas projects are increasingly tied to sustainability initiatives. Investors and governments are asking for clear and transparent net zero goals before committing to projects. 

This sustainability push comes at a time when data centers have an insatiable hunger for power, largely fueled by the commercialization of generative AI applications. At the same time, companies in the energies and chemicals end market need more data centers to optimize their operations and process massive volumes of data generated by equipment and operations. Data centers also enable these companies to become more sustainable by optimizing energy efficiency, implementing decarbonization technologies, and facilitating data-driven decisions. This approach helps reduce overall environmental impact and resource consumption during operations.

In addition to the common pressure to decarbonize, energy and chemical companies require fast deployment of computing power, often near their production sites. They have the same reliability, connectivity, and uptime requirements as cloud and service providers. Traditionally, this would mean building a new data center, which takes anywhere between 18 to 24 months, with the added complexity of design and engineering. An alternative that is becoming very popular is prefabricated modular data centers, which can be deployed at the edge as a turnkey solution. Deployment takes 6 months instead of 24 months, and construction occurs in a factory environment, ensuring quality and reliability. This also makes it easier to comply with environmental requirements and reduces engineering time needed for a new data center, thereby allowing fast project turnarounds.

Data centers and electric utilities, friends or foes?

Electric utilities and cloud and service providers are both fighting for ‘power.’ Although data centers are getting more efficient, the AI boom might increase the energy consumption of data centers threefold, something that will surely require electric utilities to invest in more generation, transmission, and distribution.

On the other hand, electrification of transportation and industrial growth puts pressure on utilities, which are turning to renewables and new energies, such as green hydrogen production, to quench this thirst for green energy. Traditional oil and gas players are investing today in grid-scale renewable projects and diversifying their portfolio with hydrogen production, which makes them perfect partners, potentially competitors, to electric utilities. 

Although data center operators are very demanding, requiring information on power quality factors, outage frequencies, and causes and remedies to avoid future events, utilities typically welcome data center projects because the required high electric load allows them to maximize their assets. However, some power generation companies are not able to provide the power needed for new data center builds, putting data center projects on hold, or pushing them away to neighboring states or countries.  Utilities might prefer customers that can adjust their power usage, like small to medium-sized ones, over big cloud and service providers that don’t participate in the demand management model. Serving bigger customers might force utilities to invest in fossil fuels, harming their net zero goals.

The path to resiliency, efficiency, and sustainability

Utilities, data centers owners, and energy and chemical companies rely heavily on each other, but because of the demands placed on them, they can create major challenges for each other. Utilities and energy and chemical companies need more data centers to further digitize their operations, while data center operators need clean energy coming from the partnership between energy and chemical companies and electric utilities to sustain their power-hungry operations. 

A mediator who understands common challenges between these enablers of modern society and provides solutions to both the supply and demand for power is needed. This partner can act on both the generation and consumption side, enabling green energy production and ensuring a more reliable and efficient transmission while providing hardware, software, and services for saving energy on the demand side.

A company that believes ‘Life Is On’ might be that perfect partner.

Tags: #sustainability, artificial intelligence, electric utilties, energy and chemical, modular data center

Author: Schneider Electric

This audio was created using Microsoft Azure Speech Services

The idea that you should “play to your strengths and delegate the rest” is a pearl of business wisdom.  It captures the idea that a business should focus on its core competencies and outsource more specialized tasks—like managing complex electrical infrastructure—to those with the skills and expertise to do so. This ensures optimal performance without distraction.

This longstanding advice speaks directly to the growing field of energy service plans. Many companies are dealing with a shrinking workforce, wondering how to meet regulations, or need help finding electrical bugs inside their operations. Partnering with specialized energy management service providers allows companies to trust the complexities of energy management to dedicated professionals. Those professionals can ensure the electrical infrastructure is always safe, maintained, and optimized. Their services allow companies to zero in on what they do best – their primary operations – and thrive, innovate, and grow in their respective markets.

Partnering with an energy service plan provider ensures that you electrical infrastructure is always safe, maintained, and optimized – and allows you to focus on your primary operations.

Compelling reasons for opting-in to an energy service plan

Energy service plans have a compelling business case. Utilizing them can provide significant cost savings, enhanced energy efficiency, sustainability benefits, and effective risk management. In fact, large companies can save millions of dollars annually with a sustained reduction of 3.5% in energy spend. One oil refinery saved $120 million in the first year.  

Beyond financial savings and optimized infrastructure, many energy service plans also include provisions for adopting cutting-edge technologies. This includes smart grids, energy management and control solutions, and power quality systems. These technologies improve efficiency, reduce costs, and support innovative business practices.

They may also incorporate renewable energy options like solar and wind power, vital for sustainability strategies. These renewable options can underscore a company’s commitment to environmental stewardship and reinforce its green credentials. In turn, this often attracts environmentally conscious customers and positively impacts the business’s market position.

Energy service plans can also help address the uncertainty caused by government initiatives to reduce carbon emissions. These initiatives often leave companies unsure of the implications for their operations. This confusion is precisely where long-term, sustained energy services prove their worth. By providing multi-year support, energy experts can demystify these initiatives, craft tailored strategies, and guide companies toward compliance and sustainability.

Many energy-specific service plans on the market are designed to optimize energy efficiency, sustainability, and electrical infrastructure. I’ve outlined the benefits of each to help you identify which plan would best suit your business needs. 

The diverse spectrum of energy service plans

Service plans help businesses enhance operational efficiency, reduce energy costs, ensure system reliability, and achieve sustainability objectives. And they can tackle a broad spectrum of needs:

1. Energy management and optimization: These plans include 24/7 monitoring and alarming. Fast response times help businesses monitor, measure, and manage their energy consumption. They also include IoT-enabled solutions for intelligent energy use.
2. Power management: To ensure reliable and efficient power distribution, power management services can involve power quality audits and sizing, power factor correction, harmonics mitigation, and voltage regulation.
3. Data analytics: By tapping into a company’s energy management system, these service plans can identify everything from improperly installed equipment and missing loads to power factor penalty problems.
4. Automation and control: This plan can cover everything from simple control systems to advanced automation for entire buildings or industrial processes.
5. Sustainability consulting: These plans provide services to help businesses set and meet their sustainability goals. They include guidance on reducing carbon footprint and transitioning to renewable energy sources.
6. Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity services protect the integrity and reliability of energy management systems, by safeguarding them against digital threats.
7. Digital services: Digital twin technology and analytics provide insight and foresight into energy consumption and system performance. This helps businesses anticipate and solve issues before they occur.
8. Maintenance and support: Condition-based maintenance, remote monitoring, and 24/7 support ensure that energy systems run optimally – helping prevent costly downtime.

Technological adaptability, data sovereignty, and scalability

In addition to determining the right type of energy service plan for your needs, it is also necessary to consider aspects that play a critical role in implementation, such as:

1. Interoperability: Energy management systems must integrate smoothly with existing infrastructure and other business systems and use open standards to facilitate integration and avoid vendor lock-in.
2. Regulatory compliance: Local, regional, and global energy regulations must be considered. Ensuring compliance can prevent legal issues.
3. Customization: It is critical to tailor solutions to meet specific operational needs and adjust as they change.
4. Expert support: Access to experts who can support and advise for managing and optimizing energy use is invaluable.
5. Cost management: To make an informed decision, one must understand the total cost of ownership. This includes the upfront investment, operational costs, and potential savings over time.
6. Future-proofing: Acknowledging that technology changes and market conditions will evolve, it is important to choose a service that can adapt to new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, as they enter the mainstream.

Still on the fence about services?

If uncertainty is holding you back from opting into an energy service plan, consider this: the depth of expertise provided by expert energy services professionals is beyond the reach of individual businesses. Engaging a company specializing in energy service plans solves immediate problems and equips you with the knowledge and tools to maintain an optimized energy system.

Schneider Electric has over a century of power and energy management expertise and excels in the complex energy ecosystem. Learn how Schneider Electric can provide the right services to match your business and operational objectives and help drive business success.

Tags: Digital Power, Digital Power Services, Energy Efficiency, energy management, predictive maintenance, service plan

Author: Rinnovabili.it

Image by Rebekka D from Pixabay

Pesticidi naturali per l’agricoltura biologica

I pesticidi naturali sono davvero efficaci? Fino a che punto potrebbero sostituire quelli tradizionali? Una interessante scoperta arriva dal Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie biologiche della Tokyo University of Science (TUS).

L’uso prolungato di pesticidi chimici indebolisce il terreno

Innanzitutto occorre fare una premessa: quando c’è una lesione, le piante si difendono rilasciando terpenoidi (noti anche come isoprenoidi, sono il più grande gruppo di composti organici di cui fanno parte almeno 20mila molecole distinte). Oggi l’applicazione di pesticidi chimici è la soluzione preferita per proteggere le colture perché di effetto immediato: è considerata la via più facile da seguire, senza farsi troppe domande sui danni causati agli ecosistemi e sugli effetti ambientali di lungo periodo.

Infatti, l’uso prolungato e ripetuto di pesticidi chimici finisce per indebolire il terreno. La ricerca giapponese è partita dallo studio degli oli essenziali arricchiti da terpenoidi.

Leggi anche One Crop Health sostituisce i pesticidi con robotica e intelligenza artificiale

I pesticidi naturali attivano le difese delle piante

I terpenoidi abbondano negli oli essenziali delle piante e ne stimolano le difese. Un esempio concreto è coltivare la soia vicino alla menta: i composti volatili della menta rendono la soia più resistente agli erbivori. Perché allora non pensare agli oli essenziali come pesticidi naturali? Il gruppo di ricerca della TUS ha esaminato 11 oli essenziali e ne ha valutato l’efficacia nell’attivare le difese nelle piante di pomodoro e aumentare la loro resistenza ai parassiti delle piante.

Il gruppo di ricerca ha applicato sulle piante di pomodoro in vaso una soluzione di 11 diversi oli essenziali diluiti con etanolo e hanno osservato che l’olio essenziale di rosa ha stimolato l’aumento dei geni coinvolti nella difesa delle piante. Inoltre, l’olio essenziale di rosa protegge le piante di pomodoro da una particolare specie di falena (Spodoptera litura) e da un acaro parassita (Tetranycus urticae).

I risultati positivi dell’olio essenziale di rosa

Incoraggiati dai risultati positivi ottenuti in vaso, i ricercatori hanno pensato di testare in campo questo tipo di pesticidi naturali. Anche in questo caso l’effetto è stato positivo: i danni da parassiti si sono ridotti del 45,5%.

Pertanto ritengono che l’olio essenziale di rosa potrebbe essere una valida alternativa nel periodo invernale e primaverile, quando le infestazioni da parassiti sono meno gravi. il suo uso come pesticida naturale ha mostrato una duplice funzione: in bassa concentrazione non ha respinto l’acaro parassita ma ha attirato un loro predatore naturale. La ricerca apre potenzialmente la strada allo sviluppo di nuovi pesticidi naturali, adatti all’agricoltura biologica e rispettosi dell’ecosistema. La ricerca Novel Potential of Rose Essential Oil as a Powerful Plant Defense Potentiator è pubblicata in “Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry”.