Categoria: Energia

Author: Schneider Electric

This audio was created using Microsoft Azure Speech Services

For years, the pendulum of data processing strategies has swung back and forth between centralized and decentralized approaches as the market evolves. The latest iteration of this ever-shifting landscape revolves around whether data center assets should reside on-premise or in the public cloud. Newer trends, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation, alter this balance and add to the complexity of data center capacity management decisions.

To better understand this topic, I spoke with Thomas Humphrey, North American Business Development Manager for Schneider Electric Modular Data Centers and Todd Boucher, Founder of Leading Edge Design Group. Our joint analysis of “cloud vs on-premise” will be shared in a three-part blog series. 

This first blog post addresses how to set the right expectations as market trends and COVID have altered cloud strategies and changed the nature of data center operations.

Joe Kramer: What lessons were learned a few years ago when everyone seemed to embrace a shift from on-premise to the public cloud?

Todd Boucher: We saw many customers attempt to make a wholesale shift to the cloud, and there was a lot of cost overrun in their utilization. As you move more resources to the cloud, you need to add more staff or bring in different partners to support those resources. This is the opposite of most expectations because the cloud was promoted as a way to reduce staff and control costs.

Joe: This conversation about on-premise vs. cloud often revolves around OpEx vs. CapEx costs. Is that the right question to ask?

Thomas Humphrey: On our end, we’re always talking to customers about the capital expense. And if we’re building a data center or a prefabricated modular data center, they say, “That’s a big outlay.” Meanwhile, the cloud salespeople say, “Put it in the cloud. You can offset that capital cost by just moving to this OpEx model.” But I don’t think everybody understands how that OpEx model unfolds over time. On day one, the OpEx model might look good at $10,000 a month. Over time, utilization increases and costs rise. 

Todd: Today, customers understand the accounting side of it much more than six years ago when there were a lot of surprises and cost overruns. We can now have a conversation about the total cost of ownership and a five-year return on investment as opposed to just CapEx vs. OpEx.

Joe: What has been the impact of COVID on cloud vs. on-premise?

Todd: Since COVID, the shift to a hybrid strategy (a combination of both cloud and on-premise) has picked up. Customers realized that cloud-first worked for some applications and workloads but not for others. Now, customers, from enterprises down to small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), are evaluating what is best for the business. They are discovering that the choice between cloud and on-premise is not binary. Rather, it is a continuum or balance between cloud and on-premise that best meets the goals for resiliency, financial performance, application performance, latency, etc.

Thomas: When COVID hit, everybody was in a panic because we thought things would slow down, but the opposite happened. With the advent of remote learning and the remote workplace, the demand for hyperscale solutions went through the roof. Our response was to provide all that hardware infrastructure, whether prefabricated data centers or traditional stick-built infrastructure.

Joe: How did COVID impact the ability to maintain needed staff?

Todd: COVID and the Great Resignation made customers wonder if their strategy still made sense. Moving resources to the cloud requires more staff to support those instances and applications. There’s a resource balance between what’s on-premise and in the cloud. Whether that’s a combination of cloud, hybrid cloud, and an on-premise modular solution, or all on-premise as in a full data center in a building, they questioned whether they had the right resources to support the strategy.

Joe: COVID also affected real estate costs because of the shift to remote work. What are the lingering effects of that?

Todd: Pre-COVID, real estate for most companies was in high demand and the cost per square foot of enterprise data centers was astronomical. Now, companies look at this paradigm differently, saying, “Wait a second, we have a lot of real estate available and we want to utilize that real estate in a meaningful way.” So, as I think about costs, if I already own this depreciated real estate asset, it might make more financial sense to use it as a data center. 

Thomas: We also see more interest in prefabricated modular data centers, which quickly adds space to support new applications for Internet of Things (IoT) devices and connections. We’re getting requests from hospitals, schools, manufacturing plants, and more applications. This approach can help solve the question of cloud vs. on-premise, giving customers an option that addresses the latency and bandwidth issues that come into play with the cloud.

In Part 2 of our blog series of cloud vs. on-premise, we will discuss the importance of data center planning and the critical aspects of how applications act as building blocks of a sound hybrid data center strategy. In the meantime, to learn more about useful approaches to data center planning, read our white paper “Quantitative Analysis for Prefabricated vs. Traditional Data Center.” 

Tags: Cloud, Data Center Planning, modular data center, on-premise data center

Author: Schneider Electric

This audio was created using Microsoft Azure Speech Services

Have you ever thought that our thinking can change our lives? As you know, our lives consist of habits, and 80% of our thoughts are habitual. So, our thoughts directly affect our lives. That sounds good, but we have different comfort zones related to our habits and change begins at the end of our comfort zone. Because changing gives our brain breathing room for growth. So, how could it be possible? Let’s talk about it!

Mervenur Gulel and Cemal Tosun standing together in front of screens in Schneider Electric office

We can start with the Einstein quote: We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. We now live in a world where not only the answers but also the questions do not stay the same.

For example, let’s think about digitalization, which touches every aspect of our lives.

Compared to previous years, we are experiencing unpredictable digital transformations. But we know that digital transformation is not about technology at all; it’s about people. If we couldn’t think differently, we wouldn’t be able to adapt to innovations. Today’s world no longer accepts those who are not ready for change. And now, it is important to ask the right question rather than give the right answer. The answer is not stable at all; it changes every day. If we can ask the right question, we will learn the best answer, and we know that learning every day is important. After learning and integrating, we can create impact. And that is our Employee Value Proposition at Schneider Electric: IMPACT starts with us!

As you know, nowadays, we generally talk about GPT systems and research says that one of the futuristic jobs could be the prompt engineering and question optimization. It is like a proof that asking questions is important.

Chief Project Engineer consults tablet and holds briefing for a team of Data Scientists that are building Machine Learning System.

One of the most important areas for learning is business life, where we can realize ourselves.

And after I joined the Schneider family, I realized how big the game area is to experience. It totally matches my mindset; I generally like the process of trying new things and learning to do them better. It’s like an optimization process & Kaizen philosophy.

This working style is critical for me because I graduated from the Industrial Engineering Department and am also working on my PhD thesis related to Artificial Intelligence – Machine Learning & optimization. I’m always in the research and creation area of transformation. About a year ago, we did the first interview with my manager, and I totally felt the soul of transformation. It made me excited because I could understand that he already believes in the importance of change and we have the same mindset. For example, we covered different topics in our interview, and the first question from my side was “How many people are in our Data Team?” and Cemal Tosun – the manager of our team and the CFO & Strategy Vice President of our cluster ‘Turkey and Central Asia’ – answered, “We will create it.” And then we talked about “How could it be possible?”. When the session ended, I felt a passion that I want to be the beginning of this story. And the dreams came true!

I think it’s a big transformation step and a total success story.

Because I’m the first data scientist in the Middle East and Africa zone. I was aware of how inspiring and challenging this situation would be. On the other hand, I always feel increasingly excited about being the starting point, because I believe I am brave enough to try new things and have support from everyone, especially Cemal. I am proud to work to create value from data and be part of the digital transformation. I’ve always felt like I’ve been here for many years because company culture is important ; especially team culture. Team creates another synergy. For example, we work for each other rather than just collaborating with each other. Also, we have open knowledge sharing, speaking up, debates, and feedback culture, and more. I think all of them are important values.

I also worked on different projects at a different local technology company about Machine Learning / AI. But Schneider Electric is totally different for me. I learned so many things about business. I’m an external transfer who has the know-how in the data science area, but I realized that I should learn business, and all my team members have supported me. I experienced this kind of different leadership style and being part of creating ‘zero to top’ for dream.

Now we are coding for creating different models

We are debating the new methods in business life, handling inefficient traditional tasks, focusing on the solution rather than the problem, etc. In brief, we are changing the way we think. We shifted our mindset and culture. As of now, we have nine people in the data team, including data scientist, data stewards, and our long-term interns. We all have the same passion; just changing the way we think and being the thought leaders. Just imagine a small part of the process: about one year ago, there were no codes, but now we deploy our model with our different departments and create value from data (Data to Revenue Transformation). In addition to this, there was no team structure directly related with data. But now, we created the Data Hub & Team. These are pioneering steps in the cluster we are in.

“Data science is the new frontier of business, and I’m thrilled to see how our data team is revolutionizing our company. In just 1.5 years, they’ve built a data-driven juggernaut that’s transforming our bottom line and leading the way in change management.

Our data scientists who are led by Mervenur are rockstars, and their insights are gold dust. They’ve helped Schneider Electric improve pricing, marketing campaigns, and customer service in ways we never thought possible. They’ve also identified new opportunities for better growth.

But more importantly, we’ve created a culture of data-driven decision-making. Our employees now understand the value of data and are using it to make better decisions every day. But it is not enough. We are in the middle of a great journey! This is a cultural shift that will benefit our company for years to come.

I’m so proud of the data team and everything they’ve accomplished in such a short time. They’re a true asset to our company, and I’m excited to see what they do next.”

Cemal Tosun
CFO & Strategy VP, Turkey, Central Asia and Pakistan Cluster, Schneider Electric

All these progresses are not the end of the story. In fact, it is only the beginning. We also have different dreams for different time periods in future. I mean, we unlocked the power of dreaming. We know that if we can dream something, we can also do it. But first step is always dreaming. It is also a proven methodology from psychology side. Also, you can find dreaming examples from many successful and famous scientists, businesspeople, etc. about dreaming. I want to give an example from -founder and the first president of Republic of Turkey- Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He answered the question of “How did you succeed?” and said, “First, I had a dream. Then I identified the obstacles to my dream. When I removed these obstacles, my dream automatically came true.” And one more brief quote about this topic from Malcolm Forbes: “When you cease to dream, you cease to live.”

According to all, we already got different dreams about our business.

It is related with transformation and futurism. We had a dream and, right now, we are in the middle of achieving it. Now, I’m working as a Data Scientist but we believe that each person will be a part of Data one day. Because no position will accept otherwise. Additionally, the idea that everyone should work as a data scientist in their own business area is also our dream for the future. We should change our mindset and be futuristic. We should not only adapt, but also be the dreamers and thought leaders, and it comes with changing the way we think. Dream it & do it!

According to research, the average person has 60,000 thoughts per day. This means that we have a lot of opportunities to change our thoughts. Just be positive, create, & catch the chances with a holistic approach. After doing this, we can create the new world & future. Future has already arrived. Just unlock your dream power and start to fly. We’re ready to do it and we already started, what about you?

If you also would love to see your wildest dreams come to life, come join us on this journey of limitless possibilities! Kick-start your meaningful career with Schneider Electric TODAY

About the author

Mervenur Gulel, Data Scientist MEA

Mervenur has been working for more than 1 year in Schneider Electric Turkey. She has joined the Strategy Team as a Data Scientist. Mervenur is working on a PhD degree at the same time and she has a passion for combining data science and engineering knowledge to create valuable projects. She is motivated to make a positive impact on the world through Data Science. In her personal time, she is interested in psychology & photography.

Tags: change management, DATA, Data Science, Digital transformation, MEA

Author: Schneider Electric

This audio was created using Microsoft Azure Speech Services

For International Women’s Day 2024, we are working hard to ensure that opportunities are more equally available, supporting women in tech on their entire career journey.

When considering important events such as International Women’s Day, it’s hard not to reflect on one’s own path and be extremely grateful. Last year, I was a recipient of the SILVER STEVIE® Award for Female Executive of the Year in the Business Services category. I am sometimes taken aback by the wealth of experiences connecting with colleagues, clients, and partners across the world. What I have always looked for is opportunity.

Pioneering Pathways in Science and Technology

In advocating for women beginning their career paths in science, technology, and engineering fields, like many senior executives, I am honoured to share my experience and path as an example. After almost a decade with Schneider Electric, I have found a place where my values are shared and lived, not just for executives, but across the board.

I have enjoyed senior positions with various multinationals where I could grow and develop the business, so it’s inspiring to see the doors open to young women in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM), at Schneider Electric, as they join an international company that is consistently committed to well-being,

sustainability, and educational opportunities as part of a strong community. There is a focus on personal and social development, as well as ensuring gender equity.

In every position I have held, I’ve enjoyed the latitude to develop professionally, even as I sometimes established entirely new functions. But no vision can ever be brought to fruition without people who are also looking for, and deserve, the opportunity to work, develop, and grow.

Empowering Women in a Global Setting

International Women’s Day 2024 is another opportunity to make sure that the possibility to explore careers in every sector is available to every woman and girl around the world. That opportunity starts with access to education.

At Schneider Electric, we have established and promoted programs of education that bring real skills to people that allow them to forge career paths that might otherwise not have been apparent. The Reinforcement of Opportunities for Youth (PRO Youth) project has catalysed opportunities for more than 8,400 young unemployed individuals aged 15 to 30 in one instance.

This kind of program not only gives people a path to employment; it opens their eyes to possibilities and fires ambitions, just as learning and education did for me. And it is a lifelong process. Just recently, I completed a Strategic Decision Making for Leaders Program that developed my understanding of the speed and criticality of decision making in the digitally connected world.

That is why I am so heartened by the kind of women I see coming into our business now, who are not only fired to succeed, but are also bringing their values with them, driving us harder to do more on sustainability and social impact.

What is as equally inspiring as those who have positively impacted my career through business and technology, are the women around me now, from my colleagues in leadership, to our regional teams and more recent hires.

Championing Diversity and Inclusion

Schneider Electric achieved a gender equality score of 70% and was ranked 30th in Equileap’s Gender Equality Report & Ranking, Edition 2023. The global report presents the Top 100 companies in the developed markets, insights per country and sector, as well as key findings on gender equality.

Gender equality is held in high esteem by our Executive Committee.

As part of our commitment to embrace and champion diversity, Schneider Electric hosted a ‘Women with Purpose; Powering Technology and Sustainability’ discussion. Chris Leong, Chief Marketing Officer at Schneider Electric highlighted that: “Diversity and inclusion is a must for any enterprise to be successful today. We want to have diversity of thoughts from different cultures, backgrounds, experience, and of course, gender and generations, because we want to harness great collaboration, great ideas that spark creativity, and create innovation for a greater planet tomorrow.”

These core principles of celebrating our different cultures, backgrounds, our commitment to inclusion, as well as caring for our planet through our dedication to sustainability is what makes our international team reach for greater heights together.

Sustainability changemakers such as Erin Dierking, Director of Customer Experience, to Candace Becker, Client Development Manager, are all exemplar. And what’s more, they are united by the goal, and imperative, of sustainability, recognising the need for change, and making it happen.

I was struck by something Erin said, when asked about advice for younger people coming into the sector. She pointed out that your ‘day-one’ job doesn’t define your career. “Just get in where you can and explore from there. Don’t hesitate to blaze your own trails… many of our current jobs didn’t exist 5-10 years ago!”

Wise words indeed, as I think of the many and varied roles I have had myself, since my early days!

Nurturing Opportunity and Career Growth

At Schneider Electric, there is a realisation of the importance of opportunity. There is also a pragmatism recognising that opportunity is not always evenly distributed. That’s why we have made commitments such as the 50/40/30 gender balance target and made it part of our key performance indicators (KPI). This means that by 2025, women should comprise 50% of all new hires, 40% of frontline managers, and 30% of senior leaders. And we are, through the efforts of our entire team, ahead of schedule to deliver. There has been a 10% growth in female hires across recent months, nearing the 50% mark, and the senior leadership team boasts nearly 30% female members, almost 10% higher than the previous year.

I was reminded again, of another experience from one of our engineers, Sophie, who said that in her class 20 years ago, she was one of six young women in a class of 100.

We can do more to ensure that women have not just the option to learn and grow in STEM, but that they have the opportunity to embrace a career, with the right support throughout. That is why we have Flexibility at Work Principles to empower and meet the need of both women and men to manage their unique life and work.

We engage girls and boys with STEM educational programs that value empathy, tolerance, inclusion, and collaboration. We seek to awaken engineering vocations and break gender stereotypes especially associated with careers in engineering and digital infrastructure.

And when people join us, we encourage them to join groups of fellow employees with similar backgrounds, experiences or characteristics who share a common interest in professional development, improving corporate culture, and business results. These groups provide strategic support in areas like business objectives, career development, inclusive culture, and community outreach.

Our leadership development and people vision programs power continuing transformation into a more innovative and digital company.

Embracing Challenges and Celebrating Women’s Contributions

There will always be challenges for people in developing themselves throughout their career. We at Schneider Electric are working hard to ensure that those challenges do not include gender bias. This International Women’s Day we celebrate the benefits each woman brings to our team – rich and expansive qualities in winning ideas, thinking, background, and experience that contributes to our business thriving — as a result.

We want to ensure that our values allow more women to fulfil their own potential in creating positive technology, and sustainable changes for the future.

Tags: #inclusionanddiversity, diversity and inclusion, Diversity in STEM, Inclusion, people, talent, women

Author: Rinnovabili.it

Foto di Nuno Marques su Unsplash

 Il meccanismo di supporto dovrebbe portare alla realizzazione di +67 GW rinnovabili

(Rinnovabili.it) – I nuovi incentivi alle rinnovabili italiane? Per ora tocca attendere ancora. Il Governo ha fatto sapere che il responso della Commissione europea sul Decreto FER2 dovrebbe arrivare a breve e che ha da poco iniziato le interlocuzioni sulla bozza del Decreto FER X. Nel frattempo non mancano anticipazioni e indiscrezioni. In questi giorni è circolato in rete il testo dell’atto ministeriale FER X, il cui schema provvisorio era stata messo in consultazione in pieno agosto 2023.

Nella sua versione attuale il provvedimento riporta molte informazioni essenziali per il settore delle green energy, dalla nuova potenza supportata ai meccanismi per farlo, chiarendo molte di quelle che inizialmente erano solo ipotesi. E aprendo anche all’estero. Possono accedere al nuovo meccanismo di sostegno anche gli impianti rinnovabili realizzati in altri Stati membri o con cui l’Ue abbia un patto di libero scambio, purché esportino in Italia la loro produzione.

Decreto FER X, cosa è?

Il Decreto FER X è il nuovo provvedimento ministeriale a sostegno della produzione elettrica di impianti rinnovabili “con costi vicino alla competitività di mercato”. Previsto dalla legge di recepimento della direttiva comunitaria RED II, l’atto stabilisce le modalità e le condizioni con cui possono accedere al nuovo meccanismo di supporto 4 tipologie di impianti: fotovoltaici, eolici, idroelettrici e di trattamento dei gas residuati dai processi di purificazione. Compresi quelli “multi sezione”, ossia composti da più sezioni con differenti codici UP che confluiscono però in un unico punto di connessione alla rete. Definendo una precisa deadline per la sua applicazione: il 31 dicembre 2028.

Due le modalità di accesso:

• Accesso diretto, riservato ai soli impianti di taglia uguale o inferiore ad 1 MW e che abbiano avviato i lavori subito dopo la data di entrata in vigore del Decreto. In questo caso la bozza del FERX riporta un contingente di 5 GW, esaurito il quale il meccanismo di supporto si interromperà per questa categoria anche se ancora lontani dalla scadenza del 31 dicembre 2028. Per tali impianti i prezzi di aggiudicazione sono i prezzi di esercizio.
• Accesso tramite asta, previsto per impianti di potenza superiore a 1 MW e con contingenti differenziati per tecnologia. Rispetto alla proposta iniziale, la bozza del Decreto FER X, elimina il contingente revamping e modifica leggermente le cifre. Nel dettaglio si prevede: 

TECNOLOGIACONTINGENTI TOTALI DISPONIBILI 2024-2028 (GW)Fotovoltaico45Eolico16,5Idroelettrico0,63Gas residuati dai processi di depurazione0,02

Le aste del Bozza del Decreto FER X

Al termine di ogni asta, il GSE pubblicherà una graduatoria dei progetti selezionati sulla base del ribasso offerto rispetto al prezzo di esercizio con coefficienti per ciascuna zona di mercato (elaboratori successivamente da Terna e GSE). I prezzi sono:

A parità di ribasso offerto hanno la priorità in graduatoria: gli impianti fotovoltaici realizzati con sostituzione integrale della copertura in amianto; quelli realizzati nelle cosiddette “aree idonee”; i progetti dotati di sistemi d’accumulo; quelli legati alla stipula di PPA almeno decennali

Valutazione accelerata dei grandi progetti rinnovabili

Per gli impianti con potenza superiori a 10 MW la bozza del DM FER X introduce la possibilità di una procedura di valutazione rapida, la cui richiesta dovrà essere inoltrata congiuntamente alla domanda di Autorizzazione Unica. Entro 30 giorni dal rilascio di quest’ultima, il GSE dovrà inviare al richiedente la qualifica di idoneità per l’accesso al meccanismo del FER X.

Bozza Decreto FER X, i prezzi di aggiudicazione

Il pagamento dei prezzi di aggiudicazione da parte del GSE avviene secondo precise modalità:

1. per gli impianti di potenza non superiore a 200 kW, l’energia elettrica prodotta è ritirata e venduta direttamente dal Gestore, erogando una tariffa omnicomprensiva sulla produzione netta immessa in rete.
2. per gli impianti di potenza superiore a 200 kW o per quelli che hanno rinunciato alla prima opzione, l’energia prodotta resta nella disponibilità del produttore che provvede autonomamente alla valorizzazione sul mercato. In questo caso il Gestore calcolerà “la differenza tra il prezzo di aggiudicazione e il maggior valore tra zero e il prezzo di riferimento individuato nel prezzo del Mercato del Giorno Prima determinato nel periodo rilevante delle transazioni e nella zona di mercato in cui è localizzato l’impianto contrattualizzato e: i. ove tale differenza sia positiva, eroga un corrispettivo pari alla predetta differenza, sulla produzione netta immessa in rete; ii. nel caso in cui tale differenza risulti negativa, conguaglia o provvede a richiedere al soggetto titolare un corrispettivo pari alla predetta differenza sulla produzione netta e immessa in rete”.

 Il prezzo di aggiudicazione verrà aggiornato per tener conto dell’inflazione registrata tra l’asta e la messa in funzione dell’impianto  e anche di quella registrata durante tutto l’arco temporale del contratto. E contempla anche delle correzioni: +35 euro/MWh per impianti fv in sostituzione dell’amianto e +10 euro/MWh per i sistemi fv sul tetto fino ad i 1 MW di potenza.

Author: Schneider Electric

This audio was created using Microsoft Azure Speech Services

Schneider Electric’s predictive modelling provides an early warning of critical risks, helping businesses manage their electrical assets more efficiently.

Behind the brands we encounter every day is a massive infrastructure – factories, offices, warehouses, and transport networks – that makes it possible to provide their products and services. Even further from view are the energy systems that power this infrastructure, which increasingly rely on electricity. Out of sight doesn’t mean unimportant, however – and recent remedial action made possible by Schneider Electric’s AI-powered analytics shows just how much is at stake.

One of our customers, a global food and drink manufacturer, runs a large factory in Latin America. The facility runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, employing 4,000 workers and producing more than a million dollars’ worth of produce a day. Any failure in the power supply has a big impact. This was underlined in 2019, when a medium voltage cubicle exploded and caused the factory to shut down. Closing for just a day and half to replace the component meant the company took a significant hit to its turnover.

AI-powered analytics

For this company, maintaining stable production levels is crucial. So, shortly after the fire, it decided to begin monitoring its electrical systems more effectively using our digitally enabled service plans. This involved installing thermal sensors – both on the components of the power system, and in the surrounding environment. The IoT-connected sensors measure the temperature at key locations to provide continuous readings, accessible from a cloud-based dashboard. These can then be compared against the levels typically seen for similar connections and electrical loads to highlight possible concerns.

This isn’t always a simple matter because the temperatures can vary widely over time. To enable greater accuracy, the analytics also incorporate a second dimension, powered by AI. A machine learning model is used to compare patterns in the expected and actual temperatures, helping to identify any risk at a very early stage.

As soon as the monitoring was set up at this site, it became crystal clear that there was a problem at one transformer, where the sensors were giving very high readings. The temperature was reaching more than 125°C (over 257°F), when it should have been around 70°C (158°F) and the safe limit, in theory, was 90°C (194°F). The company’s engineers inspected the component as soon as possible, supervised remotely by our experts. They found that a screw at one connection had been incorrectly tightened, with the result that an important cable was connected too loosely. This made it harder for the current to pass through, which in turn was causing the temperature at the connection to rise.

Detection of an overheating on a Dry Transformer

Expert advice

This created a dangerous situation. When copper electrical parts heat up, it can make it even harder for current to flow through them – which can then lead to even higher temperatures, in an ever-increasing spiral. In this case, the cable was already so hot that the insulation surrounding it was melting – and that was with the transformer only loaded at 50 per cent capacity. Any increase in the electrical load could easily have caused an explosion.

On top of this came another unwelcome finding. As the fault was being investigated, another serious – and separate – problem was identified at the same transformer. While advising the customer remotely on the phone, a Schneider Electric expert identified signs of partial discharge. This problem arises when cables are placed too closely to each other. The exchange of electrical charge between the cables gradually erodes the insulation and can, again, potentially cause a major explosion. Fortunately, with the problem spotted in good time, the customer was able to change the cables and re-install them a safe distance apart.

An early warning system

So the company’s investment paid off immediately. The warning offered by Schneider Electric’s predictive analytics, together with our expert guidance, was crucial in helping avoid not one, but two further costly shutdowns. And while some activity at the site could well have resumed within a day or so, replacing a broken transformer would likely have meant many months of running the system at dangerously high-risk levels. Having seen the benefits, the customer is now in the process of extending its monitoring – installing additional sensors to provide richer data.

Early warning system from Schneider Electric’s predictive analytics

In the way they work, our digitally enabled service plans such as EcoCare*, can be compared to a wearable fitness device, like a smart watch. By tracking inputs including heart rate and movement, these devices generate accurate models about things like what sport someone is playing, whether they are awake or asleep, and their breathing rate.This information can also be further analysed to provide a range of indexes and recommendations – such as suggesting whether activity or rest would be best on any given day. In this way, wearable trackers can act as an early warning system to help us manage and reduce risks. They might indicate where changes in lifestyle or diet could contribute to maintaining good health, for example – reducing the need for medical intervention in future or focusing it where it is most required.

What fitness trackers do for the human body; Schneider Electric’s AI-driven analytics provide for power systems around the world. It can be difficult to physically examine electrical equipment without shutting down large parts of the system. But our real-time data and accurate modelling gives engineers the information they need to keep everything running smoothly – making timely adjustments to maintain performance while avoiding disruptive emergencies. If a component at this factory begins to overheat in future, for example, the engineers will know about it at much earlier point.

Of course, human input remains essential – as we can see in this case, where contributions from our remote support team were crucial in helping the business detect, confirm, and resolve the issues that emerged. But equally, their guidance was made possible because of the insights from the analytics. In this way, the steps taken to shore up the factory’s power supply encapsulate our wider approach: experts and technology working together to support better, more reliable services.

*Please verify the availability of EcoCare in your region through a local services sales’ representative. If EcoCare is not yet available, you can start leveraging EcoStruxure Service Plan.

Tags: AI, digital services, EcoCare, electrical distribution, Maintenance, service plan