EcoStruxure makes energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green

(03/12/2009)

Capacity constraints, efficiency losses due to poor system design, lack of standardisation, low adoption of renewable energy and implementation conflicts between broad and local energy policies are some of the factors that contribute to the ongoing energy obstacles that companies face.

Schneider Electric has announced the debut of its EcoStruxure™ solution architecture, an approach which unites its expertise in power, datacentres, process and machines, building control, and physical security to enable intelligent energy management solutions for customers seeking to optimise energy efficiencies across multiple domains of their business.

With EcoStruxure, Schneider Electric is able to leverage its competencies to deliver solutions to its customers at all levels of energy utilization.

EcoStruxure is based on a comprehensive portfolio of purpose specific applications in five domains of expertise that are essential to solve the energy equation:

- Power - Complete power management solutions for facilities, plant and large sites operations that enable efficient, safe and reliable electrical distribution.

- Datacentres - APC by Schneider Electric’s InfraStruxure™ architecture for datacentres uses a modular, scalable approach to optimise power and cooling utilization and mitigate inefficiencies from overbuilding.

- Process and Machines - Automation solutions dedicated to industrial and infrastructure companies or machine builders with focus on flexibility, scalability, performance and ease of use.

- Building Control - Management solutions that focus on reducing installation and operational costs while enhancing end-users comfort through real time temperature, lighting and shutters control.

- Physical Security - Architectures include Pelco by Schneider Electric, with technology in access control, intrusion detection and video surveillance to minimize costs and efficiency losses from unplanned downtime while providing comprehensive risk analysis.

EcoStruxure is able to connect these five domains of expertise within an open and flexible ecosystem of technology that relies on the use of IP and web services, allowing purpose specific applications to connect whenever needed, at the right level.

"Uncoordinated component-level attempts to solve energy management issues by different corporate functions without a comprehensive plan can actually inhibit a company’s ability to meet efficiency goals," said Aaron Davis, Chief Marketing Officer, Schneider Electric. "By providing our customers with clear and comprehensive reference architectures across key environments and applications, we intend to reduce inefficiencies and increase a company’s ability to make invisible energy waste both visible and actionable."

"Schneider Electric’s vision for EcoStruxure is simple – develop and deploy an integrated architecture that ties together its five key domains of expertise to make energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green. What customers need are the connecting solutions that create an intelligent energy management system across all application areas – Schneider Electric is building that architecture."

With EcoStruxure, businesses can anticipate better results and improvements in operations through systematic energy visibility and real time control of any energy usage. It is also possible, for example, to embed video surveillance in any applications, enhancing safety while cutting operating costs. Energy waste in all forms – from electricity and water to mechanical and human – can be captured and mitigated to achieve improved efficiency.

The company will be rolling out EcoStruxure reference architectures as well as corresponding training throughout 2010.

Related categories:  Building management system   Energy efficiency   Industrial   Industrial circuit protection