Industry Leader Interview: Paul Hamilton, Senior Vice President for Schneider Electric

The following is a short interview with Paul Hamilton, Senior Vice-President for Schneider Electric. Industry Leader Interviews aim to shed light on energy efficiency and energy-related activities that are shaping strategic initiatives among leading American manufacturers.

What is Schneider Electric’s commitment to energy efficiency and why do you view this as such an important element of your strategy?

At Schneider Electric we believe we can all achieve more while using less of our common planet. Schneider Electric believes companies must choose—through their sustainability programs, priorities, and investments—whether they will help achieve the Age of Efficiency or allow present and future generations to sink into energy anxiety. The Efficiency Imperative is upon us - in which not making a choice to change our behavior today is in fact making a choice. Schneider Electric has made the choice to be an energy optimist and engage in helping people make the most of their energy.

Over the past decade Schneider Electric has completely reshaped the company to become the global specialist in energy management. The company has leveraged leadership positions in medium voltage, low voltage, installation systems and control, critical power and cooling services, industrial automation and control, and building automation and security to provide complete customer solutions. We are focused on helping customers around the world save money – while simultaneously protecting the environment – through reduced energy consumption.

Schneider Electric is a Save Energy Now LEADER company that also has a plant participating in a Superior Energy Performance pilot. How has Schneider Electric been able to benefit from these initiatives to improve energy efficiency? 

In order to for us to "walk the talk," Schneider Electric has to put in place strong energy action plans with annual reduction goals, while utilizing our own people, products, and services to meet our targets. From a 2004 baseline we have reduced our energy usage by over 20%, saving over $18 million in energy costs.  This includes savings of over 180,000 kWh of electricity and 370,000 dTh of natural gas. We’ve avoided over 200,000 tons of CO2 since 2004 and reduced our greenhouse gases by over 30%.

There are many elements to creating a successful energy management program within any corporation. However, the first key step is to give energy efficiency a seat at the board table. This means senior executive commitment to addressing energy usage with visible goals reviewed on a regular basis. This is no different than managing quality, safety, finance, or any other critical component of a company.

The next key is engaging employees and making them aware of how they can participate. At Schneider Electric we have designated energy champions at all facilities, created local “Green” teams, established awareness campaigns, opened employee suggestion programs. In addition, we encourage all our employees to become certified in energy management and we have created Energy University, a free online learning tool available to anyone.

Do you foresee any particular ideas or initiatives that will foster greater adoption of energy-efficient technologies in manufacturing? 

The solutions to the energy challenge are multiple and complex. In most cases, these solutions rely on a stronger and more efficient collaboration between the key stakeholders -- facility and building managers, IT managers, factory supervisors, plant engineers. A true understanding of energy management reveals that component level efficiency is only the first step. Energy-efficient components are now the entry fee for the game, not the game-changer.

The next big evolution we see in energy management is the convergence of energy infrastructure and information technology. The levels of efficiency required must involve system dynamics across segments, platforms, and providers like never before. Mankind has benefited from intelligence; it’s now time to see how intelligence can improve our energy use.

New agile and open system architectures, such as our EcoStruxtureTM energy management architecture, will allow more visibility, automation, and continuous improvement of energy management systems in buildings, data centers and factories. Active Energy Management can only be achieved through fully open and integrated solutions. As consumers, businesses, and entire economies become increasingly reliant on technology, devices must become more intuitive, more efficient, and more intelligent to facilitate persistent energy savings
 

About Paul Hamilton

Paul has been actively engaged in Schneider Electric’s energy efficiency business since its inception. He supports the strategy and business development for energy management around the world. He is actively engaged in industry relations, energy policy and advocacy, internal energy action programs, and education programs on energy efficiency.

Paul has managed various aspects of services and automation businesses for Schneider Electric. He started at GE and was involved in two successful venture startups for control software and the safety systems.

Paul resides in the Boston area. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BSEE and is a Certified Energy Manager.
 

About Schneider Electric

As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in energy and infrastructure, industrial processes, building automation, and data centers/networks, as well as a broad presence in residential applications. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, and efficient, the company's 110,000 plus employees achieved sales of more than $26 billion in 2010, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations “Make the most of their energy.”
www.schneider-electric.com