Schneider Electric, the World’s Most Sustainable Corporation in 2021 as ranked by Corporate Knights and the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, releases a new version of its flagship power distribution system, EcoStruxure™ Power. This comprehensive IoT-enabled architecture and platform is designed to digitize and simplify electrical distribution infrastructure, delivering reliable “always-on” power for commercial buildings, healthcare, data centers, industry and infrastructure. The new release boasts enhanced cybersecurity features, improved connectivity and predictive analytics working to reduce electrical fires and ensure the safety of equipment and personnel.
Our world is increasingly more digital and more electric — with power becoming more distributed, more complex to manage, and more integrated into our everyday lives. The worldwide power capacity is predicted to double with renewable energy generation reaching 50% by 2040. As a result, buildings, critical facilities, and infrastructure are becoming even more dependent on reliable, uninterrupted power, supporting and enabling connected devices, smart systems and EV charging. The new release of EcoStruxure™ Power is specially designed to minimize power downtime, proactively protect critical infrastructure and equipment from the dangers of electrical failures and to allow better integration of clean renewable energy.
Rohan Kelkar, Executive Vice President, Power Products Division, Schneider Electric said “In today’s “always-on” digital world, secure, smart and clean energy is non-negotiable. It keeps key services and infrastructure running. The cost of such power outages and electrical fires often extends beyond the bottom-line, when it comes to hospitals, data centers and trading floors. Through ‘Partnerships of the Future’ we are enabling and equipping our partners with strategies, solutions, and services required to achieve sustainability and energy efficiency at scale. EcoStruxure™ Power enables full control over the safety and reliability of mission-critical operations, with the ability to detect and resolve faults at pace.”
Biopharmaceutical manufacturing: EcoStruxure™ Power solutions in action
UCB Farchim produces around two billion pills annually to help improve the lives of people suffering from neurological disorders. Even a short power outage could alter the manufacturing processes and affect the supply of medications. To ensure the continuity and stability of biopharmaceutical processes, UCB Farchim needs first-class quality and reliability of power supply.
UCB Farchim chose to implement EcoStruxure™ Power solutions (connected products and edge control), as well as upgrading the existing Schneider Electric equipment with wireless temperature and humidity sensors. The data collected across the installation are now consolidated into a single management tool, EcoStruxure™ Power Monitoring Expert, for timely power network status insights. The data shows any potential abnormal conditions making it quick to identify electrical disturbances. When a deviation is detected, an alert is sent in real-time, so the crew can act on site or remotely to ensure a continuous supply of electricity.
EcoStruxure™ Power provides a comprehensive overview of the electrical network, helping to significantly reduce maintenance costs and time wastage by 30–35%. The early detection of abnormal conditions allows UCB Farchim to take appropriate countermeasures to avoid production downtime that could lead to significant financial losses.
Safety
Safety, prevention, and minimizing risks in data centers and installations are critical to Schneider Electric’s clients. About 25% of all electrical fires are due to faulty or loose connections. Also, power outages cause a loss of US$110 billion and €150 Billion to US and EU economies, respectively. Therefore, the need for safe and “always-on” power system architectures, armed with surge protection mechanisms and technologies to help in fault localization, root cause analysis, and recovery cannot be underestimated.
EcoStruxure™ Power is specially designed to help prevent business disruption and loss. With this new release, Schneider Electric has enhanced its ‘Continuous Thermal Monitoring’ application to reduce risk of electrical fires and unplanned electrical downtime by measuring temperature at critical connection points in MV and LV electrical equipment with wireless sensors and monitoring potential off gassing of electrical wiring with PowerLogic HeatTag. Schneider Electric is also launching a new generation of PrismaSeT Active, the first LV switchboard with built-in cloud connectivity, and ComPacT circuit breakers for operational excellence and simplified maintenance activities.
It’s now possible to monitor, analyze, and create alerts on abnormal conditions through Schneider’s dedicated edge control software, such as EcoStruxure™ Power Monitoring Expert, and it’s possible to receive predictive maintenance recommendations through a subscription to EcoStruxure™ Asset Advisor. The safety of people operating this equipment has been carefully considered as the new release now features arc flash protection integration into the Easergy P5 and Acti 9 Active offers, protecting both equipment and personnel from arc flash events by energy mitigation or detecting arcs to prevent shocks or fire risks.
Cybersecurity
With power distribution connectivity, there is a concern that the increased number of connected IoT devices can lead to significant cybersecurity issues. The risk and threat of cyber incidents in OT networks is reduced with an in-depth approach to security that includes products and systems compliant to internationally recognized standards. This includes our EcoStruxure™ Power system architecture now being certified to IEC62443-3-3 with central configuration and mass deployment of cybersecurity policies with Cybersecurity Admin Expert. Components of EcoStruxure™ Power’s architecture also achieve product certifications to IEC62443-4-1/4-2 including EcoStruxure™ Power Operation software, EcoStruxure™ Power Automation System, PowerLogic Easergy P5, and PowerLogic Easergy T300.
Power availability
Power availability is essential for business continuity. To this end, Schneider Electric continues to optimize asset management capabilities to minimize unscheduled downtime and extend the lifetime of critical electrical infrastructures with enhancements to Schneider’s Digital Logbook offering, predictive asset management from day one via PrismaSeT Active, MCSeT, and Okken.
Power Availability is undeniably a business priority in today’s increasingly connected world. Schneider Electric is offering a new level of peace-of-mind though more optimized asset management for Schneider Electric’s medium and low voltage electrical distribution equipment. Native connectivity of equipment to EcoStruxure™ Power digital services, such as EcoStruxure Asset Advisor, connects facility maintenance staff with Schneider Electric service experts through preventative and predictive analytics – throughout the equipment lifecycle.
Sustainability
With the emergence of greater energy efficiency guidelines in building and electrical codes, EcoStruxure Power enhances its capability to manage measured energy for building consumption with seamless integration of Edge Control software and energy sub-metering. Energy data are collected, stored, and visualized according to requirements in ASHRAE 90.1, NEC2020, IECC, LEED, IEC60364-8-1 and can easily be customized to all local energy codes and standards.
In addition to the modernization of building energy infrastructure with EcoStruxure Power, traditional electrical distribution equipment is achieving a step-change in sustainability. The recently launched SM AirSeT switchgear uses the environmentally transparent pure air and vacuum innovation to eliminate the SF6 greenhouse gas in medium voltage. Moreover, the new switchgear allows users to take full advantage of digital features to unlock the value of data.
Efficiency with connectivity
EcoStruxure™ Power optimizes the CAPEX of smart solutions throughout the design, build and commissioning phases of projects by minimizing risk and costs and increasing efficiency. Since EcoStruxure™ Power was first launched, Schneider customers have experienced energy cost improvements of between 10-30%, making a significant difference to their bottom line.
With this new release, Schneider Electric has simplified the design, selection and commissioning of IoT devices with the launch of EcoStruxure™ Panel Server, a secure and performant connectivity gateway. Providing connectivity to on-premise edge control software or cloud-based advisory services, the EcoStruxure™ Panel Server reduces complexity and costs from design through operations to help enable the full potential of EcoStruxure™ Power.
