Energy management specialist Schneider Electric and automation and investment firm Huck Capital struck a partnership to create a new company that will deliver energy-as-a-service to commercial and industrial buildings.
The partnership combines Schneider’s energy management and microgrid expertise with Huck’s sustainability-focused investment and operational focus. The two companies said that the partnership creates an alternative for building owners and operators who want to transition to renewable energy to lower emissions, increase resiliency, and reduce costs, without investing in renewable energy assets and relying on specialists to operate the microgrid.
Emmanuel Lagarrigue, Chief Innovation Officer for Schneider Electric said, “Renewable energy, generated by buildings is no longer only accessible by a select few with in-house energy expertise and the capital to invest. This partnership will make decarbonized, on-site generated energy simple and accessible to a much bigger market.”
Small and medium buildings represent over 90% of buildings in the U.S. and Canada today. In addition, a recent Wood Mackenzie study found that 600,000 buildings in the US, with a total demand of 145 GW, could save money by switching to on-site solar energy, Schneider Electric said.
“Businesses want to maximize their energy independence and minimize their carbon footprint,” said Steve McBee, Founder and CEO of Huck Capital. “This model supercharges momentum for a zero carbon future and provides customers the clean, affordable, and reliable solutions they demand. The energy transformation has arrived, and there is no better partner to meet the moment than Schneider Electric.”
The energy-as-a-service model simplifies what today can be a very custom, complex and expensive process by providing standardized, modular, pre-engineered solutions, the partners said. An average commercial microgrid using renewable energy delivers over 10,000 tons of greenhouse gas savings over its lifetime, the equivalent of saving 21 million car miles. The new company’s pipeline projects 5 megatons of greenhouse gas savings.
The new company’s CEO, Jose Lorenzo, said: “We know in the current crisis companies need to conserve cash, and our solution will enable them to decarbonize and reduce energy costs- while freeing up capital to keep their business running”. Customers pay for resilient and sustainable energy outcomes at a cheaper rate without the hassle of investing in and operating microgrids.”
Schneider Electric said it will announce the commercialization of the new offer in the coming weeks.
