Schneider Electric kicked off its Innovation Summit World Tour 2020 on Oct. 8. This virtual event series runs through Nov. 26, and is connecting attendees worldwide to discover the latest digital solutions for a more resilient and sustainable future.
Schneider’s annual Innovation Summit events are now in their fifth year, though his year’s edition is the first to take place online only. It consists of 10 regional, interactive events to show attendees about the critical role that electrification, digitalization, innovation, energy management and industrial automation can play in the transition towards a lower-carbon world that limits climate change to 1.5 °C.
In his virtual keynote address, Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Schneider Electric’s chairman and CEO, urged attendees to accelerate their digital transformation to better position themselves for the upheaval caused by both the climate crisis and the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“Across the globe, in just a few months, our lives have changed, and digitalization has helped us to adapt to the new normal," says Tricore. "Digitalized, remote operations can maintain business continuity, strengthen resiliency, and offer insights to better anticipate and adapt with agility. Digital innovation and connectivity have changed how we work and live together, and will positively change our impact on the environment, and drive economic recovery and sustainability for us all.”
During the series of summits, Schneider Electric is unveiling several new offerings, including:
- A new range of low-voltage switchboards, PrismaSeT Active, and a new generation of breakers, ComPacT, to be released in 2021, which unlock crucial information related to electrical fire risk and power availability in the electrical systems of buildings. The cloud-connected PrismaSeT Active allows users to continuously monitor power distribution and receive notifications in case of hazardous power losses. The new generation of ComPacT feaures major ergonomic improvements, as well as connectivity-ready and modular plug-and-play accessories to expand the capacity for advanced monitoring capabilities.
- An innovative green switchgear, SM AirSeT, with a combination of air and vacuum technology, instead of SF6, which is a greenhouse gas commonly contained in electrical equipment that powers the grid and industrial electrical installations. The new technology offers a pathway to avoid the equivalence of millions of tons of CO2 in energy networks. Its extensive IoT connectivity also unlocks the benefits of data and analytics for network management and optimization.
- A new category of automation, EcoStruxure Automation Expert, which is reported to be the world’s first software-centric industrial automation system creating step-change improvements throughout the complete operational lifecycle.
Summit attendees can also visit a virtual Innovation Hub, where they can experience, in 3D, Schneider and its technology partners’ innovations and connect live to Schneider’s labs, showrooms and manufacturing facilities worldwide to chat with experts and see hands-on demos.
