To help smart city project Schneider Electric taps LGUs

CEBU, Philippines - Global energy management specialist Schneider Electric (SE) is now looking at the local government units (LGUs) in the Philippines as it offers its wide-ranging solutions, helping the bids of forward looking cities to become “Smart City.”

In an interview with Ian de la Rosa, Schneider Electric country sales manager for IT Business Unit, he said that the company is now intensifying its move to help cities in the Philippines become more sustainable and that it is opening its doors to the LGUs.

Although SE has made its name as the energy efficiency solutions provider for a growing number of corporations in the Philippines, not only the bigger companies, but also to the SMEs (small and medium enterprises), it has now moved in helping the Philippines attain a sustainable environment by touching base with the local government managers to pursue “smart city” development plans.

“We want to be part of the solutions in the public sector and we look forward to helping ‘Smart City’ initiatives a reality in the Philippines,” de la Rosa said.

Today, he said cities or countries that are fast attracting investments are those that have adopted sound and sustainable operations, from infrastructure set up, systems, among others.

This French company is also closely coordinating with the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines to pursue its goal in becoming a significant partner to promote energy efficiency and “smart city” adoption in the Philippines.

In an interview earlier, SE president Philippe Reveilhac said that although there is a significant improvement in awareness for companies, including public sector to employ effective energy management system in their respective operations, the Philippines could further do better in this move, thereby making its competitive advantage ahead with other countries.

Cebu, for instance, should make a stronger stance in energy usage reduction, as it is considered one of the most attractive areas of investment in the Philippines, as well as one of the fastest growing economies in the country.

According to Reveilhac, Schneider is making Cebu as one of its top priorities in terms of expansion. He further announced its plan to partner with local industry sectors here to drum up further awareness in the energy effeciency across the company operations.

The company is strengthening its efforts to actively share energy efficiency solutions that can help Cebuanos save up to 30 percent in power costs in the light of increasing electricity prices.

He said with the power rates in Cebu driven higher by scarcity and increasing demand, he said that SE is looking forward to working with various local businesses and help them measure, fix the basic, automate and monitor their energy consumption to make them achieve energy savings while maintaining optimum performance and efficiency.

“We have always considered Cebu as a key market for our solutions. The city’s rapid development means that there is an increased demand for energy, and that’s where Schneider Electric comes in. We are bringing our solutions here to help Cebuanos achieve more and make the most of their energy,” he said.

He  said that “active energy efficiency” or the process of affecting permanent change through the measurement, monitoring and control of energy usage is a means of achieving sustainable economic development.

SE is a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green, the Group’s  over 130 thousand employees achieved sales of 22.4 billion Euros in 2011, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations make the most of their energy. /JMD (FREEMAN)