Schneider Electric eyes Asia Pacific’s microgrid markets

Asia is where the future of microgrid markets will be, said French multinational corporation Schneider Electric as they eye the stunning compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.3% that the Asia-Pacific microgrid markets is forecast to grow at during 2013 to 2020.

With the costs of renewable energy falling, the company is seeing an increasingly feasible business case for microgrids to meet the electricity needs of hundreds or thousands of islands in the Asian region that are not connected to the main power grid. Schneider Electric plans to scale up its efforts to design and develop microgrids in the region, including in Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines.

In a move that will allow the company to further hone its technology, Schneider Electric has entered into a partnership with Engie, a French multinational electric company, to participate in the Renewable Energy Integration Demonstrator-Singapore (REIDS) initiative.

The intiative, which is led by the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and National Environment Agency (NEA), is Southeast Asia’s first and largest microgrid testbed.

Through its participation in REIDS, Schneider Electric will be able to implement its microgrid management software to support renewable operation in live-grid conditions, and use their findings to optimize renewable energy resources and battery storage and ensure greater reliability of supply.

As part of the partnership, Schneider Electric has also set up a microgrids Center of Competence (CoC) to better leverage the deep technological expertise of its global staff, collaborate with other knowledge partners including universities, research institutes and technology companies in Singapore, and contribute to deepening the skills of talent in Singapore.

The competency center is Schneider Electric’s first center of excellence for microgrids in Asia, and only the second in the world for the company.

Tommy Leong, President, East Asia & Japan at Schneider Electric, said that the company wants to use microgrids to help communities in rural areas and remote islands in Asia that have no reliable power source to gain access to efficient, reliable, safe and sustainable energy.