Schneider Electric will design and implement an improved energy management system, allowing Big C to access and tackle energy data from its ten stores at its Vietnam head office in real time. The project includes power measurement equipment and three years of technical maintenance and services.
The system allows Big C to monitor the energy costs of each of its supermarkets and guarantees compatibility across processes and applications with EcoStruxure, Schneider Electric’s comprehensive architecture for integrated energy management solutions. Big C will consequently initiate considerable improvement in behaviour of users and employees in energy efficiency.
“We are confident that our comprehensive solution will allow Big C to improve its energy management while benefiting from reliable and effective after-sales service", said Stuart Thorogood, Zone Director, South East Asia, Schneider Electric. “This project is expected to be the first step of the energy efficiency partnership with Big C, and is a good example of Schneider Electric’s ability to capture the growing market opportunities in Vietnam and the region.”
Schneider Electric’s solution will reduce the capital expenditure by 5% and lower the operating costs. When the installation is complete in August 2011, Big C will save 40% on its lighting consumption implying a payback time of 13 months as compared to their total energy efficiency investment cost.
Solar power for Vietnam
Back in May, Schneider Electric also signed a contract to build a solar power station in the country’s north central coastal province of Quang Binh. The off-grid solar array will use concentrated photovoltaic technology to establish a sustainable electricity supply for the local area.
The project is a “Build-Operate-Transfer” project, the first of its kind in Vietnam’s solar sector, which involves Schneider Electric Vietnam constructing and then operating the solar-power station before handing it over to the local authorities in Quang Binh province after a stipulated time period.
According to Thin Film Today, which published a case study on the project earlier this month, Schneider Electric Foundation will finance the project with contributions from Quang Binh province and Energie Assistance France (a non-profit organization specialising in local community energy projects globally). Schneider will also oversee plant construction and use equipment manufactured at the company’s Shanghai production facility.
“In real terms Schneider Electric’s project is small-scale – only approximately 35 households will benefit from this solar power station, which has a designed capacity of approximately 11kW,” reported Paul French for Thin Film Today, although it is hoped that it will pave the way for larger, non-profit solar energy projects in the future.
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