Binh An
The Saigon Times Daily: This is the fourth edition of the global competition “Go Green in the City” initiated and organized by Schneider Electric. What do you think about the impact of this business-case challenge on the community, particularly of the Vietnamese team winning the East Asia final in this country?
– Zeljko Kosanovic: I would say it is interesting to observe that the interest and engagement of university students in the ‘Go Green in the City’ competition has been increasing tremendously, as demonstrated by the number of participants. This year, more than 12,000 students from over 462 universities worldwide have signed up for this global business-case challenge. This is a strong demonstration that future engineers and business leaders are more and more aware that the need for increased demand for electrical power will have to be balanced with social progress and environmental protection.
Now, we look at Vietnam. Schneider Electric decided to organize the East Asia final here in HCMC for the first time to recognize a couple of things. The enthusiasm and proactive participation of students and stakeholders in the competition have been very impressive. It is important for us to recognize that Vietnam is a growing country where there has been a very strong momentum over the last years around the topic of energy efficiency, and the Government has put a lot of efforts to raise public awareness around the energy efficiency and saving, as well as the use of renewable energy. So, it is now a great opportunity for us to create a forum in Vietnam to advocate global effective energy practices and sustainable development not only in Vietnam but also in the region.
What do you think about the quality of this year’s entries in comparison with those in 2013, especially the entries from Vietnam?
– We are very happy with the initiatives submitted to the challenge in East Asia, in terms of both quantity and quality. There are many initiatives built with an “out-of-the-box” way of thinking and research. The entries are of very high-level quality and this is very encouraging for us. This year, contestants have put a lot of emphasis on how effective energy solutions can be used to make the life of people easier so they very much focus on the people. Especially, the winning ‘Energy Bank” project of Vietnam team attends to the community and the benefits for people.
The quality of entries this year also reflects the young generation is increasingly aware of electricity and energy needs which go hand in hand with social progress. Through the contest, we expect the youth to have a deep understanding of energy management and contribute their small efforts to protecting the environment.
From the effectiveness of “Go Green in the City” competition, could you elaborate on Schneider Electric’s vision for energy management in East Asia in general and Vietnam in particular?
– East Asia is very rich in renewable resources but power generation in this region relies very much on fossil fuels due to their sprawling geographies and inadequate grid infrastructure. The pressure on energy in this region is going to be very high.
If we look at Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, the required additional capacity of power generation for these nations until 2025 will be in a range of 168 to 192GW to just sustain their projected economic growth rate of nearly 6%. So, the challenge and the pressure are definitely there for the region.
As part of our vision, we see a world where innovative individuals use collaborative solutions to make the most of their energy, while using less of our common planet. As I said, East Asia is facing a huge challenge that the demand for energy is growing extremely fast to support its economic development at a time when the world needs to halve carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 in order to avoid drastic climate change.
Renewable energy sources really help but are not sufficient to change significantly the energy mix on April 8. So as what we see 57% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions reduction will come from end-use efficiency by 2030. In fact, the most acute challenge that we try to address is that for every three units of energy created at the power plant, only one makes it to the point of use at the plug. Therefore, the war on waste of energy will most likely deliver the best returns for businesses and residences.
We know that Vietnam is facing the particular challenges concerning the need for more energy and power shortages. But the good thing is that there has been increasingly strong awareness of these challenges, environmental protection and climate change. We see a dynamic momentum for the country to bring forward to a next-level platform for energy efficiency.
In the last years, many measures and clear programs for energy saving have been implemented, and we see this trend will continue. Being in the later phase of growth, Vietnam has the advantages of not having to go step by step through what has been done by other countries but to leverage their lessons, achievement and quickly catch up by adopting new technologies. Fortunately, technological solutions to enhance energy efficiency are now available. Of course, technological solutions alone won’t be enough. To overcome the energy crisis, we also need to change the perception of individuals and businesses toward energy consumption.
You mentioned earlier that many countries need more energy to fuel their economic growth but have to find solutions to cut carbon dioxide emissions to lessen negative impacts on their development. How can developing countries, including Vietnam, achieve these goals at the same time?
- This is one of the most challenging dilemmas but addressing this is possible in a fast-growing country like Vietnam. We at Schneider Electric believe that there are solutions and technologies that can help people make the most of energy consumption. We focus on making energy safe, reliable, green, productive and efficient. By implementing integrated energy management solutions in industrial, commercial, or residential buildings on April 8, Schneider Electric helps customers identify where energy is wasted and help save up to 30% of three quarters of the world’s final energy consumption. So, there is a way. It is not only about technologies, it also requires all the stakeholders – the private and the public – to work together to build an appropriate system to support energy efficiency and sustainability.
Given the success of Schneider Electric in the past 20 years in Vietnam, what is the company’s development strategy for Vietnam in the years to come?
– Sustainability and business – social corporate responsibility are the core parts of our business strategy for this market in the coming years. Schneider Electric believes in enforcing business practices by having a global, innovative and responsible strategy and mindset. From a business perspective, it is very important for companies to provide integrated solutions and technology that can help people optimize their energy usage. In the years to come, Schneider Electric continues investing in Vietnam and working closely with all the stakeholders in the local market. With a long-term view, we will expand our manufacturing capability in Vietnam to support and sustain development in both local and international markets.
We are also doing a lot in terms of developing our people through technical and leadership training as well as supporting vocational training in electricity for the disadvantaged. These are among the key elements of our strategy.
Nguyen Thi Thuy Duong and Dang Mai Anh, students of the Foreign Trade University in HCMC, outperform other teams in East Asia to win the ‘Go Green in the City East Asia Regional Challenge‘ final for their viable “Energy Bank” project. This project presents a banking concept applied to energy management to ensure the stability of energy demand and also to encourage the spirit of “The more you save, the better you earn”. Duong and Anh will represent the region to compete in the global challenge in Paris this June. Schneider Electric launched the ‘Go Green in the City’ globally in 2009 and in Vietnam last year to challenge business and engineering students to present their own solutions to innovative and intelligent energy consumption. |
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