Microgrid for Commercial & Industrial Buildings: Grid-tied or Islandable, Solutions and Business Cases

Stakes for Commercial and industrial Buildings

We know that buildings already represent 50% of the world's electricity consumption today and that is going to jump by 80% due to urbanization over the next 25 years.

As such buildings therefore represent a huge untapped potential for energy efficiency, achievable through active control of energies in the building space.

In the same time, the renewable technologies are becoming mainstream: cheaper, faster way to produce energy. As such, solar photovoltaic is transforming the shape of new buildings and also changing the paradigm: energy efficiency does not mean only consuming less in buildings, it's also producing and consuming better -- self-consuming energy, exchanging services within the neighborhood and with other actors.

At Schneider Electric, we believe that the energy management and power distribution systems of tomorrow's buildings must enable more real time operation and decision-making: when to consume, store, and/or generate energy -- that is implementing microgrid solutions.

What are the main requirements and/or challenges?

To achieve this change, we must simplify system complexities by combining the core electrical infrastructure and building automation with digital innovation. Platforms for energy management should incorporate data analysis from power use (such lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and charge of electric vehicle) and new energy resources such renewable production and electrical storage.

To go beyond traditional building automation, the energy management has to rise up to a more holistic level: optimizing the usage of all energy resources available at building and community levels. Leveraging energy data will also lead to built-in condition monitoring of electrical assets and enable predictive maintenance to reduce the number of incidents and strengthen security by protecting electrical systems against cyber-attacks.

Matthieu Mounier
Head of Microgrid & Digital Substation Solutions
Schneider Electric


Matthieu Mounier, 41, joined Schneider Electric in 2003. Firstly in charge of LV panels and equipment in the Spanish subsidiary of the group, he then joined the central functions: development of critical power solutions for Data Centers and hospitals, customer and segment management for hospital end customers (health care facilities), and then development of industry and infrastructure sectors. In 2012, he took responsibility for incubating the prosumer activity, gathering the Smart Grid behind the meter activities -- covering R&D, Sales & Marketing activities. Under this role he developed offers for electrical storage, smart buildings and microgrid. Matthew Mounier is graduated from Sup élec school of engineering.