Data & Technology

The corporate world’s appetite for renewable energy is greater than ever before. 476 companies are taking action via science-based targets (SBTs), 144 companies have committed to 100 percent renewable power through the RE100 initiative, and countless other global companies have made public, time-bound commitments to procuring some degree of clean power. Even so, in 2017, the UN reported that these commitments to date account for only one-third of the emissions reductions necessary as outlined by the Paris Agreement. The need for accelerated global decarbonization is urgent, and at the same time the economics of doing so are becoming increasingly attractive.

Aggressive innovation among energy solutions providers, in response to increasing corporate demand and public pressure, has accelerated the development of clean technologies, including wind and solar power, distributed generation, energy storage, and other disruptive technologies. With this abundance of emerging solutions, the lack of commercially viable technologies is no longer a barrier to reaching sustainability goals as it once was. Often, the remaining barrier to commercial and industrial (C&I) buyers adopting new clean energy opportunities is the ability to make quick, market-informed decisions.

In 2016, Schneider Electric launched the New Energy Opportunities (NEO) Network™ to address this very problem. The NEO Network is a community of organizations advancing reliable and cost-effective renewable energy and cleantech solutions around the world. And to help companies hit fast-forward on their renewable energy aspirations, in 2018 we introduced Accelerator Access for qualified C&I members to join the community.

Members of the NEO Network can:

1. Focus on solutions that accelerate your goals and meet the demands of internal and external stakeholders
2. Use the distilled data and detailed resources & analytics of our custom applications to make progress
3. Receive customized opportunities based on your goals, geographies, and technology preferences
4. Chat live with NEO Network professionals—and collaborate with members that have similar priorities—to guide your procurement approach
5. Access global intelligence —whitepapers, newsfeeds, market reports, how-to guides, webinars, and more—curated by Schneider Electric’s NEO Network experts
6. Attend member-only events and workshops to learn and exchange ideas with a dynamic community of organizations actively procuring clean technologies. 100% of attendees at both 2018 Conclave events, in the U.S. and Europe, agreed that they would recommend this event to peers and colleagues

“We joined the RE100 and committed to 100 percent renewable energy use by 2021,” said Chad Wilkerson, Director of Sustainability and Infrastructure Sourcing at wireless-services-provider T-Mobile. “Two PPAs tied to wind farms in the U.S. Midwest have taken us a long way toward the goal. And as we look to build on that success, and evaluate prospects and projects in other regions, the NEO Network will continue to be a valuable resource.”

To learn more about the NEO Network or to join your peers in this growing community, visit www.neonetworkexchange.com.