sparks
ELECTRICAL NEWS
october 2014
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on-the-circuit
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The inauguralXperienceEfficiencyeventwasopenedwithanexclu
sivebreakfasteventthatwelcomeddignitariesandspecialguests,
invitingthemtosparktheenergydialogueatXperienceEfficiency.
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The plenary session on day one of Schneider Electric’s Xperience
Efficiencysawcountrypresident forsouthernAfrica,EricLéger,high
lightthattheSouthAfricanoperationwas focusingonexpanding
intoAfrica,andthat ithadahostofsolutionstosupporttheconti
nent’senergy infrastructureplans. InitiallytargetingsouthernAfrica,
thecompanyhasalreadyopenedanoffice inAngola,withZambia
andMozambiqueto follow.
3 Author of ‘Africa is open for business’ and TV and radio anchor,
VictorKgomoeswanadeliveredan inspiringandentertainingkey
noteaddressattheplenarysession,sharinghis ideasofopportuni
ties inAfrica.
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TakingcentrestageatXperienceEfficiencywasSchneiderElectric’s
‘Marketplace’,anefficientlydesignedexhibitionspacethatshowcased
alloftheorganisation’sproductsandsolutions,givingdelegatesthe
opportunitytoexperiencethesesolutions firsthand.
5 Theorganisationaddedsome local flavourbyerectingachicspaza
shop–an informalconvenienceshopbusiness inSouthAfrica–asthe
heartoftheexhibitionspace.Calledthe ‘ShicShack’,thisspacedemon
stratedhowSchneiderElectric isaimingtoclosetheregion’senergy
gapwithsolutionsandchannelsthatserviceruralpeople livingoffthe
grid.
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Oneofthehighlightsoftheeventwastheannouncementofa far-
reachingpartnershipbetweenBMWSouthAfricaandSchneiderElec
tric, inorderto forgeaheadwith itsstrategy forcustomer-friendly
electricmobility.Thepartnershipagreement includescheckingthe
electrical installation incustomers’homes,supplyingandassembling
thewallboxchargingpoint,aswellasmaintenanceandotherservices
for BMW i vehicles. This will allow future owners of a BMW i3 or
BMW i8tohookuptheirvehiclessafelyandquicklyrecharge itwhile
athomeor intheoffice.AntonioAntelaMartinez,BMWSouthAfrica’s
directorofsalesandmarketingsealedthedealwithSchneiderElectric
countrypresident forsouthernAfrica,EricLéger.
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Themarket launchoftheBMW i3willusher inanewera inelectricmo
bility. It istheworld’s firstpremiumcarconceived fromtheoutsetto
incorporate an all-electric drive system. This concept gives the
i3 numerous advantages over ‘conversion’ vehicles, in which the
originalcombustionengine is laterswapped foranelectricmotor.
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SchneiderElectricusedtheXperienceEfficiencyeventasaplatformto launchanumberofnew
products and solutions. This includes the Altivar 1200medium voltage drive system, designed
tomaximise reliability, ease of use and performance. The Altivar 1200 can be applied to three-
phasemedium-voltage asynchronousmotors (sensor/ sensorless vector control mode) as well
assynchronousmotors (V/fmode).
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Laudedasagreatsuccess,thetwo-dayenergyefficiency-focusedeventwasattendedby2500
delegates,allseekingtohighlight,exploreandsparkaneffectiveenergymanagementstrategy
withinthesouthernAfricaregion.
10 Xperience Efficiency delegates were also able to see the Schneider Electric South Africa MV
mobile substation. Fitted into a 12 m container and mounted on a truck-trailer, the mobile
substationdemonstratesthecompany’stotalMVdistributionsolutionformunicipalandcom-
mercial/industrial applications, allowing for walk-throughs and operational demonstrations
oftheswitchgeartotakeplaceatthepremisesofcustomers.
Schneider Electric recently held it inaugural Xperience Efficiency
event in South Africa at the end of August 2014. The event, which
brought together industry and government leaders, as well as aca-
demics, partners and customers, focused on the future of energy
efficiency and effective energymanagement.
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Exploring an effective energy
management strategy for southern Africa
