Let's turn dumb and blind assets into a multi-directional system urges Schneider's Chang

The energy transition is a process of evolution and changing perceptions and Melton Chang of Schneider Electric highlights this by using his own personal evolution as an example.

“I grew up in Taiwan and back when I graduated, electrical engineering was not the most popular major. But today, it is a more popular and better appreciated subject. And the reason is simple: infrastructure is the core of society and energy is the heart of infrastructure.”

Chang, who is executive vice president for Power Systems at Schneider Electric, was speaking at the opening of Enlit Europe in Bilbao and stressed that more evolution is needed.

He said that the "classic model" of energy system "is not future-ready nor immune to high stress" and said what was needed was "massive electrification”.

The enormous current demand for electrification, he said, is being driven in part by AI and its associated data centres. Putting this into context, Chang said: “Annual data centre consumption today is roughly the same size as Germany’s entire electricity usage.”

As well as discussing the demand, it was unsurprising that Chang also referenced the power grid’s ability – or not – to cope in this new world. Referring to the recent European blackouts, Chang suggested: “The challenge now is how do we make the past 40 years’ legacy fit for the future? How do we turn dumb, blind assets into multi-direction-looking assets".

Chang has spent almost two decades at Schneider Electric and in recent years he’s observed positive momentum in one area that helps answer the above question: the role of electrification as a lever for sustainability. 

And though he acknowledges that not all players are yet ready for this new, electrified world, the energy expert did observe that “there’s an opportunity to leverage AI to resolve some of the complexity”.

Describing how AI will “redefine the data; redefine the hardware; and redefine the software”, Chang called for energy stakeholders to welcome the power of AI-enabled asset management and greater systems connectivity to help make the grid less vulnerable. 

And he emphasised the power of sustainability within the resilience debate: “Embracing sustainability is good for business and innovation. And the recipe for resilience starts with systemic digitalisation.”

Chang has a global outlook that is informed by the fact he’s worked for Schneider Electric in a variety of locations, including North America, Taiwan, Shanghai and France. He summed up his current focus as enabling energy systems and their various stakeholders to be “more green, more digital and better green”.

Chang ended his speech by acknowledging that “it’s not easy to ensure we are all ready for the energy transition and sustainability.” But he also noted that because of the precipice the industry currently stands on, “energy has never been so exciting or different”.