Schneider Electric announces updates to core EcoStruxure™ Power platform, improving energy & operational efficiency and system reliability

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Oct 19, 2022, 09:00 ET

Features centralized cybersecurity management and real-time threat visibility
Provides seamless connection for wired and wireless smart IoT devices to edge control software or advisor
Introduces extended reality to enhance work safety, efficiency, and effectiveness for electrical O&M professionals
Offers an electrical digital twin that provides a highly realistic training environment for pre-defined electrical scenarios

BOSTON, Oct. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, today releases new updates to its EcoStruxure™ domain architecture and platform, EcoStruxure Power.

The comprehensive IoT-enabled architecture and platform is designed to digitalize and simplify electrical distribution & power management, delivering reliable "always-on" power for commercial buildings, healthcare, data centers, industry, and infrastructure. This latest evolution comes with integrated cybersecurity solutions, an all-in-one gateway to retrieve data from both wireless sensors and wired devices, and tools to help empower electrical professionals faced with increasingly complex electrical power distribution systems.

This EcoStruxure Power update includes the following solutions:

Energy efficiency and asset management with EcoStruxure Panel Server connectivity to EcoStruxure Asset Advisor & Resource Advisor – launch of high-performance, modular gateway provides a seamless connection of wired or unwired smart IoT devices to advisory services and/or edge control software.
Workforce empowerment powered by EcoStruxure Extended Reality Operator Advisor – new extended reality (XR) offer helps empower electrical workforce by tackling key challenges associated with human error, paper documentation, and time constraints.
Integrated cybersecurity solutions with EcoStruxure™ Cybersecurity - centralized cybersecurity management and real-time threat visibility.
Integration of ETAP Operator Training Software (OTS) - facility managers can work with a highly realistic Power Operation training environment driven by ETAP's electrical digital twin.

Natasha Nelson, Vice President EcoStruxure Power, Power Systems and Services, Schneider Electric said "Our EcoStruxure Power platform is a highly reliable and cybersecure way to improve business continuity and performance by minimizing unplanned downtime. "Always-on" power is essential for critical services; any downtime can put such businesses in grave distress. Whilst the true penalty of downtime might not always be monetary, in some instances it may well be life threatening – no power is simply not an option. This latest update offers enhanced asset management and workforce empowerment tools, which can further help facility operations teams to mitigate loss of power as industry and critical services continue to navigate through these turbulent times."

Next-generation electrical distribution monitoring and power event analysis

EcoStruxure Panel Server is an all-in-one gateway that retrieves data from both wireless sensors and wired devices, providing facility managers easy access to the information they need to protect, maximize, and optimize their power systems.

Panel Server connectivity to EcoStruxure Asset Advisor means real-time data and alarms gathered and displayed on the gateway's embedded webpages are also made available in Asset Advisor where services experts can provide electrical system diagnostics.

EcoStruxure Panel Server is an integral part of Schneider Electric's continuous thermal monitoring application, mitigating risk of electrical fires whilst also increasing people and asset protection. Safety, prevention, and minimizing risks in data centers and installations are critical to Schneider Electric's clients. About 25% of all electrical fires are due to faulty or loose connections. And power outages cause a loss of US$110 billion and €150 Billion to US and EU economies, respectively.

With Panel Server connectivity to EcoStruxure Resource Advisor, facility managers can help improve their facility's energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption with energy usage analysis and performance tracking. Panel Server collects and shares energy data to help achieve energy conservation initiatives. It is certified as part of an energy data management system according to ISO 50001, ISO 50002, and ISO 50006.

Extending reality to empower electrical operations & maintenance workforce

As electrical distribution systems have become more complex, facility management teams have diminished in size. This has meant fewer, less-experienced employees to maintain critical assets and respond to any threats to electrical continuity while frequently working on unfamiliar equipment under often stressful conditions.

The use of extended reality (XR) technology – including virtual, augmented, and mixed reality – is already well-established in applications like healthcare, manufacturing, and industrial training. With EcoStruxure Extended Reality Operator Advisor, Schneider Electric brings the XR tools to electrical distribution operations and maintenance, accelerating training and empowering the facility workforce to improve safety and efficiency whilst saving time isolating risks and restoring power.

Real-time threat visibility with centralized cybersecurity management

With power distribution connectivity, there is a concern that the increased number of connected IoT devices can lead to significant cybersecurity issues. The risk and threat of cyber incidents in OT networks is reduced with a defense-in-depth approach to security that includes products and systems compliant to internationally recognized standards such as ISA/IEC 62443. EcoStruxure Power provides centralized cybersecurity management and real-time threat visibility, allowing operations to ensure control, ensure compliance with any other governmental compliance & standard.

The EcoStruxure™ Cybersecurity Application Platform offers various defense-in-depth modules enabling centralized security monitoring. Anomaly detection allows for the continuous and passive monitoring of networks and connected components for abnormal behavior against a known and machine learning baseline, helping users minimize the time to detect, characterize, report and respond to security breaches. The backup and restore feature helps to minimize operational downtime due to component failure or cyber-attack (e.g. ransomware) through automated and secure backups and rapid restoration.

Components of EcoStruxure™ Power's architecture also achieve product certifications to IEC62443-4-1/4-2 including EcoStruxure™ Power Operation software, EcoStruxure™ Power Automation System, PowerLogic Easergy P5, and PowerLogic Easergy T300.

Digital Twin technology improves power system modeling, simulation, and training

With the integration of ETAP Operator Training Software (eOTS) and EcoStruxure Power Operation energy management software, facility managers can experience a highly realistic Power Operation training environment driven by ETAP's electrical digital twin.

This unique integration allows all EcoStruxure Power Operation systems to connect with ETAP Electrical Digital Twin on a continuous real-time basis. With this connection, operators can create and understand power system behavior during various real-world or plausible operating scenarios. New operating procedures may be designed and validated against contingencies utilizing their familiar EcoStruxure Power Operation human-machine interface – all thanks to the underlying ETAP eOTS simulation and analysis platform.

The integration of Power Operation with ETAP OTS provides cost-effective practice routines without the risk of affecting actual operations, ultimately enabling faster responses to abnormal contingencies while minimizing operational risk.

Greater lifecycle efficiency through connectivity

EcoStruxure™ Power optimizes the CAPEX of smart solutions throughout the design, build and commissioning phases of projects by minimizing risk and costs and increasing efficiency.

With this new release, the EcoStruxure™ Panel Server reduces complexity and costs from design through operations to help enable the full potential of EcoStruxure™ Power. For more information, please visit here.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider's purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On.

Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency.

We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries.

We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values.

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SOURCE Schneider Electric