Schneider Electric: Making the Invisible Visible in the Energy Landscape for Healthcare   

The healthcare industry is a significantly energy-intensive sector. In total, it is responsible for up to 8% of global energy consumption, caused by emitting large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants.

As such, the industry has a responsibility to accelerate decarbonisation, and the energy choices of hospitals and healthcare systems can and will have a great impact on the environment and the bottom line.  

With smart energy choices for the industry having a sizable impact on global efforts to reach Net Zero, ultimately saving energy costs, healthcare industry stakeholders need to prioritise adopting energy efficient technology today, not just for the environment, but the health and safety of patients. 

Leading the Clean Energy Transition  

There is a real opportunity for the healthcare industry to spearhead change and lead the way for the clean energy transition.

One of the most pressing matters is the decarbonisation of buildings, which account for 40% of greenhouse emissions in the EU.

At current speeds, this will take around a century – almost four times too slow for the 2050 cut-off. In the medical industry, buildings like hospitals and medical centres contribute significantly to these figures.

In the UK alone, National Health Service (NHS) providers produce approximately 156,000 tonnes of clinical waste that is either sent to high temperature incineration (HTI) or for alternative treatment (AT), which is equivalent to over 400 loaded jumbo jets of waste. 

 Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency has predicted that low-emissions energy sources can cover almost all the growth in global electricity demand in the next three years.

However, a lot of renewables presently produced go to waste. This is because current energy grids don’t have the capacity to flow all the power produced. Grid capacity must be improved, and power networks accelerated.

The EU still spends €1 billion a day on importing energy, even though simplifying permitting regulations, shortening licensing times, and increasing investment into new generation could drastically lower this cost.  

Healthcare businesses across Europe can play a huge role in this transition, and in turn, glean the benefits of digitalisation and electrification.

In fact, I believe there are three core pillars in which the healthcare industry should invest to ensure their operations remain resilient amidst geopolitical changes and the energy evolution.  

Pillar One: People  

Navigating both the energy crisis and the climate crisis also necessitates having the right people in the right places. Talent globalisation strategies continue to be crucial, especially for ensuring that European healthcare companies receive the most relevant materials and experts as and when they need them. This way, the region can avoid depending on other parts of the world for where there may be worsening macro-economic and geopolitical tensions.  

By investing and creating local talent with end-to-end competencies across the continent and strengthening local medical facilities within each country and region, we can ensure less volatility for European consumers and companies.  

Pillar Two: Education 

Many healthcare providers often find themselves without the knowledge and resources to set climate goals, measure carbon emissions, and benchmark and report on their progress.

That’s why digital platforms like Sustainability School offer various interactive courses designed to equip both companies and professionals with the expertise and skills required to boost their environmental efforts.

That way, more and more businesses across Europe can build up the talent needed for a successful sustainability journey.  

This is particularly vital in the healthcare sector, where continuous knowledge-sharing is crucial to ensure the whole region grows together, and at scale, to reduce the negative impact of the energy crisis. 

It is also important to highlight the great work European companies are doing to inspire and empower others to do the same; a concept Schneider Electric is leading from within as an impact company.  

Pillar Three: Digitalisation 

To provide for patients in a rapidly changing environment, healthcare organisations must be able to evolve while maintaining a focus on patient care.

This requires facilities that are not only resilient and efficient but also sustainable. By leveraging all-digital, all-electric Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, hospitals can better address critical challenges such as decarbonisation, rising patient expectations, and outdated infrastructure.  

In hospitals, not having a steady supply of power 24/7 could literally be life or death. In addition, it takes a substantial amount of energy to power the specialist equipment in healthcare facilities.

To reduce the risk of blackouts and power cuts, hospitals can adopt energy management solutions like EcoStruxure PME to give staff a more accurate overview of energy consumption.

Thanks to these digital solutions, Lille University Hospital could optimize energy usage, reduce costs, and boost the resiliency of its power supply to better serve its 1.4 million patients.  

Most importantly, investing in the right digital solutions can help protect patients’ safety and well-being.

When a circuit breaker trips, troubleshooting can take as long as two hours, which is a huge risk for hospitals.

While many hospitals have backup generators, these are reserved for essential areas and services. Power outages could cause medical supplies to become defective and put patients’ safety at risk.

Schneider Electric’s MasterPacT MTZ Active circuit breaker is designed with usability in mind, so operators can simply scan a QR code to identify the cause of the outage and how to restore power quickly to minimise the risks to patients and medical supplies.  

As the world becomes increasingly digital, these advanced technologies will become crucial in supporting the transformation of healthcare facilities into more adaptive, patient-centric spaces capable of meeting both current and future needs. 

 Creating a World of Impact Companies in the Healthcare Sector 

Social and environmental changes are accelerating worldwide and becoming tougher and tougher to navigate.

Now, companies in every industry are having to rethink their purposes and aims. If they can become sustainable today, they have the freedom to operate, thrive and create positive change tomorrow. 

We believe this type of impact requires ‘impact companies’, which every business can become. In healthcare, stakeholders at every level need to adopt this mindset when approaching sustainability. It simply encompasses two overarching principles:  

• Do good to do well and do well to do good: Business performance enables environmental and social impact. Sustainability is a source of performance and growth.  
• Bring everyone along: Positive impact can only happen if you’re not a lonely leader, if you instead foster a movement of global goals and local efforts to leave no one behind. 

At Schneider Electric, we’re committed to helping our suppliers and partners decarbonize their operations.

Under our Energize Program, we have collaborated with 12 global pharmaceutical companies to engage hundreds of suppliers to help decarbonize the pharmaceutical value chain. Together, we can make a much greater impact than if we worked alone. 

With 2050 growing ever closer, it’s time that more healthcare providers think like impact companies, and invest in the people, education, and digital solutions needed to future-proof their operations.

That way, we can make sure we stay on track to meet European energy transition goals, solve the dual energy and climate crises, and enjoy a stable, planet-friendly future. 

By Matteo Crespi, SVP, Power Products Europe Hub, Schneider Electric