New partnership to enhance energy resiliency for US municipal utilities
Technology firm Schneider Electric has formed an alliance with Citizens Energy Corporation, a Boston-based non-profit energy company, to increase access to sustainable and dependable energy sources for communities often left behind in the Northeast.
The two companies will help municipalities in the region to align energy projects with President Joe Biden’s infrastructure modernisation plan.
The collaboration aims to increase the resilience of energy infrastructure and ensuring lower electricity costs for municipal customers in New England at the same time.
Schneider Electric and Citizens Energy Corporation will partner with both the private and public sectors to mitigate disaster-related outages and climate change. Schneider Electric will support Citizens Energy’s existing storage and microgrid projects and cooperate on new projects for non-profit organisations and municipalities.
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Donald Wingate, vice president, utility & microgrid solutions for Schneider Electric, said Citizens Energy Corporation’s “mission to ensure all people have access to clean energy resources for their basic needs is aligned with Schneider’s values and Sustainability Impact Goals to bring smarter, greener infrastructure to life that contributes to economic growth and climate action.”
Citizens Energy’s founder and chairman Joseph P. Kennedy II, adds: “Our partnership with Schneider Electric comes at a time when more communities than ever struggle to access affordable power that mitigates the effects of climate change.
“As a result of severe weather that has caused widespread power outages, this partnership is designed to protect vulnerable communities. We’re proud to work with Schneider to make the green energy revolution accessible for all.”
The two companies will help municipalities and communities in the design and implementation of projects to help them secure federal funding.
The first project to result from this partnership was launched in Spring of this year on behalf of the Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception, a social services institution in Connecticut. Citizens Energy Corporation is funding the microgrid using the Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) business model allowing construction to be completed without any up-front costs to the Daughters of Mary.
