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Sustainable development Schneider Electric, an eco-citizen company

their point of sale of energy access products in their villages, advise villagers on domestic electrification and provide maintenance of installed products. Decentralized rural electrification: Collective electrification continues, following the success of the projects launched since 2009. Over the last 4 years, more than 950 off-grid and micro-power systems have been deployed using Schneider Electric technologies, mainly in Cameroon, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Senegal or Togo. The Group provides expertise to municipalities for defining energy needs, sizing electrification solutions, mobilization of local partners for installation, and training of maintenance and after- sales service agents. Schneider Electric set up off-grid solar power stations that powered community buildings and charging equipment. All micro-units are managed by an entrepreneur located within the community and trained by Schneider Electric to ensure maintenance and economic viability in the long term. In 2014, Schneider Electric partnered with Golden Key Company (GKC) in Myanmar to electrify 3 villages in the province of Irrawady. Some 800 households have been electrified through an experimental microgrid solar solution, all with direct current that enables them to power 2 LED lights, a cell phone charger and a radio 24 hours a day. Since 2015, Schneider Electric has been involved in the electrification of more than 250 villages in Indonesia as part of a government program. Microgrids with 15 to 75 kW in power supply each village consisting of 80 to 520 households. In 2015, Schneider Electric also electrified 128 schools across Kenya. Solar electrification solutions can be customized for each school and can power up to 30 computers to facilitate the teaching process. At the same time, the success of the first village electrifications in the province of Ogun in Nigeria, has given rise to a collaboration between Schneider Electric and the companies GVE Projects Ltd, Arnergy Solar Ltd and Havenhill Synergy Ltd to electrify new villages in the provinces of Osun, Gombe and Niger. Thanks to the support of the Bank of Industries and the UNDP, the partners are implementing economically viable and sustainable solutions, particularly thanks to the installation of pre-paid meters in each of the homes and businesses connected to the microgrids. In 2016, Schneider Electric made a commitment to the Rockefeller Foundation, signing an agreement to become its technology and skills transfer partner. Since 2010, the Rockefeller Foundation has fought against fuel poverty by supporting private operators who supply electricity through micro-grids. It allows communities to benefit from lighting solutions and to develop income-generating activities. Today, with a commitment of USD75 million, the Rockefeller Foundation aims to extend this activity to electrify 1,000 villages in India over the next years thanks to the Smart Power for Rural Development (SPRD) initiative.

Schneider Electric’s strategy for training underprivileged populations in the energy sector includes 3 key priorities: E basic training over a few months, which is free and accessible to a large number of people, and adapted as much as possible to the local situation; these training courses lead to the issuing of a certificate of competence by Schneider Electric; E single or multi-year training leading to qualifications, in partnership with local Ministries of Education, if not included within a bilateral logic; E the training of trainers to support the effective and quality roll-out of training down the line. Building on the results of its training, the Access to Energy Training & Entrepreneurship program decided to go further by supporting social and informal entrepreneurs in the energy sector. Employment markets in emerging and developing economies are strongly influenced by the importance of the informal sector, sub-activity or multi-activity in order to accumulate sources of income. Training in the specific skills needed by the entrepreneur, start-up support, support and financing are key to creating sustainable activities. In particular, we try to support women’s entrepreneurship in the energy sector, integrate them at every step of the energy access value chain and find the right partners to create a favorable ecosystem. These actions are always implemented in partnership with local players and/or national or international non-profit organizations (NGOs, governments, etc.). They systematically work with Schneider Electric’s local subsidiary. The actions may be accompanied by funding for investments in materials and missions of the volunteers of the Schneider Electric Teachers association, which, if the need arises, enable the transfer of expertise. Schneider Electric currently has a wide range of educational models tailored to the needs of emerging countries. This range is constantly being developed into the business lines and solutions of the future. In India, the training program contributes to 270 centers (including 9 solar energy training centers) across 26 States of the country. Since the inception of this program in 2009, we have trained over 85,000 unemployed youths from financially disadvantaged background and positively impacted their lives by skilling them. In 2016, Schneider Electric India Foundation and Schneider Electric Foundation signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the National Skill Development Corporation, an entity under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, to set up 100 electrician training centers and a center of excellence for the training of trainers in the field of electricity, renewable energy and automation. As part of our constant endeavor to keep our training program aligned to our vision as well to the requirement of the industry, we introduced a training program on solar energy. We opened 4 such centers in 2016. 17,205 youth and 139 trainers were trained in 2017. To understand the impact of the program on the lives of trainees, we also conducted 10 alumni meets during the year. We trained 30 entrepreneurs during the year and, to build the perennial pipeline of interested entrepreneurs, started the initiative of conducting entrepreneurial meet. Aligned with the vision and ambition of the program in Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines and Pakistan we have partnered with vocational training centers to provide access to quality education for the young people.

Training & Entrepreneurship Approach

The key challenge of training in the energy sector is to provide underprivileged people with the knowledge and skills to be able to carry out a trade in a safe and responsible way, providing them and their families with the means for satisfactory subsistence. It will also give them the ability, should they wish, to sell and maintain energy access offerings and to create their own small business in time. Furthermore, they are a vital and indispensable element for all responsible and sustainable rural electrification policies.

2017 REGISTRATION DOCUMENT SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

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