Schneider Electric Launches "Light It Up" to Bring Access to Electricity to Rural Communities in Asia, Ensuring Life Is On

SINGAPORE, Nov. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, announced today that it has launched "Light It Up", its programme to bring access to electricity to rural communities across the Asia Pacific region.  Schneider Electric believes that access to energy is a basic human right, and it is committed to putting safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable energy within reach of a great many households, ensuring Life Is On for everyone, everywhere, and at every moment.

From mid-September to early November this year, Schneider Electric employees will distribute more than 1,800 units of the Mobiya solar lamps to rural communities in 12 countries across the region.

Economic and social development is largely driven by access to energy. However, around 1.3 billion people on this planet still lack access to modern energy today¹, while another one billion people have access to only unreliable electricity networks. A significant proportion of the world's energy poor are living in Asia. In countries like Myanmar and Cambodia, the rural electrification rate can be as low as 18 percent².

Safe and Clean Access to Energy
Schneider Electric's commitment to promoting sustainable development and providing safe and clean access to energy is in its DNA. In the past six years, Schneider Electric has contributed to providing 5 million people with access to energy. The goal is to reach 50 million people within the next 10 years.

With "Light It Up", a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, Schneider Electric employees, as well as sponsors from Schneider Electric's partners and customers from 17 countries in Asia Pacific have bought and sponsored a total of over 1,800 Mobiya solar lamps. These lamps will be distributed to rural communities across 12 countries: Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, connecting a total of over 1,300 families to electricity and lighting, and helping to improve living conditions for these communities.

"Light It Up" with Innovation at Every Level
"At Schneider, we believe that access to energy is a basic human right and energy should be made available to everyone. I am happy that this project brings many parties together who want to contribute meaningfully in helping remote communities gain access to safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable energy," said Damien Dhellemmes, Senior Vice-President of Global Supply Chain, East Asia, Japan & Pacific at Schneider Electric. "With the Light It Up programme, we look forward to sharing our innovation at every level in energy with the rural and remote communities in this region."

Schneider Innovation at Every Level harnesses the power and promise of the Internet of Things to reshape cities, transform industries and enrich lives through connected products, edge control, and apps, analytics and services.

Here are some of the key 'Light It Up' projects that will take place this year:

• 162 households in the Kawhmu Village in Myanmar are living in poverty and have no access to the outside world. Upon recommendation from the Department of Rural Development, Government Ministry (DRD), Schneider Electric aims to equip each household with a Mobiya solar lamp to improve the lighting situation for late night studying and increase the safety for night time transportation.
• 96 low-income households in the suburban area on the hills of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia do not have access to electricity and rely on candles as their main source of light. In collaboration with the French-Mongolian Chamber of Commerce and Ulaanbaatar's Social Welfare and Service department, Schneider Electric aims to provide every household with a Mobiya solar lamp to extend children's study time and adults' productivity.
• 275 households in Tan Loi Village in the An Giang Province of Vietnam from the Khmer ethnic minority group are living off-grid with no sustainable source of income. In partnership with GreenID (a local NGO) and the Women's Union of Tan Loi, Schneider Electric will be providing 192 Mobiya solar lamps to the village, which will be distributed to the villagers via a sustainable entrepreneurship plan.
• The fishing community in Dreamland Rosario at Cavite in the Philippines is considered one of the poorest districts in the province. The 50 families in the community cannot afford electricity in their homes, and have to rely on kerosene and candles for their lighting needs. Schneider Electric will donate Mobiya solar lamps to the 50 affected families to not only help the families to cut down their spending on kerosene fuel, but also as "fish bait" and safe use on fishing boats.

The Mobiya range of portable products for lighting and mobile charging are award winning energy-efficient and eco-friendly LED lamps that provide up to 48 hours of lighting with one day of solar charge.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is the global specialist in energy management and automation. With revenues of ~€27 billion in FY2015, our 160,000+ employees serve customers in over 100 countries, helping them to manage their energy and process in ways that are safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable. From the simplest of switches to complex operational systems, our technology, software and services improve the way our customers manage and automate their operations. Our connected technologies reshape industries, transform cities and enrich lives. At Schneider Electric, we call this Life Is On.

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¹ Source: IEA, World Energy Outlook 2015
² Source: IEA, World Energy Outlook 2015

SOURCE Schneider Electric

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