OREANDA-NEWS. Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, announces team India as the winner of this year’s Go Green in the City Championship. The winning team members Mohamad Meraj Shaikh and Spoorthy Kotla, students of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur were awarded for their incredible work through a case study on ‘Efficient Energy Management Application’. The winners were chosen from a group of 12 finalists representing 12 countries selected from the top 100 teams that qualified for the semi-finals, by a jury comprising Schneider Electric business leaders.

Congratulating the winning team, Mr. Anil Chaudhary, Country President & MD, Schneider Electric India said, “I wish the winning team many congratulations and also, thank them for making our country proud. It is our privilege to have such talent in our country. Through this competition it has always been Schneider Electric’s attempt to discover intelligent energy management ideas for a smarter city. Since the launch of the championship in 2011, we have received extremely enthusiastic participation every year from all over the country. We hope, this win will set an example and motivate many others to participate in the coming years.”

As a part of the initiative, Go Green in the City, candidates presented case studies focusing on energy solutions for cities. Working in teams of two, with at least one woman on the team, students devised viable solutions for energy management sectors critical to cities, such as: home, university, retail, water and hospital.

Speaking about Schneider Electric’s endeavor of involving today’s youth in energy management initiatives, Prof. S. Chattopadhyay, Head of Department IIT Kharagpur said, “Such competitions are a real melting pot of ideas and a brilliant way towards global solutions for local problems. We always encourage and look forward to such global competitions. It is a grand achievement and my heartiest congratulations to both the students. I hope their success story is an inspiration for the batches to come.”

The 12 finalist teams came from United States, Brazil, China, France, Turkey, Russia, Morocco, Pakistan, Australia, Philippine, Japan and India. They presented their ideas for efficient energy management in smart cities to a jury composed of Schneider Electric senior management. During the 3 day event, the finalists visited facilities of the Group, networked with Schneider Electric employees, and attended career-building workshops.

The India team won a world VIP-style trip with Schneider Electric, visiting facilities, and networking with employees and senior management. They were also offered a professional opportunity with Schneider Electric.

The Go Green in the City competition has received a total of around 30 000 participants in the last five years and expanded its scope from 8 countries in 2011 to 168 countries in 2015. In these last five years, Schneider Electric has seen strong and increasing interest from students for this contest especially from the new economies. First time participants Bhutan and the Democratic Republic of Congo had an impressive representation in this year’s challenge and there was a surge in entries from India and Indonesia.

About Schneider Electric

As a global specialist in energy management and automation with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in Non-residential & Residential Buildings, Industries & Machines Manufacturers, Utilities & Infrastructure and Data Centers & Networks. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green, the Group's 170,000 employees achieved revenues of 25 billion euros in 2014, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations make the most of their energy.