Feature: Industrial
The energy crunch is also a
last-mile problem By Bin Lu, EVP Global Power Products, Schneider Electric
F
or much of the past two decades, the energy transition has been viewed primarily through the lens of generation. Renewable deployment, grid-scale
storage, transmission expansion and nuclear investment all remain critical. However, an equally important challenge is emerging much closer to where electricity is consumed. Te next constraint on our energy
system is increasingly the last mile: the low-voltage electrical infrastructure that distributes power throughout industrial facilities, commercial buildings and critical infrastructure. As electrification accelerates, this is where many of the next generation of engineering challenges will need to be solved.
Electrification is changing the rules Electric vehicle charging, heat pumps, HVAC systems and rapidly expanding digital infrastructure are introducing larger and less predictable electrical loads. At the same time, greater adoption of renewable energy increases the need for flexibility across the electricity system. Together, these changes are reshaping low-voltage electrical distribution. Factories and buildings are evolving from passive consumers of electricity into
active participants in a more connected, responsive energy system. Historically, electrical distribution
has been designed around three core objectives: safety, reliability and availability. While these remain fundamental, most installations were developed for relatively stable demand profiles, with limited visibility into how electrical capacity is used once commissioned. Today’s electrical systems are
considerably more dynamic. Industrial facilities and buildings now combine EV charging, rooſtop solar, battery storage, heat pumps and increasingly sophisticated management systems. Manufacturing facilities are electrifying production processes, while data centres continue to expand to support cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Tese changes are increasing the complexity of electrical distribution at exactly the point where available capacity is oſten most constrained. In many cases, the challenge is not
simply generating more electricity. It is ensuring existing low-voltage infrastructure can accommodate changing demand efficiently, safely and economically. Tis is where “energy intelligence” is becoming increasingly important.
34 November 2026
www.electronicsworld.co.uk
Transformative energy intellgence At its simplest, “energy intelligence” is a layer that connects electrical assets, operational data and energy systems, to provide meaningful insight and support better decisions in real time. It combines connected electrical equipment, embedded sensing, communications and soſtware to create visibility across the electrical distribution network within a building or facility. By bringing together data from connected devices, it enables organisations to anticipate changing conditions, optimise performance and support operational decisions rather than simply respond to events aſter they occur. For engineers the value lies not in
connectivity for its own sake, but in what that connectivity enables. Rather than relying on periodic inspections or isolated measurements, engineers can continuously monitor electrical performance across the installation. Tey can understand how capacity is being used, identify changing load profiles, monitor power quality, detect abnormal operating conditions and make informed decisions about how electrical assets should be managed. Te objective is not simply collecting
more data; it is giving context to operational data so that electrical systems can anticipate changing conditions, optimise performance and support
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