Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric set up Access to Energy (A2E) that brings together investment, entrepreneurship, and technology to provide energy for everyone. Since 2009, 24 million people benefited from this program. Despite the well-adapted solar products that Schneider Electric provide through this program, the penetration of the sub-Saharan market is low.

Therefore, the main objective of this project was to design potential business models that Schneider could implement on the ground through partnerships with local institutions and NGOs.

Deliverables

• Market study and benchmark of solar lamp distribution models around the world.
• Three main business models that have the potential to work for Schneider.

 
A benchmark and a market study of solar lamps distribution models needed to be made in order to establish efficient business models. To do so, students conducted 12 interviews both from Schneider Electric employees and from external organizations in relationships with the energy access sector. Other solar energy distributors such as Pamiga and Jiro-Ve were also questioned on their business model to better design the students’ proposals. 

Key conclusions and learnings

The main takeaways include the substantial opportunity for growth in the sector of solar energy in Africa. Building two business plans, one based on pay-per-charge and the other one based on RFI allowed students to have a better understanding of what option best fit the market for Schneider Electric.