28 March 2014, Lagos – Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management, has unveiled the 100 teams that qualified for the semi-finals of the “Go Green in the City” global student challenge.
In the first year of Africa’s participation in the global competition, three teams emerged from Nigeria, while 10 teams emerged from the rest of Africa.
This year, over 12,000 students from over 462 universities participated in the challenge.
In a statement yesterday, Schneider Electric said one hundred teams from over 462 universities emerged from the competition group stages to participate in the semi-final phase of the competition.
“The competition for the top 100 was even fiercer this year as the total applications almost doubled compared to the 2013 edition. As in previous years, candidates will present a case study focusing on energy solutions for cities, with the support of a Schneider Electric mentor,” said Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources, Schneider Electric, Karen Ferguson.
She said the students, working in teams of two, with at least one woman in the team, will devise viable solutions for energy management sectors critical to cities, such as: home, university, retail, water and hospital.
The 2014 edition of “Go Green in the City” opened the challenge to countries across the globe, increasing the accessibility of the program to students, especially from Africa and Asia-Pacific.
She added: “This increase in participants supports the statement that future engineers and leaders are more and more aware that the increased demand for energy will have to be balanced with social progress and environmental protection. Schneider Electric is delighted to interact with these young talents coming from all over the world, to find solutions to meet the energy challenges of our cities.”
The top 100 teams, she said, will have four weeks to elaborate on their case study with an assigned mentor from Schneider Electric.
The mentor, according to her will provide feedback and coaching to help them develop a synopsis and a video business case for this semi-finalist round of the competition.
On April 17th, the 12 best teams will be selected by a jury composed of Schneider Electric members and invited to travel to Paris in June to compete in the final event.
The winning team will travel the world, VIP-style, with Schneider Electric, visiting facilities and networking with employees and high-level management. The winning team will also be offered an employment opportunity with Schneider Electric.”
– This Day