Schneider Electric partners with RBG Kew to meet 2030 climate positive goal

Digital automation and energy specialist, Schneider Electric, has announced a strategic partnership with Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG), Kew.

As Kew’s official Energy Sustainability Partner, Schneider Electric will play a critical role in helping the world-famous botanic gardens meet its goal to become climate positive by 2030, through decarbonisation, electrification, and energy efficiency.

As a UNESCO World Heritage site with a sizeable footprint, Grade 1 and 2 listed buildings, and high visitor numbers, Kew Gardens faces unique challenges in achieving its sustainability plans and targets.

The partnership will see Schneider Electric take a hands-on role, advising Kew on how to develop and deliver its comprehensive sustainability plan which includes transitioning away from fossil fuels, reducing carbon emissions, and optimising energy use across its historic and complex estate at both Kew Gardens and Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden based in Sussex.

As part of the agreement, Schneider Electric will provide a dedicated energy optimisation engineer, located onsite and on long-term secondment to Kew, helping to:

• Support Kew in evaluating the impact, cost, and priority of energy efficiency, controls, and monitoring projects
• Identify, assess, and implement energy-saving opportunities within Kew’s Building Management Systems (BMS) and Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) plant
• Explore available innovative solutions, such as cost-effective electricity use, battery storage, and microgrid opportunities, at both Kew Gardens and Wakehurst

The partnership’s projects will begin in earnest with the arrival of Schneider Electric’s consultant on site at Kew Gardens in September, marking the start of the next chapter in Kew’s sustainability journey.

Rachel Purdon, Head of Sustainability at RBG, Kew said: “We are proud of our commitment to urgently tackling the dual climate and biodiversity crises through everything that we do at Kew. Our partnership with Schneider Electric marks a major step forward in our sustainability journey. Working together we can accelerate progress towards our ambitious goals, including becoming climate positive in less than five years. With Kew’s unique combination of historic buildings, globally irreplaceable collections, and role inspiring diverse audiences to connect with nature, we face complex and wide-ranging challenges. Schneider Electric’s expertise and hands-on support will be invaluable – it will help us deliver real, measurable decarbonisation progress across our sites.” 

Kelly Becker, President, Schneider Electric UK and Ireland, Belgium and Netherlands commented: “Both of our organisations are impact makers, united in our vision for a more sustainable planet. By combining our climate positive partnership, expertise, and energy management and automation solutions, we’re able to take real action to realise a more sustainable future at RBG Kew. We also have deep experience with helping organisations like Kew advance their energy resiliency, a growing priority across businesses, utilities, and communities worldwide. In Kew’s case, maintaining a consistent energy supply is essential to protecting the world’s largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections for humanity – and we’re honoured to be a part of the solution.”