Energy Technology: How the Convergence of Data, Energy, and Automation Is Reshaping Industry in Latin America

Energy Technology: How the Convergence of Data, Energy, and Automation Is Reshaping Industry in Latin America

By Ricardo Honório, Journalist | EnergyChannel

In a global landscape marked by growing pressure for efficiency, decarbonization, and industrial competitiveness, the concept of “energy and industrial intelligence” is emerging as one of the key pillars of today’s economic transformation.

In Latin America, this movement is gaining rapid momentum driven by digitalization, the expansion of renewable energy, and the urgent need to modernize production systems. In this context, Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy technology, positions itself as a key player by integrating electrification, automation, and digital intelligence into a single technological architecture.

In an exclusive interview conducted by Ricardo Honório, João Salgueiro, Senior Energy Efficiency Manager for Latin America at SE Advisory Services—Schneider Electric’s global consulting division—and Fabio Castellini, Power Systems Director at Schneider Electric, explain how this convergence is redefining the role of energy across homes, buildings, data centers, industry, infrastructure, and the power grids of the future.

From Infrastructure to Software: The Rise of Energy Intelligence

“The future of sustainability lies in the ability to transform physical assets into software-defined systems,” says João Salgueiro.

At the core of this transformation is the concept of “energy technology,” which combines electrification, automation, and digital intelligence to create more efficient, resilient, and flexible operational environments.

EcoStruxure, the company’s digital architecture, is the main driver of this transformation. It connects three operational layers: smart devices that capture field data, control systems that monitor and automate processes in real time, and software and services that turn this data into actionable insights for decision-making.

By integrating energy and process data, EcoStruxure creates a unified view across buildings, data centers, industries, and infrastructure enabling real-time energy optimization, improved asset reliability, and accelerated decarbonization strategies.

In practice, this means operational managers can monitor every energy and industrial variable, instantly identify deviations, and act predictively reducing waste and increasing productivity.

“Energy and industrial intelligence allows organizations to collect, analyze, and act based on data. Beyond improving energy efficiency, it also enables progress in other critical sustainability dimensions, such as water management, resource efficiency, and waste reduction,” explains Salgueiro.

The integration of artificial intelligence particularly more efficient models known as “frugal AI” further enhances this analytical capability without increasing environmental impact, enabling faster, safer, and more strategic decisions.

Decarbonization Beyond Hardware: A Systemic Transformation

According to Salgueiro, reducing operational emissions requires a much broader approach than simply replacing equipment.

The company’s strategy involves a systemic analysis of industrial and commercial operations, combining energy efficiency, electrification, process optimization, and renewable energy.

Technologies such as heat pumps, advanced industrial control systems, automation for HVAC and compressors, and the gradual electrification of processes that previously relied on fossil fuels are examples of solutions applied in these projects.

“The goal is to structure decarbonization by considering available resources, equipment obsolescence, and learning curves prioritizing efficiency gains before major structural changes,” he notes.

In this context, industrial software such as Advanced Process Control (APC) plays a key role by enabling process optimization without requiring physical infrastructure changes.

This type of solution is particularly relevant for energy-intensive sectors, where operational improvements can generate significant impacts on both emissions and costs.

“With this systemic approach, clients can better plan their decarbonization journey and allocate investments more strategically, maximizing environmental and financial outcomes in the short, medium, and long term,” he adds.

Smart Grids and the Challenge of Decentralized Energy

In the power systems arena, Fabio Castellini highlights that the expansion of distributed generation is fundamentally transforming the energy sector.

“Brazil surpassed 40 GW of distributed solar generation in 2025, while Latin America has already exceeded 85 GW of installed capacity,” he states.

This growth requires smarter, more flexible, and more resilient grids capable of supporting the expansion of renewable energy across the region.

Schneider Electric addresses this challenge with platforms such as EcoStruxure Grid ADMS and EcoStruxure Grid Analytics, which leverage artificial intelligence to integrate weather, distributed generation, and consumption data enabling the anticipation of instabilities and the execution of preventive actions.

Automation technologies integrated with SCADA systems allow the grid to operate with a “self-healing” logic, automatically reconfiguring circuits, reducing outages, and restoring power supply more quickly.

Meanwhile, EcoStruxure DERMS enables the coordination of thousands of distributed assets such as solar panels, batteries, and demand response programs turning consumers into active participants in the energy system and helping maintain grid balance.

The Role of Media in Democratizing the Energy Transition

For Salgueiro, one of today’s major challenges is making technical concepts more accessible to broader audiences.

“The democratization of knowledge is essential to amplify the positive impact of these technologies and accelerate decarbonization,” he says.

Schneider Electric invests in educational initiatives and energy access programs aimed at providing clean and reliable electricity to millions of people and, through energy management training, creating opportunities for social inclusion and upward mobility.

By the end of 2025, the company had already provided access to renewable energy solutions for more than 50 million people and trained over one million individuals in energy management.

The company also supports the open dissemination of technical knowledge through Schneider Electric University and the Schneider Sustainability Research Institute, offering technical content, studies, and white papers without commercial bias.

According to Salgueiro, supporting independent media and documentary productions is essential in this process.

“When major brands support impactful content, they help make complex topics more understandable and expand the reach of critical discussions.”

This connection between technology, communication, and society is seen as crucial to driving the cultural and behavioral changes needed to accelerate the climate transition.

The Legacy of the New Energy Era

Looking ahead, Salgueiro emphasizes that the main legacy will be the construction of a sustainable transformation based on open automation, system integration, and intelligent resource management.

“The technologies needed for decarbonization already exist. The challenge is to implement them in a structured, integrated, and economically viable way,” he says.

The strategy focuses on connecting existing assets, integrating diverse systems, and creating interoperable environments avoiding unnecessary replacements while maximizing the value of installed infrastructure.

This model enables the integration of distributed generation, storage, microgrids, and demand response into a single intelligent architecture, increasing flexibility for consumers and accelerating the adoption of renewable energy.

In this process, the company’s global consulting division, SE Advisory Services, plays a central role by combining deep expertise, technology, and global implementation capabilities to transform sustainability, energy, and digitalization goals into measurable results.

In a landscape filled with multiple technological options, SE Advisory Services helps clients establish a clear roadmap—prioritizing short-, medium-, and long-term projects, reducing risks, and maximizing return on investment at every stage.

“Our goal is to help companies build a lasting transformation that combines operational efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainability,” he concludes.

A New Logic for Energy and Industry

At a time when energy is becoming one of the world’s most strategic resources, energy technology represents a structural shift in how energy is produced, distributed, and consumed.

By integrating data, automation, and electrification, companies can operate with unprecedented levels of intelligence, predictability, and efficiency.

In Latin America, this transformation represents not only environmental gains but also a strategic competitive advantage in the global landscape.

And as Schneider Electric’s executives emphasize, the future no longer depends on new inventions—but on the ability to integrate, scale, and apply technologies that already exist.

The energy revolution has already begun. And above all, it is digital.

Energy Technology: How the Convergence of Data, Energy, and Automation Is Reshaping Industry in Latin America