Schneider Electric’s Go Green Competition – A World-Wide Opportunity to Ignite Change
April 30 2025
By Krystie Johnston
Schneider Electric creates real impact by empowering all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability since 1836. Putting principles into practice, they are bringing back the Go Green Competition in 2025. Registration is open between April 1 and May 31, so get your team together and ignite change.
Want to know more about the Go Green competition? Frederick Morency, Vice President, Sustainability, Strategic Initiatives & Innovation at Scheider Electric answers some burning questions about the competition, the competitors, and the solutions.
What is the Go Green Competition all about?
Schneider’s Go Green competition has been running for over a decade. It was created to give young people – students and early-stage entrepreneurs – a global platform to share innovative ideas that address energy access, sustainability, and climate-related challenges. At Schneider Electric, they believe that the next generation holds the key to solving some of the most pressing issues of our time.
The Go Green Competition empowers young innovators with tools, mentorship, and resources to turn their ideas into action. It nurtures problem-solving skills, inspires climate-focused entrepreneurship, and supports the development of real-world solutions for both local and global energy challenges.
While this year’s theme has a specific focus – solar-powered agriculture and micro-businesses – renewable energy has been a recurring priority for several past editions of the Go Green Competition. Morency has seen consistent interest in solar, especially for decentralized applications, alongside projects involving wind, biogars, and hybrid energy systems.
What has changed is the increasing focus on accessibility and scalability – solutions that are not only clean, but affordable and replicable in underserved communities. Over time, participants. Have shifted from conceptual ideas to more grounded, technically feasible innovations. Morency says that this shows a growing maaturity in how young people are thinking about climate action – not just as innovation. But as implementation.
Schneider’s commitment to empowering all to make the most of our energy and resources is demonstrated in the many initiatives and strategies they use to ignite change. For example, Morency explains that their Go Green Competition is deeply connected to the company’s broader efforts such as Youth Education & Entrepreneurship and Access to Energy. These programs aim to develop skills and enable sustainable business models that benefit both people and the planet.
Youth Education & Entrepreneurship provides young people with education and training to prepare them for the green economy – through partnerships, courses, and mentoring.
Access to Energy helps bring clean, affordable energy to underserved populations world-wide – often by supporting grassroots energy entrepreneurs and local communities.
Go Green sits at the intersection of these two efforts. It is not just a competition – it is a catalyst for change. Through mentorship, participants are guided by Schneider professionals who help them refine ideas, consider energy equity, and align with market realities. It is through training platforms like Schneider Electric University that they build the competencies that are needed to continue innovating long after the competition ends.
What can you tell us about the competitors?
Currently, the Go Green Competition is open to university-level students and young professionals or entrepreneurs aged 18-30. While college or vocational students are not explicitly excluded, their elegilibility depends on whether their program is equivalent to post-secondary education.
A “young entrepreneur” is someone who is actively involved in building a startup or social enterprise related to sustainability or energy – but they must still be within that 18-30 age bracket, says Morency. These requirements ensure that the competition remains a space for early-stage up-and-coming change makers.
Each team must have a minimum of two and a maximum of four members. Morency says that teams of two are completely acceptable, and quite common. Larger teams, beyond four, are not permitted. The idea is to maintain a manageable format for collaboration, mentorship, and judging.
Schneider’s Go Green Competition is open to participants around the world. Morency says they see participation from all over – Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Europe, and North America. “One of the most inspiring aspects of Go Green is how geographically rooted the solutions are. While the ideas do not need to be limited to solving local issues, we do encourage solutions that reflect the participants’ understanding of their own communities’ energy challenges – because those ideas tend to be the most impactful and implementable.”
A great example of this is the 2022 winning team from Morocco, who created a solar-powered fish dryer to support local fisheries. Another example is a team from India who developed a hybrid solar-energy irrigation system for rural farmers. Both ideas addressed hyperlocal issues – food preservation and water access – while demonstrating scalability for other regions, Morency adds.
Can you tell us more about the solutions that the participants come up with? How do you select the winners?
One standout solution came from a team that designed a solar-powered milk chiller for rural dairy farmers. It addressed post-harvest losses – a common problem in areas without refrigeration – and was praised for being lost-cost, scalable, and rooted in real community needs. “What set it apart,” Morency recalls, “was its practicality and immediate value for local livelihoods.” Another memorable entry focused on portable solar charging units for informal micro-businesses in Africa – again, rooted in local reality, but with global relevance.
Submissions are evaluated in multiple rounds by Schneider Electric professionals and sustainability experts. The judging criteria include innovation, feasibility, impact, alignment with the theme, and how well the solution integrates Schnieder’s energy and automation expertise.
Regional rounds are judged locally, and finalists are selected for the global finals, where they pitch their ideas live – either virtually or at a global location, depending on the year. Peer judging is not a part of the process, but teams are encouraged to engage with and learn from one another throughout the process.
Schneider Electric is all about bridging progress and sustainability, and the progress that teams make during Go Green are all part of igniting that change. Even if a team does not win, their solution still adds value. Many go on to develop their ideas independently, enter other incubator programs, or use the experience to enhance their careers, says Morency.
“The mentorship and exposure to Schneider’s ecosystem often sparks continued innovation. For us, success is not just about the winners – it is about the wider ripple effect on education, entrepreneurship, and climate-focused thinking.”
Some of the best ideas go on to receive further support – either from incubators, NGOs, or even Schneider Electric partnerships. For example, in past years, some teams have been invited to collaborate with local Schneider teams to pilot their concepts or apply for further funding.
A few teams have even gone on to create their own social enterprises based on their Co Green concepts. These ideas do not end at the competition – they often become steppingstones to real-world change.
Some final thoughts?
The Go Green Competition is more than a contest – it is a reflection of Schneider Electric’s long-standing belief that innovation and sustainability must be inclusive. We want to give young people – especially those from underrepresented regions – a voice and a chance to lead. At a time when climate action requires global cooperation and local understanding, this competition helps build a bridge between the two.
About Frederick Morency
Frederick has been with Schneider Electric for over 25 years and is the quarterback for Sustainability in Canada, guiding net-zero actions across the company’s operations and value chain and supporting customers’ sustainability journey. In 2023, Frederick was named to The Globe & Mail’s Best Executives list for his leadership and expertise in the market.
He is a trusted advisor and has helped customers in over 40 countries decarbonize and efficiently manage their energy use. Prior to his role as the Sustainability lead for Schneider Electric, Frederick served as Vice President, Services, where he orchestrated strong digital experiences between Schneider Electric’s partners, customers and core businesses.
Frederick is a strong believer in the power of mentorship. Under his leadership, Schneider Electric has partnered with the Indigenous Clean Energy Social Enterprise (ICE) to help Indigenous communities build a clean energy plan. He also supports the next-generation of talent and academia through alliances with HEC Montreal and other research institutes and is involved with think tanks and start-ups who are mapping innovative ways to reach net-zero ambitions.
Frederick is also actively engaged in the Canadian business community through his involvement in the Association de l’industrie électrique du Québec (AIEQ) and the Institut en génie de l’énergie électrique (l’IGEE). He is regularly featured as a keynote speaker and panelist to discuss electrification planning and to guide industry partners, policymakers, customers and regulators on advancing Canada’s climate action ambitions.
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