Schneider Electric Names Lance Haines Microgrid CTO in North America
Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today announced that Lance Haines will assume the role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the company’s Microgrid segment in North America, driving consistent product and technology roadmaps that enable sustainable, reliable and scalable microgrid solutions.
Haines succeeds Andy Haun, the company’s first Microgrid CTO for North America, following his retirement this Spring. Haines will help the company continue to meet demand for more innovative microgrid systems to alleviate the complexity that has slowed the adoption of microgrids.
- Haines will be responsible for executing Schneider Electric’s vision and technology roadmap in microgrids with a focus on democratization of sustainable, resilient, and scalable solutions
- Appointment will help Schneider Electric answer increasing demand for microgrids to add greater flexibility and reliability in a more complex electricity system
In his role, Haines will lead the development and execution of Schneider Electric’s microgrid technology roadmap to support the maturity of microgrids, oversee its integration with the company’s broader EcoStruxure platform, drive rapid innovation for customers and contribute to Schneider Electric’s leadership in solutions for the new energy landscape. Haines will focus on democratizing microgrids, leveraging the development of new technologies and software solutions to make microgrids easier to integrate and deploy for businesses and municipalities at all sizes.
“Microgrids are critical today for a more resilient and sustainable power grid. We have been at the forefront of the modern microgrid in large part due to our technology strategy and vision to adapt microgrids to the evolving needs for our large customer set,” said Mark Feasel, President of Smart Grids at Schneider Electric. “As CTO, Lance will ensure that Schneider Electric continues to be synonymous with innovation in microgrids, driving new approaches mapped directly to the trends and challenges we’re seeing in the electricity market and from our customers.”
Haines will report directly to Mark Feasel and will be based at Schneider Electric’s Andover R&D Center in Andover, Massachusetts. This location is one of five global research and development centers worldwide and home to the Schneider Electric microgrid ‘living laboratory’ which opened in 2017.
Haines transitioned into this position from the Schneider Electric New Energy Landscape Systems Architecture and Technology Planning segment, where he focused on technical development for Schneider Electric’s Energy Control Center, a foundational technology for Schneider Electric’s microgrid and other distributed energy resource offers.
Haines has been with Schneider Electric for more than 15 years, after beginning his career in engineering at a clean tech start up focused on electric vehicles. He earned bachelor's degrees in Electrical Engineering and Spanish from Rice University and a Master of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“This is a dream role for me, combining my background in engineering with my passion for clean energy solutions and making energy more accessible and affordable for all,” Haines noted. “I’m excited to take on the challenge of leading ‘what’s next’ in the microgrid space.”
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