From Go Green Finalist to Schneider Electric Employee

Kanika Kapila (shown above, second from the right) is a 2018 Go Green global finalist and now a Schneider Electric employee in Canada. Aside from work and school, she enjoys rock climbing, swing dancing, skiing and photography.

In this blog, she describes her exciting journey from the Go Green challenge to joining Schneider Electric’s team in Canada.

Sharing passion for green and sustainable energy

Being a chemical engineering student at the University of Calgary I was fascinated by the oil and gas industry. I developed a huge interest in the green energy sector especially topics surrounding energy management, process optimization and creating a balance between the two industries to eventually lead our world towards sustainability.

Therefore, to further my learning in that area of interest I decided to pair up my chemical engineering major with energy and environmental engineering. This allowed me to take part in several green projects on campus and with the city of Calgary. Just before I thought it was time to wrap up my final year of engineering, the Go Green challenge caught my eye. I knew I had to participate and share my passion for green energy on a global platform.

Recycling greenhouse gas emissions into renewable products

To enter the competition our team had to write a business proposal to Schneider Electric. We had to explain our green idea and how it can make our city greener and sustainable. After hours of brainstorming and plenty of research, we proposed a design for a chemical process that would recycle greenhouse gas emissions released from the power plants and convert them into renewable products. The goal of our design was to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the power industry and decrease annual GHG emissions.

We did a detailed design and economic analysis to deem the process to be both technically and economically feasible. We submitted the business proposal and patiently waited for the results. I knew the competition was fierce. There were 20,000 applicants globally the year before! Therefore it was a total shock for me when we heard back from the organizers that our team was selected for the North American semi-finals and will be flying to Boston. I was on cloud nine and one step closer to the global platform.

Boston calling

I was super excited to fly to Boston. First of all, I had the opportunity to learn more about Schneider Electric. Secondly, I networked with Schneider employees and learned about their career paths. Also, we got a tour of the Boston campus and learned about fascinating technologies been implemented to make the building energy efficient. Finally, I was absolutely wowed after listening to the business proposals presented by our fellow semi-finalists.

Overall it was an incredible learning experience for me. Our team was placed second in the semi-finals. We were recognized as the only Canadian team that qualified to the North American regional finals. The Boston trip ended with great learning experience, achievements, great friendships and memories I will cherish forever.

Read the rest of this story on the Life @ Schneider Blog. Also posted on the 3BL Media Newsroom.

Image credit: Scheider Electric; Where Women Work/Facebook