Improving the Penetration of Energy Efficient Motors and Drives

The main objectives of the project were the field characterisation of motor electricity use in the most significant sectors in industry and in the tertiary sector, the identification of the potential savings with the application of Energy-Efficient Motors and Variable Speed Drives and evaluation of their cost-effectiveness, as well as the identification, in the field, of the main barriers for the introduction of efficient motor technologies. After the collection of data on motor use, a database was prepared. The design of DSM guides addressing the most relevant energy-saving options was also carried out, including electronic variable speed drives, oversizing, labelling, procurement, education and training, rewinding and energy-efficient motors. Moreover, dissemination brochures, describing the key aspects of efficient motors in use in the characterised sectors, were prepared for the energy managers and technical staff of these industries, which were characterized. The most important industrial sectors in the EU have been characterized, namely non-metallic minerals, paper pulp and print, food beverage and tobacco, chemical, iron and steel, and machinery and metal. These industrial sectors are responsible for 72% of the total industrial electricity consumption in EU and the motor electricity consumption of the surveyed sectors represent 75% of the total motor consumption in EU, which amounts to 575 TWh. Other sectors include non-ferrous metals, transport equipment, mining and quarrying, wood and wood products, construction, textiles and leather, and other non-specified sectors. The field characterization presented difficult challenges. It was by far the most time consuming task. Due to time constraints, each partner visited plants which were considered representative of the sector, and detailed audits were carried out at each visited site. Furthermore, in order to have as much information as possible, audits have been complemented with questionnaires. Based on the data collected in the field surveys and on the questionnaires, the motor electricity use in E.U. has been estimated for each sector