Invest Sensibly In Energy Efficiency

According to the German Central Association of the Electrical Engineering and Electronics Industry (ZVEI), 37% of all greenhouse gas emissions in Germany - the largest economy in Europe and one of the largest in the world - can be attributed to industry, and around two thirds of this is due to the use of electric motors. For this reason, the Federal Environment Agency estimates that electricity consumption in Germany alone can be reduced by around 27 billion kWh by 2020 by using more efficient motors. This corresponds to 16 million t less CO ₂ . These numbers can help to understand why the EU, as well as the governments of other countries, are promoting initiatives to reduce energy consumption through more efficient engines, for example through the Ecodesign Directive (ErP Directive).

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This came into force in mid-2011 and initially determined that all newly manufactured motors must at least meet the requirements of efficiency class IE2. However, from this year onwards, the provisions stipulate that manufacturers of machines and systems into which new motors with nominal outputs of 7.5 to 375 kW are installed or integrated must at least comply with efficiency class IE3. IE2 motors may still be used as an alternative, but only in connection with an electronic speed control. After January 1, 2017, this requirement also applies to engines with a nominal output power from 0.75 kW.

Why meet these requirements?

The legal requirement alone to implement the Ecodesign Directive is not the only reason why it is worth taking a closer look at energy efficiency. Another and very important reason is the improvement of the competitiveness of companies. In the markets of certain EU competitors (e.g. South Korea, Canada and especially the United States), standards that correspond to the IE2 or even IE3 level were introduced before the European regulations. The only incentive is the fact that IE2 motors in the United States already have a market share of well over 50% and IE3 motors have already exceeded the 20% threshold, while IE3 motors in Europe only occupy 10% of the market.

Keep up with Asia and North America

Stricter standards therefore have the advantage that they force machine manufacturers to use more efficient motors because they provide them with a more effective sales argument. The competitive advantage is obvious if motors are introduced onto the market that consume considerably less energy than the previous ones, so that an investment by the end user pays off much faster. For countries such as Germany and Italy with their strongly export-oriented mechanical engineering industries, this means that more efficiency is crucial to keep up with the competition from North America and Asia. The efficiency level IE2 was introduced in China in 2011 and the government there is already working on the introduction of IE3.

It is clear that machine manufacturers have good reason to invest in more efficiency, but investments in more energy-efficient machines also offer considerable advantages for the end user. According to the ZVEI, the German process and manufacturing industry can save up to 88 billion kWh (equivalent to 7 billion euros) each year simply by using more efficient technologies. So there is no question that greater energy efficiency opens up savings for the end user that should not be underestimated.

Content of the article:

• Page 1: Invest sensibly in energy efficiency
• Page 2: Energy efficiency versus acquisition costs
• Page 3: Monitoring machines effectively

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