More than 300 million motors are used in industry, large buildings and in infrastructure globally, and 30 million new electric motors are sold each year for industrial purposes alone. Electric motor driven systems (EMDSs) in industry are estimated to be responsible for approximately 29% of overall global, and 69% of industrial electricity consumption. Their energy costs are estimated to be USD 362 billion per year. By using existing technologies and practices the efficiency of industrial EMDSs can be cost-effectively improved on average between 20 – 30%.1 Such improvement holds the potential to reduce global electricity consumption by 3.2 to 4.8 EJ, cut the CO2 emissions by 770 – 1100 Mt, and save the industry between USD 72 – 108 billion, annually.2,3 This potential remains to be exploited.
Electric motors convert electrical power into mechanical power and are often a part of a motor driven system. In industrial applications, electric motor driven systems are used for pumping, compressed air, fans, conveyance, and other forms of mechanical handling and processing. Although electrical motors and their controls, are typically the main electricity using parts in a motor driven system, their impact on the overall efficiency of the system is often limited. This is due to the fact that the other system components – such as pumps, fans, valves, pipes, ducts, and end-users – affect both the amount of mechanical power required by the entire system and the losses taking place during the delivery of this power, which collectively have a much larger influence on the overall energy consumption. Consequently, adopting a system approach is of great importance for optimizing energy efficiency of motor driven systems. The level of efficiency in a given system will depend on both the extent to which advanced solutions are used and the design of the overall system. In most cases, improving the effciency of a motor system includes the following:
For a wider list of technologies & measures, please follow the links under processes above.
The report provides a summary of key energy efficiency options for electrical motor motor driven systems, and provides a comprehensive list of organizations and programs working with improving motor system efficiency at global and national levels.
This report and supporting analyses represent an initial effort to quantify energy savings of applying energy efficiency practices to existing motor systems.
This paper presents the findings of the first global analysis of energy consumption in electric motor‐driven systems (EMDS) and the options to reduce it. It assesses the energy currently used by EMDS and the potential for energy savings, examines market barriers to the adoption of energy‐efficient solutions, and reviews current policy settings and outcomes. The report then proposes a comprehensive package of policy recommendations to help governments tap the huge potential for energy savings in EDMS.
The MotorMaster+International free online software tool includes many of the capabilities and features of MotorMaster+. However, users can evaluate repair/replacement options on a broader range of motors, including 60 hertz (Hz) motors tested under the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers(IEEE) standard, and 50 Hz motors manufactured and tested in accordance with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards. This tool allows users to:
MotorMaster+ is a free online National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Premium® efficiency motor selection and management tool that supports motor and motor systems planning by identifying the most efficient action for a given repair or motor purchase decision.
The Motor Systems Tool is developed under Electric Motor Systems Annex (EMSA) program of Efficient Electrical End-use Equipment (4E) forum. The tool is intended to assist engineers, machine builders, machine component suppliers, energy consultants and others working on optimizing machine systems to benefit from reduced electricity consumption.
This web page, which is part of Australian Government's Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, provides access to summaries of a number of motor system efficiency improvement cases studies from around the globe.
Assessing the performance and improvement potential for an electric motor is relatively straight forward with the help of well established efficiency classes (see the graph below). Typically, energy efficiency can be improved by 4 to 5% by using the best available motor. Benchmarking of the entire motor driven systems, on the other hand, is more complex due to the fact efficiency is greatly influenced by the a wide range of system components and operational practices. Some generic benchmarks for different efficiency classes are provided below.
Efficiency levels offered by different motor categories can be seen in the figure below1:
Motor systems can show significant variations depending on the end-use, the type of core components used, and the level of optimization in the overall system. In table below, typical efficiency levels for low, medium, and high efficiency categories are summarized. (For a description of the characteristics assumed for different efflciency levels, please follow the links in the table)
| Motor System Type | System Efficiency | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Low End (%) | High End (%) | Average (%) | |
| Pump Systems | |||
| Low level of efficiency | 20 | 40 | 30 |
| Medium level of efficiency | 40 | 60 | 50 |
| High level of efficiency | 60 | 75 | 67.5 |
| Compressed Air Systems | |||
| Low level of efficiency | 2 | 5 | 3.5 |
| Medium level of efficiency | 4.8 | 8 | 6.4 |
| High level of efficiency | 8 | 13 | 10.5 |
| Fan Systems | |||
| Low level of efficiency | 15 | 30 | 22.5 |
| Medium level of efficiency | 30 | 50 | 40 |
| High level of efficiency | 50 | 65 | 57.5 |
|
Total Annual Electricity Saving Potential in Industrial Pump, Compressed Air, and Fan System (GWh/yr) |
Share of Saving fromElectricity use in Pump, Compressed Air, and Fan Systems in Studied Industries in 2008 |
Total Annual CO2 Emission Reduction Potential in Industrial Pump, Compressed Air, and Fan System (kton CO2/yr) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Cost Effective | Technical | Cost Effective | Technical | Cost Effective | Technical |
| US |
71,914 |
100,877 |
25% |
35% |
43,342 |
60,798 |
| Canada |
16,461 |
27,002 |
25% | 40% |
8,185 |
13,426 |
| EU |
58,030 |
76,644 |
29% | 39% |
25,301 |
33,417 |
| Thailand |
8,343 |
9,659 |
43% | 49% |
4,330 |
5,013 |
| Vietnam |
4,026 |
4,787 |
46% | 54% |
1,973 |
2,346 |
| Brazil |
13,836 |
14,675 |
42% | 44% |
2,017 |
2,140 |
| Total (Sum of 6 countries) |
172,609 |
233,644 |
28% | 38% |
85,147 |
117,139 |
International Energy Agency (2011) Energy-Efficiency Policy Opportunities for Electric Motor-Driven Systems. pp. 23)
UNIDO (2010) Motor Systems Efficiency Supply Curves. p. 19
Industrial electric driven motor systems (EMDSs) are very significant energy users. EMDSs in China, EU-27, and the US collectively account for around 56% of the global industrial EMDS consumption. If Japan, Russia and Canada are also added to this list, the collective share reaches close to 70%. Although this figure varies greatly between systems and between plants, on average 50% of the energy input into a motor system is lost leaving only 50% turned into useful mechanical application (IEA, 2011). More than 90% of the motors in the EU operate at or below standard efficiency, whereas more than 70% of all the motors in the US and Canada are high- or premium-efficiency motors (IEA, 2007). In China, the actual operational efficiency of electric motor systems is thought to be 10 – 30% below international best practice, depending on the industry (SWITCH-Asia, 2012). Approximately 97% of an electric motor's life cycle cost is associated with the cost of energy it uses (IEA, 2011).
In the industrial sector, motors are used primarily for four main areas of applications. These applications and their respective shares are summarized in table below.
Estimated Demand by Application in Industrial Motor System Energy Use (IEA, 2011)
| Application | Demand (TWh/y) | Share in Total |
|---|---|---|
| Pumps | 942 | 21 |
| Fans | 718 | 16 |
| Compressors | 1122 | 25 |
| Mechanical movement | 1705 | 38 |
| Total: | 4488 | 100 |
Motors are grouped into three main categories as small, medium, and large. Of these, medium class motors (with an output between 0.75 and 375 kW) are responsible for 67.6% of electricity used in all motor systems. The share of small (0.001 to 0.75 kW) and large (375 to 100 000 kW) motors are 23.3% and 9.1% respectively. Although their numbers are low, large electric motors are significant energy consumers due to their high power demand. The Table below provides an overview of types and characteristics of different motor categories.
|
Motor |
Motor output (kWm) | Total GWm |
Operation |
Running |
Life Time, years |
Sales, millions per year |
Motor Efficiency |
Total |
Electricity Demand, TWh/y |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min. |
Max. |
Median | hrs/y | Load factor |
Nominal | Mean | |||||||
| Small | 0.001 | 0.75 | 0.16 | 316 | 1500 | 40% | 2000 | 6.7 | 300 | 40% | 30% | 422 | 632 |
| Medium | 0.75 | 375 | 9.5 | 2182 | 3000 | 60% | 230 | 7.7 | 30 | 86% | 84% | 1559 | 4676 |
| Large | 375 | 100000 | 750 | 450 | 4500 | 70% | 0.6 | 15.0 | 0.04 | 90% | 88% | 358 | 1611 |
| Total | 2948 | 2231 | 6.8 | 330 | 79% | 2338 | 6919 | ||||||
Source: IEA, 2011.
2011 [1]
| Name | % |
| Initial capital cost | 2.3 |
| Repair and maintenance cost | 1 |
| Electric energy cost | 96.7 |
| TOTAL | 100 |
2011 [1]
2011 [2]
| Name | TWh |
| Lighting | 2900 |
| Electronics | 1600 |
| Electrolysis | 500 |
| Heat | 2900 |
| Stand-by | 500 |
| Motors | 7200 |
| TOTAL | 15600 |
2011 [2]
2006 [3]
| Name | TWh/y |
| Industry | 4488 |
| Commercial | 1412 |
| Agricultural | 101 |
| Transport | 159 |
| Residential | 948 |
| TOTAL | 7108 |
2006 [3]
[1] International Energy Agency:http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/EE_for_ElectricSyst...
[2] International Energy Agency:http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/EE_for_ElectricSyst...
[3] International Energy Agency:http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/EE_for_ElectricSyst...
There are numerous organizations working at global, regional, national levels with improving the resource productivity and reducing the environmental impact of cement manufactuing. Some of the major ones are listed below:
An industrial facility may contain thousands of electrical motors. In an operational plant that lacks a systemic motor management plan, motor decisions are usually made at the time of failures, where clock is ticking and restoring plant operation is of utmost importance. Such ad-hoc decision making often leads to sub-optimal solutions and comes at the expense of higher long-term operational costs. A systemic motor management plan, on the other hand, helps facilities to proactively manage its motor inventory which helps with maintaining an optimal system in place, while also reducing the risk of unplanned operational disruptions. These help reduce facilities' energy consumption and costs. Typical elements of a motor management system may include:
Given the fact that motors are only a part of the motor driven systems, a higher level of energy savings can be realized by adopting a management system for the entire motor driven system. Guidance on developing an energy management system for the entire motor driven system can be found in US DOE's Energy Management for Motor Systems Guidebook.
International Energy Agency (2011) Energy-Efficiency Policy Opportunities for Electric Motor-Driven Systems. pp. 33-34
Calculated from values given in International Energy Agency (2011) Energy-Efficiency Policy Opportunities for Electric Motor-Driven Systems. pp. 11-13, 36-37.
Studies by other organizations, such as UNIDO (2010) estimate the average cost-effective improvement potential for industry at around 28%, thereby supporting the hypothesis that actual saving potentials may be closer to the upper limits mentioned here.
