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The use of energy efficiency audits will help the industry move from “inefficient to efficient,” says Erich Labuda, president of ABB Motion Services.
Engines are everywhere. They are the hidden workhorses of society. They power everything from the fans that keep our buildings warm or cool to the pumps that provide us with clean water and the machinery and conveyors that produce the goods we need every day.
There are millions of industrial electric motors around the world and the International Energy Agency (IEA) has estimated consume almost half of all electricity.
Ultimately, these motors will run on green electricity as the energy transition progresses. However, the development of renewable energy infrastructure is a slow process and time is running out to achieve our goal of not exceeding 1.5°C of global warming.
Making motors more efficient is a more immediate solution that reduces energy consumption and reduces costs at the same time. The IEA has said that energy efficiency would provide a third of all emissions reductions in its Net Zero Emissions scenario by 2050.
To show the industry what it is missing, recently studied the operation of more than 2,000 industrial motor-driven systems in a wide range of sectors and applications.
With the help of energy audits, we found an average energy savings potential of 31 percent per motor by upgrading to more efficient technology. The biggest opportunities were related to motors that operate without a variable speed drive (VSD), allowing a motor to adapt its speed to the demands of the task. Depending on the local cost of energy, this could generate a return on investment (ROI) of as little as three months. In total, we identified 2.1 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy savings over the 20-year lifespan of these systems. That is enough to supply electricity to 1.25 million European homes for a year, the equivalent of a large city.
Energy audits drive energy efficiency
Industrial companies want to be more energy efficient. They just don't know where to start. According to an ABB survey, 97 percent of industry leaders are willing to invest in energy efficiency, but only 41 percent feel they have the information necessary to act.
Energy audits combat this problem by allowing companies to identify exactly where their greatest energy savings are in fleets of powered systems. This way, companies can focus on systems with the greatest energy-saving potential.
Audits work by collecting operational data from engines to evaluate their performance and efficiency. This can be done manually or digitally, similar to how we wear a Fitbit on our wrist to track our own health and performance. An expert compares the current engine performance with the theoretical performance that could be achieved by upgrading to a more efficient system. This could involve resizing or upgrading the equipment or adding a VSD. The expert can then calculate the expected energy savings and emissions reductions of an upgrade, as well as the expected return on investment.
An example is Tarkett, the Swedish flooring manufacturer. An assessment of energy efficiency in 2022 identified that upgrading 10 of its engines to more efficient technology would increase efficiency from 80 to 95 percent. By following these suggestions, the company was predicted to save around 800 megawatt-hours (MWh) per year. That's enough energy to charge the phone of every UK resident – 68 million smartphones. An expected recovery period of 18 months or less was predicted.
The scale of opportunity
The expected return on investment and emissions savings differ between countries due to differences in energy mix and prices. Going back to our recent study, the 2,000 engines audited came from various countries. If, for example, all the engines tested were operating in the United Arab Emirates, an energy saving of 2.1 TWh would avoid 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and have a return on investment of six months, according to data November 2023. Alternatively, if they were operating in Germany, this would equate to a saving of 940,000 tonnes of CO2 and a return on investment of just three months. These savings would be enough to offset the emissions of a coal plant for two months in Germany and three months in the United Arab Emirates.
If we extrapolate the findings here to the 300 million industrial engines running around the world, then it's easy to see the potential impact of upgrading all the inefficient ones. No wonder the IEA said that optimizing and replacing motor systems with high-efficiency ones would reduce global electricity consumption by 10 percent.
These findings paint a clear picture. Upgrading to systems powered by more efficient engines is a simple and cost-effective way to help meet Net Zero goals while saving money. The green option is often perceived to be the most expensive overall. But in the case of energy efficiency, that's not necessarily true.
Using energy audits to identify the best places for industry to make efficiency improvements should help accelerate our transition to a low-carbon society while saving businesses money.
Learn more about ABB Energy Assessment.
Erich Labuda, president of ABB Motion Services
(Courtesy of ABB)
Erich Labuda is President of Motion Services at ABB and is based in Zurich, Switzerland. ABB Motion is a $6.5 billion global company with 20,000 employees focused on electric motors, drives and mechanical power transmission. ABB Motion Services helps customers maximize uptime, extend product life, improve performance and drive energy efficiency in their operations through customized services and digital solutions.
Erich has been with ABB for more than 12 years and assumed his current role in February 2023. He is a customer- and results-oriented business leader with a proven track record in portfolio management and strategy development, implementation and execution across the world. industrial goods and energy sector.
