Characterization of EU Motor Use

Abstract

This paper presents the main results of the field characterization of the electricity used by motors in the European Union, in the scope of the project “Improving the Penetration of Energy-Efficient Motors and Drives” recently carried out. This project was supported by the European Commission — DG XVII, under the SAVE II Programme. The key objectives of this project were:

• To characterise the motor electricity end-use in the main industrial subsectors and in the tertiary sector, in order to deal with the lack of end-use data in the area of electric motors.

• To identify and estimate the potential energy savings through the use of efficient motor technologies, namely Energy-Efficient Motors and Variable Speed Drives.

• To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the identified savings potential opportunities.

• To develop a database of end-user applications of electric motors in the industrial and tertiary sectors.

• To design DSM programmes targeted at the exploitation of cost-effective energy savings opportunities.

The most important industrial sectors in the EU have been characterised, namely non-metallic mineral, paper pulp and print, food 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.