Effects of economies of scale and experience on the costs of energy-efficient technologies – case study of electric motors in Germany

Increasing energy efficiency is discussed as an effective way to protect the climate, even though this is frequently associated with additional (investment) costs when compared to standard technologies. However, the investment costs of emerging energy-efficient technologies can be reduced by economies of scale and experience curve effects. This also brings about higher market penetration by lowering market barriers. Experience curves have already been analyzed in detail for renewable energy technologies, but are not as well documented for energy-efficient technologies despite their significance for energy and climate policy decisions. This work provides empirical evidence for effects of economies of scale and experience on the costs of energy-efficient electric motors. We apply a new methodology to the estimation of learning effects that is particularly promising for energy-efficient technologies where the very low data availability did not allow calculations of learning rates so far. Energy-efficient electric motors are a highly relevant energy technology that is responsible for about 55% of German electricity consumption. The analysis consists of three main steps. First, the calculation of composite price indices based on gross value added statistics for Germany which show the changes in cost components of electric motors over the period 1995 to 2006; second, an estimation of the corresponding learning rate which is, in a third step, compared with learning rates observed for other energy-efficient technologies in a literature review. Due to restrictions of data availability, it was not possible to calculate a learning rate for the differential costs of energy-efficient motors compared to standard motors. Still, we estimated a learning rate of 9% for “Eff2” motors in a period when they penetrated the market and replaced the less efficient “Eff3” motors. Furthermore, we showed the contribution of different effects to these cost reductions, like a reduction of material use per motor produced by 15% and an improvement of labor productivity of 43%.     

Considerations for the selection of an applicable energy efficiency test procedure for electric motors in Malaysia: Lessons for other developing countries

Electric motors are a major energy-consuming appliance in the industrial sector. According to a survey, electric motors account for more than 70% of the total growth from 1991 to 2004 in electricity consumption in this sector in Malaysia. To reduce electricity consumption, Malaysia should consider resetting the minimum energy efficiency standards for electric motors sometime in the coming year. The first step towards adopting energy efficiency standards is the creation of a procedure for testing and rating equipment. An energy test procedure is the technical foundation for all energy efficiency standards, energy labels and other related programs. The test conditions in the test procedure must represent the conditions of the country. This paper presents the process for the selection of an energy test procedure for electric motors in Malaysia based on the country's conditions and requirements. The adoption of test procedures for electric motors internationally by several countries is also discussed in this paper. Even though the paper only discusses the test procedure for electric motors in Malaysia, the methods can be directly applied in other countries without major modifications.     

Energy efficiency in pumps

In this paper, “energy efficiency” studies, done in a big industrial facility’s pumps, are reported. For this purpose; the flow rate, pressure and temperature have been measured for each pump in different operating conditions and at maximum load. In addition, the electrical power drawn by the electric motor has been measured. The efficiencies of the existing pumps and electric motor have been calculated by using the measured data.

Potential energy saving opportunities have been studied by taking into account the results of the calculations for each pump and electric motor. As a conclusion, improvements should be made each system. The required investment costs for these improvements have been determined, and simple payback periods have been calculated.

The main energy saving opportunities result from: replacements of the existing low efficiency pumps, maintenance of the pumps whose efficiencies start to decline at certain range, replacements of high power electric motors with electric motors that have suitable power, usage of high efficiency electric motors and elimination of cavitation problems.     

A review on electrical motors energy use and energy savings

The industrial sector is the largest users of energy around the world. Industrial motor uses a major fraction of total industrial energy uses. This paper describes a comprehensive literature review about electric motor energy analysis. This paper compiles latest literatures in terms of thesis (MS and PhD), journal articles, conference proceedings, web materials, reports, books, handbooks on electrical motor energy use, losses, efficiency, energy savings strategies. Different types of losses that occur in a motor have been identified and ways to overcome these losses explained. An energy audit that helps to identify motor energy wastages have been discussed extensively. As motors are the major energy users, different energy savings strategies such as use of high-efficient motor, variable speed drive (VSD), and capacitor bank to improve the power factor to reduce their energy uses have reviewed. Different policy measures (i.e. regulatory, voluntary and incentives based) to save motor energy use have been reviewed and presented in this paper. In this review, computer tools that can be used to analyze electric motors energy used has been discussed. Cost parameters to carry out economic analysis have been shown as well. Moreover, payback period for different energy savings strategies have been identified.     

Line start permanent magnet synchronous motors: Challenges and opportunities

Future energy challenges, likewise the environmental crises such as fossil fuel emissions and global warming urge the world to focus on energy saving programs more than ever. An effective way to face these challenges is to improve electric motors efficiency as one of the greatest energy consumption apparatuses in the world. Induction motors constitute, by far, the largest portion of electric motors both in terms of quantity and total power ratings among all electric motors. However, more efficient motor types gradually appear as alternatives. In this paper, line start permanent magnet motors as a powerful candidate with growing market are investigated in some details. The motor opportunities like high efficiency, high power factor and high power density are explored against the challenges associated with this motor including higher cost, extra manufacturing burden and transient and synchronization behaviors. Finally, some concluding comments and remarks are drawn for future research and manufacturing of line start permanent magnet motors.     

Energy savings and emissions reductions for rewinding and replacement of industrial motor

Electric motors consume 30-80% of total industrial energy around the world. This study estimates the economic viability of replacing rewound and standard motors with high efficiency motors (HEMs) in the industrial sector. The efficiency of a motor is degraded when it is rewound and it is better to rewind a larger motor compared with a smaller motor. It was found that a HEM can save on average 5.5% of energy compared with a standard motor. In addition, the payback period was found to be reasonable when a motor is operated at a 50% load. HEMs will also save a sizeable amount of energy and reduce emissions. It was estimated that 67,868 MWh/year energy and US$ 4,343,531 per year could be saved by introducing HEMs. By contrast, 44,582 tons of CO₂, 333 tons of SO₂ and 122 tons of NO_x emissions could be reduced through the aforementioned energy savings. This study found that rewound motors of a larger size and HEMs are economically viable.     

Household electricity demand forecast and energy savings potential for Vientiane,Lao PDR

This paper uses the survey data on household electricity demand from five districts of Vientiane, Lao PDR, for the demand projection up to 2030 using the end-use model. The scenario analysis is used to verify the potential of an energy-saving program by alternating selected appliances with more energy-efficient ones following the labelling standard of Thailand. The demographic structure of electrified households and the energy efficiency of electric appliances are considered as the dominant factors affecting electricity demand. Under the base-case scenario, the total electricity demand of Vientiane increased from 593?GWh in 2013 to 965?GWh in 2030. In the energy efficiency scenario, it is revealed that the appliance standard enhancement program can save total electricity demand in 2030 by 147?GWh (?15.2%), where 117?GWh (?12.1%) of which is contributed by the air conditioner and 30?GWh (?3.1%) by the lighting equipment.     

Efficiency increase of an induction motor by improving coolingperformance

Improving the efficiency of induction motors, which are the most energy consuming electric machines in the world, saves much energy. The efficiency can be increased by improving cooling performance as well as by using better materials or by improving electromagnetic performance with better design. This paper presents the relationship between the efficiency or the losses and the temperature of coils with experiments as well as simulations by changing parameters such as the load and the flow rate of cooling air. The losses and the efficiency are calculated from an equivalent circuit method as well as experiments. Coil temperatures variation affects much on the efficiency. The internal cooling method is better than that of external cooling for the coil temperature reduction. Several cooling methods are compared focusing on the fan efficiency and performance, from which the values of the efficiencies of the motors are expected. The fan efficiency as well as the fan performance should be considered for the optimum fan design to increase the total efficiency of a motor. The simulations are validated by the comparison with the experiments     

An end-use energy analysis in a Malaysian public hospital

The commercial sector consumes 8–50% of the total energy consumption for a few selected countries around the world. An energy audit was conducted in a Malaysian public hospital to identify energy using equipment and their energy consumption breakdown. Different energy saving measures have been identified and applied for electrical motors used in this hospital. It was estimated that this hospital consumed about 19,311 MW h for the year 2008. It was also estimated that about 212 MW h, 250 MW h and 317 MW h of annual energy can be saved using energy-efficient motors at 50%, 75% and 100% loads, respectively. In addition, use of variable speed drives are expected to save 1735 MW h, 4048 MW h and 6361 MW h of annual energy consumption for 20%, 40% and 60% speed reductions, respectively. It was found that the payback period for using high efficiency motors at different loads is less than a year which is economically very viable. However, the use of variable speed drives was found to be economically viable for larger motors for higher speed reductions. The study also found that a sizeable amount of emissions can be reduced for the different energy savings measures applied for electrical motors.     

Energy-efficiency standards for electric motors in Brazilian industry

The first regulation of the “Energy Efficient Act” for electric motors, launched in 2002, established two sets of minimum efficiency performance standards (MEPS), for ‘standard’ (mandatory) and ‘high efficiency’ (voluntary) motors. An updated regulation, from the end of 2005 (Edict 553/2005), established the previous high-efficiency MEPS as mandatory for all motors in the Brazilian market. This paper analyses the consequences of this new regulation, which is foreseen to take effect in 2010. These new Brazilian MEPS are compatible with those implemented in other countries. The cost–benefit analysis, considered for different scenarios for industrial consumers, showed that motor substitution (from standard to high efficiency) is generally advantageous. A sample of nine thousand industrial motors has been used, with measured operation in actual conditions, to analyze the investment cost–benefit in three different scenarios. This analysis also demonstrated the benefit of motor substitution, with an average MWh cost from 20 to 35 US$, and with only a few substitutions presenting an unfavorable cost–benefit relationship to the user. We assess that Edict 553 avoided construction of 350 MW of hydroelectric capacity. Nevertheless, since the cost of conserved energy for this energy-saving measure is generally below the marginal cost of expansion of the Brazilian electric system, we propose mechanisms to share investment costs among the society as a whole, including demand-side bidding.