The EU Commission's new Directive EU 2019/1781 has been in force since July 1 of this year. It sets out the requirements for electric motors and frequency inverters and replaces the Ecodesign Regulation 640/2009. For 3-phase electric motors with a rated output of between 0.75 and 1000 kW, efficiency class IE3 is now mandatory. The directive will be tightened from July 1, 2023, when they will even have to be IE4 for rated outputs between 75 and 200 kW. Efficiency class IE2 will be mandatory for frequency converters from July 1, 2021.

The regulation is also the first regulation to require digital documentation. In future, further conformity information can also be made accessible via a QR code in addition to on paper. In addition, frequency inverters installed in a control cabinet do not have to be looked at again if they are already compliant. This means that the new regulation no longer needs to be applied to the control cabinet.

Enormous savings potential - ZVEI emphasizes economic advantages

According to the ZVEI, industry accounts for around 47% of total electricity demand, 70% of which is attributable to electric drives. Energy-efficient motors and speed control with frequency converters can save 19 % of energy each year. The association also calculates the economic benefits of energy-efficient drive technology: Around 96% of the cost of a motor over its entire life cycle is accounted for by electricity requirements, with only 2.5% accounted for by acquisition costs.

In the EU, around eight billion electric motors are in use in a wide variety of applications. Small motors under 750 W make up 90% of the electric motor stock, but only account for 9% of the total power requirement. Motors with a rated output of between 0.75 and 375 kW account for 68% of this. In terms of volume, large motors with outputs above 375 kW make up the smallest share, but still account for 23% of energy demand. Around 420 million electric motors are covered by the new regulation. Once it comes into force, annual savings are expected to increase to 110 TWh by 2030, which could avoid 40 million tons of CO2 emissions per year.

Avoid oversizing

Dr. Volker Lindenau, Head of the Drive Technology division at ABB Germany

© ABB

"This perspective may seem optimistic at first glance - but the technologies to make it a reality already exist," explains Dr. Volker Lindenau, Head of the Drive Technology business unit at ABB Germany. "We are even going one step further and our synchronous reluctance motors already meet the criteria of the ultra-premium energy efficiency class IE5. They reduce energy losses by up to 50 % and enable significantly lower energy consumption than asynchronous motors in efficiency class IE2."

The use of efficient electric motors and frequency inverters is one of the most important levers for greater energy efficiency in industry. Further potential savings can be achieved by addressing two common problems: the oversizing of products and the retention of surplus system reserves. Intelligent tools should help to prevent oversizing. ABB, for example, offers tools such as the Optimizer or the EnergySave Calculator: they help to find the right motor or inverter and show the savings in energy requirements and costs.

More efficiency with data

Digitalization also helps to increase efficiency. Intelligent, networked solutions can be used to collect data from which valuable information about the condition and performance of the motor can be obtained. This enables users to identify inefficiencies in their system, reduce operating risks and identify opportunities to save energy.

The data is collected and provided by appropriate sensors. These include u-sense from Weidmüller, Optime from Schaeffler and the Ability Smart Sensor from ABB. The sensors provide intelligence for electric motors or pumps. The recorded data is analyzed with the help of various tools. At the end, the user receives information about maintenance requirements or malfunctions, for example.