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Motor Systems Efficiency Supply Curves
Motor-driven equipment accounts for approximately 60% of manufacturing final electricity use and are ubiquitous in industrial facilities worldwide. Motor systems, such as compressed air, pumping, and fan systems, represent a largely untapped, cost-effective source for industrial energy efficiency savings that could be realized with existing technologies. Although motor systems have the potential to contribute substantial energy savings, on the order of 2.58 EJ in final energy use, this potential is largely unrealized (IEA 2007).
A major barrier to effective policymaking, and to more global acceptance of the energy efficiency potential of motor systems, is the lack of a transparent methodology for quantifying this potential based on sufficient data to document the magnitude and cost effectiveness of these energy savings by country and by region. It is far easier to quantify the incremental energy savings of substituting an energy efficient motor for a standard motor than it is to quantify energy savings of applying energy efficiency practices to an existing motor system. The former is dependent on the appropriate matching of the replacement motor, but reasonable assumptions can be made that an incremental benefit against current practice will occur. The latter is based on the concept of changing current practice by applying commercially available technologies in the most energy efficient manner, and requires onsite evaluation to maximize system energy efficiency.
This report and supporting analyses represent an initial effort to address this barrier, thus supporting greater global acceptance of the energy efficiency potential of motor systems, through the construction of a series of motor system efficiency supply curves, by motor system and by country studied.
