Dwindling resources and rising energy costs are prompting companies to review the system energy efficiency and follow-up costs1. At the centre of the issue of energy saving is the question of how energy saving potential can be identified and existing inefficiencies eliminated.
SEW Eurodrive’s solution is a modular energy saving solution. Individual drive components, each featuring a high level of energy efficiency, are optimally combined to form very energy efficient systems yielding energy savings.
Potential for saving energy costs
Investment costs for electrical drives are minor when compared to the overall investment in a plant, but the choice of drive technology can have a decisive influence on follow-up costs.
Considering total cost of ownership (TCO), energy costs of systems which have not been optimised with respect to their energy consumption can constitute up to 90% of the follow-up costs. Hence optimising the energy efficiency of each individual component and combining the drive technologies to match the specific application can achieve a significant economic benefit.
Regardless of whether a system already exists or is in the planning phase, it is always worthwhile considering energy efficient solutions. A good time for optimising the energy efficiency of a system is, for example, when parts of the system have to be replaced, since there is always energy potential saving.
Comparison of TCO for standard and optimised drive variants
Case study
To illustrate the importance of optimal drive component combinations SEW Eurodrive quotes a case study for fresh air supply of production halls.
The fresh air supply system comprises 24 ventilation systems installed on the roofs of the halls, each system consisting of four connected individual fans. Currently the fans are driven by pole-changing motors without gear units directly via belts.
Three different solutions were considered as shown in the table.
In this case study variant 3 is the most energy saving retrofitting measure using DVE energy saving motors and MOVIDRIVE drive inverters with energy saving function. Complete retrofitting to the new drives will pay off after 2,7 years. This calculation does not consider the additional advantage of greater availability and lower maintenance costs of the new system.
“It is astonishing how few plant engineers and system operators are aware that energy costs make up 95% of the life cycle costs for a motor. With the current energy crisis, more and more companies are looking into energy saving alternatives,” comments Ute Bormann, SEW Eurodrive GM sales and marketing.
High efficiency motors from SEW Eurodrive are available in the usual compact design. The new technology not only increases efficiency but also make a sustainable contribution to the reduction of CO2 emissions. The power range of these motors is from 0,75 to 200 kW and they come with a built-in encoder which is fully integrated into the motor.
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