ABB urges greater adoption of high-efficiency motors and drives to combat climate change – global electricity consumption to be reduced by 10%

In a new white paper released today, ABB reveals the potential of the latest and most efficient motors and variable speed drives to significantly improve energy efficiency in industry and infrastructure. ABB is calling on governments and industry to accelerate the adoption of the technology to help combat climate change.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), industry accounts for 37% of global energy use, and about 30% of global energy consumption is in buildings.

While mostly hidden from public view, electric motors – and variable speed drives that optimize their operation – are embedded in almost every built environment. They power a wide range of applications in our modern lifestyles, from industrial pumps, fans, and conveyors for manufacturing and propulsion systems for transportation to compressors for appliances and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in buildings.

ABB urges greater adoption of high-efficiency motors and drives to combat climate change – global electricity consumption to be reduced by 10%

The use of high-efficiency motors and drive technology can save energy in refrigeration systems that are typically located deep in the center of food and beverage facilities.

Motor and drive technology has advanced exceptionally rapidly over the past decade, and today's innovative designs offer superior energy efficiency. However, the large number of industrial electric motor drive systems operating today (approximately 300 million worldwide) are inefficient or consume much more power than needed, resulting in a huge waste of energy.

Independent research estimates that if these systems are replaced by optimized, efficient equipment, the benefits realized could reduce global electricity consumption by up to 10%. This, in turn, would account for more than 40% of the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions needed to meet the 2040 climate targets established by the Paris Agreement.

"Industrial energy efficiency has the greatest ability to respond to the climate emergency more than any other challenge. It's essentially the world's invisible climate solution," said Morten Wierod, President of ABB Motion. "For ABB, sustainability is an important part of our company purpose and the value we create for all our stakeholders. By far the biggest impact we can have in reducing greenhouse gas emissions is through our leading-edge technologies that reduce energy use in industry, buildings, and transportation. ”

Quite a few measures have been taken to support the adoption of electric vehicles and renewable energy. ABB believes that the time has come to do the same for an industrial technology that brings greater benefits to the environment and the global economy.

Pumping applications like this are widely distributed across all industries and buildings and are a major goal for energy savings.

"The importance of converting industry and infrastructure to these energy-efficient drives and motors to play a role in a more sustainable society cannot be overemphasized," continues Morten Wierod. "45% of the world's electricity is used to power electric motors in buildings and industrial applications, and investing in upgrading them will yield huge returns in terms of efficiency."

ABB regularly evaluates the net impact of its own high-efficiency motors and drives on global energy efficiency. In 2020, it achieved 198 terawatt hours of electricity savings – more than half of the United Kingdom's annual consumption. ABB motors and drives are expected to enable global customers to save an additional 78 TWh of electricity per year by 2023, almost equivalent to the annual consumption of Belgium, Finland or the Philippines and more than Chile.

Regulatory policy is one of the main drivers of global investment in energy efficiency industries. Although the European Union will implement its Ecodesign Regulation (EU 2019/1781) this year, which imposes strict new requirements on the expanding range of energy-efficient motors, many countries have yet to take action.

ABB says that all stakeholders have a key role to play in order to take advantage of the huge opportunities offered by energy-efficient drives and motors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions:

Public policymakers and government regulators need to incentivize their rapid adoption,

Businesses, cities and countries need to be aware of the cost savings and environmental benefits and be willing to invest, and:

Investors need to reallocate capital to companies that are better prepared to respond to climate risks.

"While our role at ABB is to always provide our customers with the most efficient technology, products and services, and to continuously innovate to improve efficiency, this in itself is not enough. All stakeholders need to work together to make a sweeping shift in the way we use energy. By acting together and innovating, we can keep critical services up and running while saving energy and tackling climate change", concludes Morten Wierod.

ABB urges greater adoption of high-efficiency motors and drives to combat climate change – global electricity consumption to be reduced by 10%

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