Effects of Electric Motors on Energy and material consumption

Electric motors account for around 40% to 50% of overall electric energy use. Electricity consumption by e-motors will double by 2030 if manufacturers do not enhance the energy efficiency of these motors. Given that motors and motor drives consume around half of the world's electricity, it's reasonable to estimate that the usage of all motors produces approximately 11 billion tons of CO2 every year.

The great majority of a motor's environmental effects occur during its usage and in disposal or recycling.

The efficiency of motors ranges from 70 to 96 percent. The fraction of electric energy not transferred to mechanical power is transformed to heat, which is essentially useless. Assume, for example, that no transmission losses occur.

• For each kilowatt of shaft power delivered, a motor with an efficiency of 80% will draw 1/0.8=1.25 kW in electrical power.
• If the motor is 95% efficient, it will only use 1/0.95=1.05 kW to produce 1 kW of shaft work.

So, where are inefficiencies in an electric motor?

The following factors contribute to motor energy losses:

1.?Windage and friction losses are off 5% to 15%.

2.?Losses in the core range from 15% to 25%.

3.?Stator losses range from 25% to 40%.

4.?Rotor losses range from 15% to 25%.

Governments throughout the globe are addressing motor efficiency, compelling users to consider the 'full life cost' of motors and the expense of inefficient motors. When the "whole life expenses" are taken into account, the energy cost to run nearly any motor size is more than 200 times the motor's initial price.

In just 400 hours of usage, a motor's energy consumption might outweigh its original price.

Motors may be found in almost any constructed environment, including heavy industrial, food and beverage, water and wastewater, and in buildings where we work and live.

Today, there are around 700 million motors in operation. Inefficient motors cause the majority of the pollution, and wasted energy driven by inefficient motors generates pollution unnecessarily.

Every year, around 50 million new motors are produced. These motors are available in various sizes and are utilized in a wide range of applications. Industrial and domestic motors are the two broad categories in which motors may be found.

Industrial Motors

This ratio rises to almost 70% of total electric usage in the industrial sector. Industrial motors are utilized in various industries, including mining, manufacturing, and big commercial building temperature management. Industrial motors are integral horsepower motors with horsepower ratings ranging from one to several thousand. A slight increase in the overall efficiency of the industrial motor load would result in huge savings.

According to the US Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technology, industrial motor consumption might be decreased by 11 to 18 percent if all cost-effective efficiency technologies and practices were implemented.

ACCORDING TO STATISTICS FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, the NEMA Premium motor program is predicted to save 5,800 gigawatts of power and prevent the emission of roughly 80 million metric tons of carbon into the environment over the next ten years. This is the same as removing 16 million automobiles from the road.

When considering the whole life cycle of a motor in continuous operation, energy consumption accounts for the vast majority of the overall cost (more than 90 percent).

Residential Motors

Residential motors are utilized in various appliances, including air conditioners, refrigerators, and dishwashers. Residential motors are usually fractional horsepower motors that range in size from a few watts to roughly one horsepower. More efficient motors might also assist the residential sector. Because the life spans of household appliances and gadgets are often shorter than the life spans of huge industrial machines, it is even more practical to bring more efficient motors into residential applications. As a result, there are more options for replacing inefficient motors.

Sustainability

Little efficiency gains that may save consumers millions of dollars each year in power could also help to conserve finite fossil fuel supply and keep pollution out of the environment.

The demand for more efficient motors becomes considerably stronger when considering the direct but frequently neglected link between energy usage and pollution.

Another significant factor to consider is the materials utilized.

This rising need emphasizes the significance of end-of-life handling of electric motors and the need for suitable techniques for high-value materials that have been used. The end-of-life management of electric motors and the need for appropriate high-value material reuse methods must be implemented.

The end-of-life management of electric motors and the need for appropriate high-value material reuse methods must be implemented. According to research issued by the European Commission in 2020, by the year 2050, the European Union will require 15 times more cobalt and 10 times more rare earth elements than it does now. Despite the fact that high-value rare earth minerals used in electric motors contribute to global warming, the global recycling rate for these materials is less than 3%.

Conclusion

Based on the findings, it can be stated that electric motors' environmental performance is directly linked to their efficiency. The focus of material selection during design should be on preserving or enhancing the motor's efficiency rather than materials with minimal environmental effect during manufacture.

Given that some of the machines now in use in industrial operations are antiquated, it is evident that replacing them with new, more efficient motors will result in significant environmental and resource exploitation benefits, as well as lower production costs and increased competitiveness.

Thanks to improved motor technology, the criteria for improvement are now accessible, at reasonable rates, and for all power levels when combined with additional variables such as a growing awareness of the significance of reducing energy usage, motor technologies that have been barely adopted until now are becoming more widely adopted.

Due to factors such as increased efficiency, weight reduction, and lower motor production costs, the use of next-generation motors will become more widespread.