Energetica India Magazine - September 2022

offer an innovative solution to address the grid stability challenge by improv- ing the frequency stability, voltage sta- bility, bus voltage, and allowing more renewables to be connected to the grid. Q What are the applications of motors with improved energy efficiency? Indraneel Dhaneshwar: It is estimated that 45% of the world’s electricity is used to power electric motors in build- ings and industrial applications and hence has great potential to save ener- gy. There is always a need to prioritize the investments and we could use a few guidelines. As the motor’s inherent effi - ciency cannot be improved after man- ufacturing and considering the long lifetime of motors, all new motors in a plant should be at least IE4 super pre- mium efficiency motors wherever appli - cable and should be optimally selected for a given application, avoiding unnec- essary oversizing. Large motors cater variety of applica- tions ranging from Pumps, Compres- sors, Conveyors, Mills etc., in different industry segments like steel, Oil & Gas, F&B, Cement etc. All the applications are energy intensive as power consumed by single motor is generally in mega- watts. Even 0.1% increase in motor efficiency can result in significant ener - gy savings. ABB’s product range offers best-in-class motor efficiency ensuring lower operational costs while securing reliable operations. For the already installed base, rewound motors where the efficiency drops any - where from 1% to 4% are low hanging opportunities for replacements. Q How are large motors & generators powering the way to net zero? Indraneel Dhaneshwar: There is rightly a considerable focus on improving the energy efficiency of small to medium electric motors. Yet it is large motors, energetica INDIA- September_2022 31 INTERVIEW rated at greater than 375 kilowatts (kW), where some of the most signifi - cant savings are being achieved. While these motors comprise just 0.03% of the total stock, they account for about 23% of all the energy consumed by motors. The journey towards net zero with large motors & generators are in four areas. Green products - by designing high efficiency products with close to 100% circularity. Manufacturing these machines in green infrastructure using green manufacturing process. Further, if customers use green energy to run these machines, they will contribute sig- nificantly to net zero. In terms of green infrastructure and green manufacturing, our Vadodara fa- cility, where we manufacture large mo- tors & wind power generators, is RE100 compliant by using 100% renewable energy. We will achieve water net-zero status by 2024. The facility also has a high level of biodiversity, with 60% of the land being green. Q Can you state examples of ABB mo- tors adopted by customers that have led to limiting energy costs? Indraneel Dhaneshwar: Annual energy saved in India from the installed base of ABB’s energy-efficient motors and drives created in the last 10 years is near- ly 12TWh. With an increasing installed base and higher efficiency products, this annual saving is only improving year on year. There are many examples of how ABB’s solutions have helped our cus- tomers save energy. Shree Cement, one of India’s largest ce- ment manufacturers, opted for ABB’s water-cooled large motor solution for critical applications such as kilns, where ABB motors guarantee 96% minimum efficiency with optimized motor size, re - sulting in a lower carbon footprint. By installing ABB IE4 motors in ap- plications such as fans, compressors, pumps, conveyors, blowers, and gear- boxes, a leading metal manufacturer in Orissa saved a whopping 250 MWh of energy annually, which is equivalent to the average annual energy consump- tion of an Indian village. By installing ABB’s Cooling Tower Direct Drive solu- tion in its hotel, JW Marriott Pune has set new benchmarks in energy efficiency and is saving about 35% energy annu- ally. Q What are the energy efficiency ini - tiatives beyond motors that can be adopted by companies? Indraneel Dhaneshwar: Energy effi - ciency initiatives can be implemented in a variety of settings. Lighting, en- ergy recovery from steam and stream, controlling leaks and improving pro- cess efficiencies by reducing wastes and non-value-added activities are a few ex- amples. To prioritize implementation, the first step is to measure and estimate consumption and savings. Using Indus- trial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices for measurement and energy evaluation can be a cost-effective solution. Oversizing of applications can be a sig- nificant challenge, causing motors to not only deliver lower efficiency but also have higher active material content, re- sulting in waste and increased carbon emissions. Matching the best efficiency curve of driven load, motor and the drive is also vital. Introducing variable frequency drives will help improve the system ef- ficiency significantly. As an example, in a conventional pumping system using throttle to regulate the flow can have system efficiency as low as 30%. This can be improved to over 80% by using energy efficient pumps, motors and drives instead of throttling. Apart from energy efficiency, companies should also promote sufficiency i.e., use of less products and services, when pos- sible, thereby reducing the overall ener- gy consumption.