This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at La industria paga un alto precio por el consumo energético ineficiente

A new report of SFS puts of self-evident the enormous potential of saving of existent costs in the industrial state by means of technologies energetically efficient

The industry pays a high price by the energetic consumption ineficiente

Source: Siemens Financial Services 27/12/2012

Industrial companies of all the world could save billions of euros in his electrical bills, by means of the implantation of adjustable speed drives (VSD by his acronyms in English) in the motors. A new report of Siemens Financial Services (SFS) has calculated that with the total implantation of VSD in the Spanish industry during the next five years, could obtain a saving in the energetic cost valued in 2.878 million euros. Germany, industrial giant European could obtain savings even greater, of until 6.466 million euros, more than the double of the potential saving of Spain. This report, that quantifies the potential gains in energetic efficiency thanks to the implantation of the VSD, puts of relief so alone one of the a lot of initiatives of energetic efficiency that they could achieve a substantial saving of costs in the industrial state.

The VSD optimise the supply of tension and frequency to the industrial motors to change his speed of work, in place of the traditional method of ‘estrangular' the motors of constant speed, with what reduces a lot the consumption of electrical power. In the EU, the systems propulsados by electrical motors represent roughly 70% of the total consumption of electrical power in the industrial state. In front of the fact that more than 95% of the costs of the vital cycle of the industrial motors represents it the cost of the electrical power that consumes, does even more apremiante the need to implant the VSD. Although no all the motors use in the processes of variable speed, estimates that between 50% and 70% of the industrial processes would benefit thanks to this technology. In the actuality, the global penetration of the VSD (in proportion to the installed motors) keeps on being reduced, by what still remains a lot of way for visiting so that it can materialise his potential plenary of energetic saving and of costs.

Ramón Roncero, director of Financialss Structured of Business of Siemens, signals that: “In front of the constant increase of the prices of the electrical power, improve the energetic efficiency is turning into a reason of worry for the industrial organisations, since the increasing energetic costs erode the margins of profits and damage the competitiveness. The magnitude of the potential saving that facilitate the VSD presents an economic argument extremely convincente so that the industrial companies invest in this technology of energetic saving. What is more important, taking into account that the VSD represent so alone one of the a lot of possible initiatives in matter of energetic efficiency that they can adopt the industrial companies, the real potential of energetic saving and of costs in the industry is immense”.

Although no all the motors use in the processes of variable speed, estimates that between 50% and 70% of the industrial processes would benefit thanks to this technology.

“The precarious economic situation in Europe and the access restricted to the financials, have caused that a lot of companies delay his plans of investment. However, the companies can win this financial barrier with ease if they use alternative methods to fund his updates to equipment that offer energetic efficiency. Technicians of financials of active, like the financial lease and the renting, have by object compensate the monthly cost of the new equipment with the energetic saving that obtains during the term of financials, with which achieves that the investment have an equal net cost to zero or even that it obtain surplus Although a project can not counter entirely the update of the equipment with savings of costs obtained by the energetic efficiency, the financials can subsidise the greater part of the cost that supposes the update. Since the equipment of up to date technology will be able to no only reduce the energetic costs, but also promote the productivity and expand the capacity of manufacture, improving the income and the margins, the manufacturers would have to take advantage of said financial solutions alternatives to obtain the important potential saving in costs that hides in the industrial processes.”

The devices more receptivos for the VSD are used to to be pumps, fans and centrifuges compressesors, although they also will be able to obtain savings that are worth it in devices more demanding like beaters, centrifugadoras, reciprocal compressesors and extrusionadoras. In addition to providing a considerable reduction in the energetic consumption, the VSD offer other advantages, as for example, the soft start of the equipment, current reduced during the start, lower mechanical effort and factor of high power. In general, the systems of VSD designed properly reduce the energetic consumption between 20% and 70%, in function of his application.

Methodology

obtained information of a diversity of official and public sources to create a model estimated conservative of energetic saving that it can obtain with the VSD. In each one of the countries studied in the report, in the first place calculated the annual energetic cost total in the industry multiplying the consumption of industrial electrical power by the prices of industrial electrical power. Afterwards it reduced the scale of the amount according to the proportion of industrial electrical power consumed to do work the electrical motors (this figure has been reduced according to the penetration of motors controlled by a VSD since this consumption already offers energetic efficiency). Taking into account the proportion of motors that can benefit of the VSD, as well as the percentage of gains regarding energetic efficiency that obtain by means of the VSD, the final value indicates the quantity of excessive cost in industrial electrical power, directly atribuible to the fault of implantation of the VSD in applications that reasonably fits to expect that they benefit .