Energy efficiency is sometimes thought of as a trade-off , with some business leaders still believing that adopting environmentally friendly technology will come at the expense of performance . This is simply not the case .

Tuomo Hoysniemi

Division President , Drive Products ABB

Significant advances and innovations in recent years mean that today ’ s most energyefficient industrial equipment , machinery , and buildings – when powered by the right combination of electric motors and drives – also deliver peak performance .

This modern technology comes with a slightly higher upfront cost than continuing to use an existing solution , but it has a greatly reduced total cost of ownership ( TCO ), making it a wise investment that soon pays for itself in terms of energy savings .

Driving greater energy efficiency An immediate step that facilities can take is fitting electric motors , which consume more than 45 percent of all electricity generated worldwide , with variable speed drives ( VSDs ).

VSD technology ensures that rather than running at full speed all the time , motors can be controlled to run at the exact speed required by the process . In applications that continually vary the motor ’ s speed , such as pumps , fans and compressors , this typically lowers energy consumption by 25 percent or more .

The use of a drive also enables a motor to intelligently respond to its working conditions . For example , a drive can adjust the output based on whether it is moving a heavier or lighter object , change the speed of a fan in response to temperature , or maintain a constant speed as load changes . This results in better performance , greater process control and higher quality output .