Energy Audits Justify High Power AC Drives Investment

High power AC drives improve motor performance and reduce energy consumption; supplier-provided energy audits can help prove ROI

Unfortunately, some suppliers of high power AC drives neglect to quantify the energy savings benefits, a key factor for the end user’s justification process. End users need to be aware that use of high power AC drives not only reduce energy consumption and support more cost-effective production, but also help reduce the greenhouse effect and help companies meet emission targets. However, end users must go through a business justification process to replace existing, less energy-efficient, equipment. To this end, they need quantifiable figures to form a clear view of the benefits derived from high power AC drives solutions, even if energy prices are in a low cost cycle and energy supply is abundant for the short term.

High power AC drives are applied in process and discrete manufacturing industries, commercial buildings, and municipal infrastructure. Applications of high power AC drives range from control of speed, position, and torque of various motor-driven equipment, such as fans, pumps, compressors, conveyors, kilns, centrifuges, mixers, hoists, cranes, extruders, printing machinery, and textile machines.

End user should select suppliers that can develop comprehensive programs that include an initial plant-level energy audit to identify high energy-consuming applications, calculate the potential savings, and develop an action plan to target the areas that offer the greatest potential reduction.

In addition to a quantitative assessment of the market and associated analysis, ARC’s recently updated market analysis report on low voltage AC Drives includes much information that end user organizations would find helpful, including both technology and industry trends and information about the leading suppliers.

The research report also provides long-term trends impacting this market and its growth during the next five years with diverse economic and regional dynamics in 2016; the global low voltage AC drives market faced forces, some that lifted the market while others constrained market growth.