Case study of electric motors

Abstract

Electric motors were selected for a case study for two reasons. First, we consider HEMs to be a typical example for a no-regret technology because it is widely claimed that the technical energy savings potential associated to high efficiency electric motors (HEMs) is large and that a large part of it is profitable 185. This is related to the fact that electric motors are a generic technology, which is applied in all sectors of the economy. As a consequence, a large part of Germany’s total electricity consumption can be attributed to this technology — roughly 60% or 250 TWh; in the industrial sector this share is even higher, i. e. 68% (Landwehr et al. 1996, p. 7). The second reason for choosing HEMs is a methodological one. The engineering study, cited above for the assessment of the technical and economic potential of HEMs in Germany, provides data in great detail. Therefore, the material in this study lends itself to a re-evaluation. In addition, we had privileged access to the (unpublished) data bases underlying this study.