Directing electric motor efficiency
The EU’s new eco-design directive 2005/32/EC imposes mandatory minimum efficiencies for three-phase, low voltage electric motors.
Covering electric motors from 0.75kW to 375kW, the directive replaces the agreement on motor efficiency standards that has existed since 1998 between the European sector committee for electric drive systems CEMEP and the European Commission from 1998.
Main point of the directive is IEC 60034-30:2009, that fix a new harmonised IE (International Efficiency) standard; It will replace the current voluntary EFF labelling scheme (EN 60034-2:1996) starting July 2011.
Under the new IE classifications, the present EFF2 standard efficiency classification becomes IE1; EFF1 high efficiency becomes IE2; and IE3 is a new classification for premium efficiency.
The current proposal under the new efficiency directive will be introduced in three stages: from 2011 it will prohibit the sale of motors below standard IE2 efficiency; and it will allow only highly efficient IE3 motors for certain larger applications from 2015, and for all applications from 2017.
The new directive is important but maybe not enough to solve problems: ATEX motors are excluded, and the upper limit for the IE classification is only 375kW.
Of the two weak spots, the omission of ATEX motors is probably the most serious, because larger motors are intrinsically more efficient.
As regards ATEX, there has been a major increase in the number of hazardous areas in industry over the last decade and a commensurate increase in the number of ATEX motors employed.
Furthermore, the nature of the environments in which they are used means ATEX motors tend to operate continuously, consuming large amounts of energy. It is to be hoped that the omission of ATEX category motors will be re-addressed over the implementation timescale of the new directive.
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