~ New eco-design requirements for electric motors and variable speed drives (VSDs) impacting the Spanish market ~
Since 1980, Spain remains in the top five largest economies in Europe. So, what effect will the new European legislation 2019/1781 have on the Spanish market? Here, Javier De La Morena Cancela, marketing manager at WEG Spain, a global manufacturer of electrical and mechanical equipment, explains how the new eco-design requirements for electric motors and variable speed drives (VSDs) will impact the Spanish industry.
The European regulation 2019/1781 will apply from 1 July, 2021, changing the Spanish supply chain of electric motors. The most news-worthy is the inclusion of hazardous area or ATEX motors to the regulation — a group of motors that were once exempt from such standards. Similarly, VSDs are being held to energy efficiency standards for the first time.
The new regulations will replace the regulation EC 640/2009 currently in force and could reap huge improvements to the energy consumption related to motor use, while maintaining the required level of safety.
The requirements
At the centre of thee regulation is the EU MEPS (European Minimum Energy Performance Standard). This indicates how energy efficient a motor is. For example, IE2 is high efficiency and IE3 is used for motors with premium levels of efficiency.
Now drives have been brought into the rating system, it’s important to note that these performance standards are not consistent across the motor and VSD range. For example, an IE2 motor may not be as equally efficient as an IE2 VSD.
The regulation is valid for new motors and VSDs placed on the market from July 1, 2021. Replacement motors, as substitutes for identical motors integrated in products placed on the market until July 1, 2022 — and are specifically marketed for this purpose — do not have to meet the requirements of the new regulation now and will have an extended time to keep been installed.
The current regulation on eco-design for electric motors applies to single speed three-phase 50Hz or 50/60Hz induction motors, with two-six poles with output between 0.75kW-375kW and rated voltage up to 1000V.
Under the new regulation, smaller induction motors between 120W-750W and larger motors between 375kW-1000kW will also be included. Three phase eight pole motors, single-phase motors, ATEX and Ex eb motors will also fall under these requirements for the first time.
The new eco-design rules are compulsory for all manufacturers and suppliers of these electric motors, selling their components in Europe and the UK only. It is essential for motor manufacturers to know the requirements and to rapidly implement these new guidelines, as time is ticking.
Customers also need to be aware about this change to realise the high and quick return of investment, and the energy savings that could be obtained.
Spanish industry impact
The legislative changes will impact many industries, but transformation might be more apparent in high energy usage sectors and in the deployment of hazardous area motors.
The changes complement Spain’s mission to transition away from fossil fuel dependency.
Spain developed a €50 million programme in 2019 to remove reliance on fossil fuels. The program supports electric vehicle research and innovation, the purchase of electric vehicles, the installation of charging points, deployment of electric bicycle hire schemes and the implementation of business transport plans.
Couple this with Europe having over eight billion electric motors in use, consuming approximately 63 per cent of the electricity generated across the continent. It’s clear that fossil fuel usage needs to reduce in Spain and Europe combined. One way to do this is to ensure the energy that industry uses, is used to its full potential with high efficiency machines.
Thanks to the new regulation, which is imposing new minimum efficiency requirements for ATEX motors and other parts (as VSD), the energy sector should make significant energy savings alongside the national effort to transition to renewable energy sources.
Looking forward
The use of high energy class IE motors and speed variation, however, must not replace a fundamental rule: the electric motor must be properly dimensioned according to its real load. With design changes, if a motor is oversized, with the actual load less than 70 per cent of the rated load, it will have degraded efficiency and power factor values.
Due to significant investments in research and development, WEG anticipated this change in regulation. Its ATEX explosion proof motor ranges have been available in IE2 and IE3 in the IEC dimensional standard for a long time.
WEG also has a super-premium range of safe area and hazardous area IE4 motors. This will prove useful as from 2023, safe area motors between 75kW and 200kW that are not brake motors or hazardous area motors, will be required to meet efficiency class IE4.
As we await the effect of the new European legislation 2019/1781, the Spanish market is well prepared. In fact, the new eco-design requirements for electric motors and VSDs should maintain the investments already made into going green, while ensuring Spain remains in the top five largest economies in Europe.
If you need to upgrade your low energy efficient electric motor, get in touch with WEG today or visit the website to view the full product range.
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