Broad Coalition, Zurich Based, Calls for Action on Efficient Industrial Motor Systems - first contact:  policy at optonline.net

Over 40 representatives of industry and business organizations, governments, utilities, academics, and energy agencies from 18 countries participated in the launch of the SEEEM (Standards for Energy Efficiency of Electric Motor Systems) initiative on 20 June 2006 in London at a side event to EEDAL’06. The participants called for governments and other stakeholders to initiate a comprehensive market transformation strategy to promote efficient industrial electric motor systems worldwide:

Harmonize energy efficiency testing procedures, efficiency classes and marking schemes for motors;
Introduce a timeline for mandatory minimum energy performance requirements for motors and harmonize them at a high efficiency level;
Support and engage in the SEEEM community of practice to share experience, derive best practice and coordinate measures to promote efficient motor systems.

Industrial electric motors are employed throughout the global economy to drive fans, pumps, compressors, and traction systems (see attached SEEEM Launch Paper for details). These motor driven systems account for at least 40 to 50% of total electricity demand worldwide (including 65 to 70% of industrial demand). They are a key source of local pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuelled power plants. And they are responsible for a large share of the growing electricity demand in developing economies.

There is an economic potential to improve the energy efficiency of industrial motor systems by roughly 25 to 30%, with payback times of less than 3 years. Uptake of high-efficiency motor systems in the EU alone could avoid 100 million tons of CO2 emissions annually - which corresponds to a quarter of the EU’s target under the Kyoto Protocol - while also reducing energy bills of European business and environmental externalities by billions of euros each annually, and reducing the need for new power generation capacity and imports.

Global cooperative action is needed now to overcome barriers to the wider deployment of energy efficient motor systems, one of which is a lack of harmonization.

SEEEM is an independent, multi-stakeholder effort to promote rapid market diffusion of high-efficiency motor component technologies and systems worldwide. The SEEEM process will promote international agreement on testing procedures, efficiency classes and marking schemes that will make it possible to compare products globally. This, in turn, will allow for international benchmarking and steps to align performance requirements (e.g., minimum energy performance standards) and to design/implement cost-effective policies and incentives to promote the most efficient motor systems.

To achieve its overall objective, the SEEEM community of practice has identified four areas for cooperative action:

Efficiency testing procedures and tolerances
Efficiency classes and marking schemes
Mandatory and voluntary performance requirements
Effective policies and incentives for energy efficient motor systems

The work under the first three areas will focus on motors and other system components, whereas the policy work will encompass motor systems as a whole.

Participants in the SEEEM community of practice (listed at the end of this media statement) agreed to the following practical next steps:

Release of this media statement to record agreement to these proposals;
Establish three multi-stakeholder Working Groups to serve as open fora for SEEEM implementation;
Information sharing and dissemination via the SEEEM website  www.seeem.org) to report progress publicly.

The 5th International Conference on Energy Efficiency of Motor Driven Systems (EEMODS 07), to be held in Beijing, China, from 11-13 June 2007, represents the next major forum where the SEEEM community can meet and discuss initial results. Please join SEEEM in Beijing.

SEEEM receives funding from the Australian Greenhouse Office, the International Copper Association, the Swiss Agency for Efficient Energy Use and the UK Market Transformation Program and is supported by various stakeholder groups worldwide (see www.seeem.org for details).

SEEEM Launch Participants endorsing Media Statement :

Arquit Niederberger Anne A+B International Switzerland
Baker Chris Defra UK
Bergauer-Culver Bettina Federal Ministry for Economics and Labour Austria
Bertoldi Paolo EC DG JRC Italy
Beute Nicolaas Cape Peninsula University of Technology South Africa
Bonnett Austin Emerson/Nema USA
Brüniger Roland R. Brüniger AG Switzerland
Brunner Conrad U. A+B International Switzerland
Collins Terry Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority New Zealand
Cooke Martin Angle plc UK
De Almeida Anibal University of Coimbra Portugal
Debruyne Hervé EDF R&D France
Deprez Wim KU Leuven Belgium
Falkner Hugh UK MTP UK
Fanara Andrew EPA USA
Fletcher Brian Baldor UK UK
Gaisford Charles UK MTP UK
Grönroos-Saikkala Ismo EC DG Tren EuP Belgium
Hartkamp Frank SenterNovem Netherlands
Holt Shane Australian Greenhouse Office Australia
Jin Minghong CNIS China
King Malcolm Angle plc UK
Klinckenberg Frank Klinckenberg NL
Nielsen Peter Danish Energy Agency Danemark
Nipkow Jürg S.A.F.E. Switzerland
Parasiliti Francesco University of L’Aquila Italy
Peck Mahon UN USA
Predescu Laurentia Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority Romania
Predescu Adrian University Bucharest Romania
Rodger Dave University of Bath UK
Ruggiero Gianluca Italy
Ryan Paul EnergyConsult Australia
Sacks Tony Drives & Controls Magazine UK
Sahlin Per-Ake ABB Automation products Sweden
Seymour David Grundfos Pumps Ltd UK
Siderius Hans-Paul SenterNovem Netherlands
Stephenson Andrew Baldor UK UK
Waide Paul IEA France
Widerstram Glenn Swedish Energy Agency Sweden
Williamson Stephen University of Manchester UK
Zhou Victor ICA China
Zhou Chunyan CNIS China

Media Contacts:
Conrad U. Brunner, SEEEM, +41 44 226 3070
Charles Gaisford, UK Market Transformation Program, +44 (0)870 190 6353
UK Market Transformation Programme Contact Information:
 info at mtprog.com
Victor Zhou, International Copper Association, + 86 135 0112 6309