Systems Approach in Dutch Industries: Report of a Pilot on Auditing Electric Motor-Driven Systems

Optimizing industrial electric motor systems can deliver substantial benefits for their users as well as their stakeholders, especially as governments are developing new more stringent energy and climate policies, including energy efficiency (savings) and CO2 emission reduction goals. In the Netherlands, initiatives are in operation to support industry in developing activities to meet these reduction goals. In this presentation/paper, a programmatic approach for motor systems ‘Pilot audit program on electric motor systems’ is presented, including its concept, results, lessons learned, as well as some financial and economic data. In parallel, two other initiatives targeted at energy-efficient motor systems will be included, e.g., the concept of financial services through energy service companies and the inclusion of efficient motor-driven systems into Dutch environmental regulation through some specific measures for large industrial companies. The latter addresses customized measures, where The Netherlands has a large base of process industries, such as chemical industry, and refinery and steel industry. Special attention is into lessons learned, where, e.g., some main barriers within industry appear to be limitations of internal resources, lack of available CAPEX for energy-efficiency projects, and the availability of data on a sufficient detailed level. On the supply side, i.e., service industry and energy advisors, a lack of resources, tools, and focus (on the systems) can hinder a quick rollout as well. The development of different IT-related tools and suppliers offers new opportunities for the service industry, industrial end user, and energy advisors. The field of predictive maintenance, energy baselining and monitoring, advanced process control, and system optimization do have overlaps, but above all, offer new extra opportunities for analysis, development of economic business cases, and continued improvement of the installed base’s performance. Some examples will be presented as well. The presentation will include the audit program results and accompanying schemes and will include a short perspective into the comparability of regulatory measures and the more voluntary intrinsic motivators within industry.