VSDs for Electric Motor Systems

The large scale application of VSDs (Variable Speed Drives) is expected to save about 37 TWh by 2010 in the industrial sector, and 11 TWh in the tertiary sector, considering cost effectiveness constraints. If a substantial drop in the price of VSDs occurs (which may be feasible due to a combination of market transformation, advances in drive design and recent developments in microelectronics) the energy savings may reach 87 TWh in the industrial sector, and about 41 TWh in the tertiary sector. These impressive figures show the importance of VSDs, which deserve to be considered as a key priority in the Energy-Efficiency policy of the European Commission. In order to achieve the identified electricity savings and to make cost effective the use of VSDs under a wide variety of operating conditions, particularly in the low and medium power ranges, there is a need for a market transformation.