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Less is More
The German Electronics Industry's Push for Energy Efficiency
The search for energy-efficient solutions has become one of the main drivers of the German electronics industry. Germany's government, with the aid of legislative measures and financial incentives,is fostering market conditions that convince companies that "going green" also makes good business sense.
The electronics sector is one of Germany's most important industry segments. In 2008 it employed 820,000 people and generated EUR 182 billion in turnover. With rising energy prices and growing awareness of the effects of CO2 emissions, the sector faces significant demand to bring energy-efficiency standards into homes, offices and factories.
For homes, German companies are developing more energy-efficient "white goods" (such as refrigerators, stoves and washers) and, as the EU phases out incandescent light bulbs, they are seeing huge growth in sales of their compact fluorescent and LED bulbs. In fact, the German Electrical and Electronics Industry Association (ZVEI) estimates that almost 19 billion kWh of electricity could be saved each year if Germans replaced their old appliances and light bulbs with more energy-efficient models.
Optimizing mechanical systems
Around 20 percent of German business IT costs are for electricity. Significant amounts could be saved by implementing energy-efficient solutions such as server virtualization, optimized computer networks and the use of more efficient equipment.
In industry, electric motors account for about 65 percent of power consumption in Germany. If these mechanical systems were optimized and energy-saving motors with automatic speed controllers were used, Germany could reduce the 220 billion kWh of energy used by such systems each year by 27.5 billion kWh.
Energy Costs Reduction by 91 Percent Possible
Energy efficiency pays off, as it did for the company ebm-papst Mulfingen GmbH & Co. KG last year. It won the EUR 15,000 Energy Efficiency Award presented each year by the German Energy Agency (dena) for the construction of its energy-efficient production plant in Hollenbach.
Using optimized heat distribution and pumps, almost all of the factory's heat requirements are met by waste heat generated by lathes, robots and compressors. Energy costs for heating and cooling purposes have been reduced by an amazing 91 percent thanks to energy-saving technology. "It is very important to view the topic of energy efficiency holistically," remarked Markus Mettler, Manager of Operations, Maintenance and Building at ebm-papst during the awards ceremony. "We are constantly busy opening up new potential energy savings, not only with our particularly efficient fans and motors, but also in production and infrastructure."
Manufacturers know that maximizing energy efficiency makes their products cheaper to produce and buy, and therefore more competitive. There are three basic ways to do this: first, companies can optimize manufacturing processes and deploy intelligent control systems to reduce consumption. Second, they can improve the efficiency of their equipment, such as pumps, electric motors and compressed air systems. Third, companies can improve the efficiency of buildings and factories.
