INDUSTRY NEWS: COMMENT ENERGY EFFICIENCY: EUROPE’S POWERHOUSE FOR A LEANER, CLEANER FUTURE


By Erich Labuda, division president, ABB Motion Services Europe’s energy transition is at a crossroads. Growing electricity demand and escalating regulatory pressures pose serious challenges to achieving climate goals, simultaneously placing European companies at a disadvantage compared to global competitors operating with lower costs. Yet, amidst efforts to decarbonise and secure energy supply, one powerful solution still holds significant untapped potential: energy efficiency. While many industrial strategies already incorporate efficiency measures,


the challenge now lies in scaling and accelerating these efforts. There’s still a tendency to assume that achieving Net Zero will just depend on innovation when, in fact, the tools we need are already available. So, the main issue is not technological readiness, but rather the scale, speed and urgency of adoption. As Europe invests further in renewable energy generation and upgraded


infrastructure, we must equally prioritise improving the efficiency of our current energy usage. Energy efficiency is the fastest, cleanest, and most cost-effective solution available to drive the energy transition, which explains why the International Energy Agency (IEA) calls it the ‘First Fuel’.


ENERGY SECURITY AND SELF-RELIANCE Europe remains highly dependent on imports, with more than 60% of its energy sourced externally. This makes the region’s energy security vulnerable, which was highlighted during the recent energy crisis when prices surged to unprecedented highs. Complex sustainability reporting obligations, entrenched bureaucracy, and slow policy implementation across industries and countries, do little to alleviate this pressure. Unsurprisingly, some businesses still perceive the energy transition as an unnecessary cost without immediate returns. However, reducing electricity consumption, minimising waste and lengthening equipment lifespan, bring direct savings and operational benefits. Payback periods for some of these efficiency investments can be as brief


as seven months. The technologies exist – the key is recognising the economic and environmental gains and rolling them out at scale. Heavy industries stand to benefit significantly from efficiency improvements


since they represent a large portion of total energy consumption. Electric motors account for over 45% of global electricity usage, but often rely on older, inefficient systems. If we were to replace these with today’s highest-efficiency motor technology, global electricity consumption could drop by up to 10%,


equivalent to the electricity usage of around 300 million homes. With rising concerns over energy affordability, energy security,


and industrial competitiveness, Europe cannot afford to overlook such opportunities. While renewable energy has advanced, challenges still remain,


including grid bottlenecks and fluctuating supply caused by weather. Combine these obstacles with increased heating, transportation, and manufacturing electrification, and we risk burdening an already overworked system with additional demand. While the progress of renewables is undoubtedly transformative and must


continue, achieving Europe’s 2030 and 2050 targets requires energy efficiency to move firmly from the periphery to centre stage – effective immediately.


EFFICIENCY IN PRACTICE With ABB’s support, Aurubis, Europe’s largest copper producer, implemented significant energy efficiency measures at its Pirdop plant in Bulgaria. Over 450 outdated motors were replaced with progressive IE4 Super-Premium and IE5 Ultra-Premium efficiency units, and over 300 VSDs were installed. Expectations are that these measures will achieve a 28% drop in the plant’s energy consumption, equivalent to annual savings of about 25 GWh. Environmentally, the reduced energy consumption means lowering emissions by 12,000 tonnes


of CO2 per year, comparable to taking around 2,600 cars off the road. In Kulmbach, Germany, the city’s central sewage treatment plant upgraded


an inlet pump with ABB’s high-efficiency IE5 SynRM motor and ACQ580 drive. Operating around the clock, the unit enables energy savings of 7-10%. This upgrade demonstrates how municipalities can better manage rising energy costs while directly contributing to local and national decarbonisation targets.


ACCELERATING ENERGY EFFICIENCY According to the IEA, we must double the current global energy efficiency improvement rate by 2030 if we want to achieve Net Zero by 2050. These efficiency gains are not aspirations for the future – they are achievable today. For businesses, pursuing energy efficiency is more than just a sustainability requirement. It’s a strategic means of cutting costs and boosting competitive advantage in today’s high-cost environment. With expertise, technology, and an economic imperative already firmly in place – both in Europe and globally – all that remains is our determination to act.


www.abb.com FORGOTTEN IN OUR NET ZERO TRANSITION


BIG PROBLEM, SMARTER SOLUTION Many grid operators have only limited visibility of what’s happening on their last-mile networks. There’s a critical need not just for more data, but for actionable insights derived from the grid-edge – insights that support informed decisions under real-world operating conditions. It’s this grid-edge intelligence that VisNet specialises in -


collecting detailed, low-voltage data at scale and then providing advanced analysis and modelling off the back of that. This clear, actionable intelligence, empowers DNOs to make


better investment, planning and operational decisions, gaining a new level of real-time visibility and operational foresight. With


this, they can target the right upgrades, identify capacity headroom, and resolve pinch points before they escalate. Without the need for costly infrastructure overhauls, DNOs can proactively address faults, optimise load balancing, and unlock existing network capacity, all from their regional headquarters. This smarter, more surgical approach to network enhancement, enables


DNOs to unlock even greater value from the assets already at their disposal Crucially, it’s not the data itself that drives transformation, it’s the


intelligence that’s extracted from it that enables the step change in planning and delivery required to reach Net Zero. With these grid-edge insights, DNOs are well positioned to support the acceleration of the adoption of electric vehicles, heat pumps, and other


www.essmag.co.uk


by Mark Sprawson, CCO at VisNet, from EA Technology


low-carbon technologies. This level of monitoring can largely be undertaken by DNOs directly too,


with little policy support required. That being said, the government can always be doing more, and public sector investment and policy recognition will always help to propel industry efforts. Labour’s recent planning reform bill was certainly a step in the right


direction, and if we want to give low-voltage distribution networks the attention it requires, then we’ll need to go one step further. The most recent report from the National Infrastructure Committee


outlined a host of policy changes that would help ensure that the UK’s electricity distribution networks can keep pace with rising energy demand. slight tweaks to the UK’s planning and consenting system will break down the barriers to maintaining, upgrading and enhancing the distribution network in a timely fashion. These small but significant changes will help streamline the development of our low-voltage network - the network so crucial to keeping the lights on as demand increases. With grid demand set to increase significantly over the next two decades, it’s imperative we continue improving every inch of our energy networks as soon as possible. If we don’t, then our lack of capacity will become a barrier to decarbonisation efforts, and grid-edge intelligence is the key to providing actionable insights to identify the areas we need to prioritise first.


https://visnet.tech/ ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS - Summer 2025 5


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