The U.S. Department of Energy's motor challenge showcase demonstration projects -- A model of government-industry partnership for the 21st century

Conference · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997

OSTI ID:20001959

Szady, A; Jallouk, P; Olszewski, M; Sheaffer, P

The US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Motor Challenge program is an industry/government partnership designed to increase the use of energy-efficient industrial electric motor-driven systems in an effort to help industry capture 5 billion kilowatt-hours per year of electricity savings by the year 2000. Since more than 70% of all industrial power is consumed by motor-driven systems, the DOE created the Motor Challenge program in 1993 to assist their customers in gaining a competitive advantage in managing their electric motor systems while saving energy and enhancing environmental quality. To increase the market penetration of energy-efficient industrial electric motor-driven systems, the program is helping industry adopt a systems approach to developing, purchasing, and managing motors, drives, and motor-driven equipment such as pumps, fans, and compressors. The central element of the Motor Challenge program is its Showcase Demonstration projects. These performance optimization projects address a broad range of technologies, including energy-efficient electric motors, variable frequency drives (VFDs), and motor-driven equipment (e.g., pumps, fans, and compressors), and are intended to demonstrate how the benefits of efficient motor systems can be effectively captured in a wide variety of industrial settings. Each Showcase project is located at a specific US industrial facility that is improving the performance of one or more of its motor systems. Once a project is completed, the results and important lessons learned from the Showcase Demonstration project are publicized in relevant trade publications to encourage other industrial facilities to undertake similar improvement projects. This paper presents an overview of the how the Showcase Demonstration effort is structured, and highlights two of the program's successful projects.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., Oak Ridge, TN (US)
• OSTI ID: 20001959
• Report Number(s): CONF-970750--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
BLOWERS
COMPRESSORS
COOPERATION
DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS
ELECTRIC MOTORS
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
INDUSTRY
PUMPS
US DOE