Hannover Fair 2007: Focus on energy efficiency

As a theme of pivotal importance throughout industry, energy efficiency drew a lot of discussion and figured prominently in a great many exhibits and special displays at Hannover Fair 2007.

By Control Engineering Staff May 3, 2007

Hannover, Germany —As a theme of pivotal importance throughout industry, energy efficiency drew a lot of discussion and figured prominently in a great many exhibits and special displays at Hannover Fair 2007 . By placing a major emphasis on energy technologies, industrial automation, power transmission and cutting-edge R&D, this year’s show illuminated the many advances now taking shape. Guidelines for reducing machine energy costs were offered by Siemens and others.

At a press conference, Siemens AG emphasized the topic in presentations by two of its Corporate Executive Committee members. Prof. Dr.-phil. Hermann Requardt spoke on “Pictures of the Future—R&D for tomorrow’s innovations” and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Wucherer presented “On track for the Intelligent Factory,” both simultaneously translated in English.

The NEMA Premium and new IEC Premium high-efficiency motors from Siemens Automation and Drives are directly addressing the energy consumption issue. In an exclusive interview with Control Engineering , Siemens Standard Drives Division President Klaus Helmrich said two-thirds of the energy consumed by industry is in standby motors, and 90% of a motor’s cost at run time is for energy.

Helmrich said there are three ways of reducing machine energy costs:

•Use a high-efficiency motor

•Use inverter drive technology

•Revisit the whole mechanical design of the machine to see how it can be made more efficient.

Helmrich noted that only 25% of the motors in Europe are run with drives today, but that is a higher percentage than in the rest of the world.

Efficient drive systems cut costs, and that fact was part of the area of the show devoted to power transmission: The Motion, Drive & Automation show highlighted advances and innovations for optimal energy usage in electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic drive applications. The focus on increased efficiency also carried through to the automation sector, where the hot topics involved communication and safety.

The responsible and efficient use of energy, both renewable and conventional, was a common topic of conversation for exhibitors and visitors. At the World Energy Dialogue , an international group of energy industry players, politicians and R&D experts debated approaches to boosting energy efficiency. According to Deutsche Messe Board Chairman Sepp D. Heckmann, “The clear conclusion from the World Energy Dialogue is that industry offers us all the tools, technology and know-how we need to devise long-term strategies for climate protection and achieve a turnaround, thus ensuring a climate-friendly energy supply.” (Deutche Messe is the Hannover Fair organizer.)

Hannover Fair will again focus on the theme of energy efficiency in 2008. As a logical extension of the Energy and Pipeline Technology shows, next year’s fair

Following the inclusion of wind energy as a key topic at this year’s Energy fair, this topic in the future will be covered jointly by Hannover and Husum in alternating years. “This decision is based on an agreement reached between the trade fair companies of Hannover, Husum, and Hamburg, with the support of the German Wind Energy Association and VDMA. The agreement marks a positive resolution to a long-standing debate, successfully meeting the needs of the exhibitors involved,” according to a spokesperson.

The next Hannover Fair will take place from Monday, April 21, to Friday, April 25, 2008, and the partner country will be Japan.

This page lists Control Engineering Hannover Fair coverage with links to each item.

renee.robbins@reedbusiness.com renee.robbins@reedbusiness.com Renee Robbins , editorial director
Control Engineering System Integration eNewsletter