ABB calls for stronger focus on life cycle assessment to improve energy efficiency
Shanghai, November 3, 2009 –ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, called for stronger focus on product life cycle assessment (LCA) at the 2009 China International Industry Fair (CIIF). ABB showcased a full range of advanced energy-efficient products and systems with outstanding performance in LCA to help improve efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and play a positive role in the low-carbon economy.
Tobias Becker, Head of ABB’s Process Automation Division, North Asia Region and China, told the press that among the various ways that help manufacturing industries with reduce carbon emissions and environmental impact, LCA is an effective tool in helping achieve low economy.”
LCA is generally used to study the environmental impact of products during their whole life long process including the stages of R&D, manufacturing, usage, scrapping and recycling. Data is collected on all the relevant inputs and outputs, and then related to environmental impact categories such as global warming and ozone depletion.
LCA shows that industry customers should focus more on a product’s environmental impact throughout its life cycle instead of its initial investment or ready-to-use stage. As a result, by using more highly efficient products, industrial companies can not only reduce impact for environment but also expand the return on investment via energy saving.
A motor’s initial investment accounts for only 3% of its total life cycle cost, while 94% goes to energy consumption and the rest goes to maintenance. One 11kW ABB motor, which is 2% more efficient than ordinary motors, can save 33.6 mWh per year, corresponding to 1.1 tons of CO2 emissions. Another ABB product, the ACS800 250KW drive, can save 7.5 kWh of electricity during its entire life cycle, which means it avoiding 3,800 tons of CO2 emissions.
Research shows that electric motors account for 60-65% of the total industrial power consumption. Upgrading all of the inefficient motors in China with more efficient type could reduce power consumption by 19 billion kWh, equal to 18.9 million tons of CO2 emissions.
In 2008, ABB drives installed worldwide saved more than 170 tWh of electricity, equivalent to 140 million tons of CO2 emissions. In China, ABB motors and drives used by its Chinese customers have helped save 51 billion kWh of electricity since 1996, equal to 50.8 million tons of CO2 emissions.
Energy efficiency is one of the core businesses for ABB, who conducts its product LCA work in accordance with the ISO 14000 series of environmental management standards. Its energy efficiency business represented about 45% of its total revenue in 2008. ABB maintains consistent investment in R&D to to stay ahead of others in energy efficiency. It invested 1.3 billion USD in R&D in 2008, and 50% of this was used to support energy efficiency related technologies and products.
At CIIF 2009, ABB showcased a series of highly efficient products, including i-bus Intelligent Building Control System, LV drives and high-efficiency motors, the Extended Automation control system 800xA, the Freelance 800F control system, green solutions for the marine industry and ABB’s smallest industrial robot Dragon IRB 120.
The IRB 120 robot marks ABB’s latest R&D achievement in China in the robotics field. As the smallest robot in size, it is also the company’s fastest six-axis robot, featuring an agile, compact and lightweight design.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering the environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 120,000 people. ABB has a full range of business activities in China, including R&D, manufacturing, sales, and services, with 15,000 employees, 27 joint ventures and wholly owned companies, and an extensive sales and service network across 60 cities.