According to new research commissioned by the International Copper Association (ICA), copper demand will likely be a major beneficiary of the drive for greater motor efficiency. The research, undertaken by MetalsPlus, found copper demand for motors could grow to 2.73 million tonnes per year by 2022.
Paul Dewison, Managing Director of MetalsPlus and author of the research, explains that the push towards a low carbon economy is driving change in motor design. “Motors are by far the largest consumer of electricity, using 38% of total production. Increasing efficiency in motors means a lower consumption of energy. In turn, lower consumption of energy means lower demand for fossil fuels to generate electricity. With copper a critical material in increasing motor efficiency, demand in this sector is set to grow significantly.”
“This latest research continues to highlight the vital role of copper in the energy transition,” says Colin Bennett, Global Manager, Market Analysis and Outreach, ICA. “From heavy industry and utility motors to smaller applications such as the automotive sector and domestic appliances, the increase in efficiency facilitated by copper will be a building block of the transition to a low carbon economy.”
Growth Drivers
Copper already exists in large quantities throughout the motors market—in 2017, demand reached 2.13 million tonnes. With 28% of the copper market share, the largest proportion of material is found in industrial motors, followed by domestic appliances (19%) and HVACR (17%) respectively.
Currently, the technical rate of loss of energy between input and useful application stands at 45%. However, as the spotlight falls on increasing efficiency, copper’s ability to reduce this loss—either through the optimization of existing designs, the development of rare earth permanent magnet solutions (REPM) or other non-PM solutions—will see current demand grow in the immediate future. Growth will be spread across the sector, though the increasing uptake of electric vehicles will see the automotive sector significantly raise its share.
Increasingly ambitious carbon footprint objectives, and the subsequent proliferation of Minimum Energy Performance standards, are increasing the pace of adoption. As more efficient motors become mandatory, the demand for copper will rise. This is particularly evident in China and other Asian countries, where the IE3 motor efficiency legislation is now firmly on the agenda. In 2012, China began plans to implement IE3, and in 2017 India set its first mandatory ruling: a minimum of IE2 for industrial motors.
À propos de l'International Copper Association (ICA)
L'ICA rassemble l'industrie mondiale du cuivre pour développer et défendre les marchés du cuivre et apporter une contribution positive aux objectifs de développement durable de la société. Basé à Washington, D.C., l'ICA a des bureaux dans quatre régions principales : Asie, Europe et Afrique, Amérique latine et Amérique du Nord. Les programmes et les initiatives de l'Alliance du cuivre sont exécutés dans près de 60 pays par l'intermédiaire de ses bureaux régionaux. Pour de plus amples informations, veuillez consulter le site www.copperalliance.org.
Contact
Simon Rendell
Directeur de compte senior Energie+Industrie
Hill+Knowlton Stratégies
simon.rendell@hkstrategies.com
+44 (0)20 7413 3161