IEC TR 63196-2020 Switchgear and controlgear and their assemblies for low voltage – Energy efficiency

IEC TR 63196-2020 Switchgear and controlgear and their assemblies for low voltage – Energy efficiency. 4 Contribution of low-voltage switchgear and controlgear and their assemblies to energy efficiency Many energy-efficient technologies and solutions are already available and cost-effective; nevertheless, a lack of awareness may slow down the deployment of these technologies and impedes harvesting their energy efficiency potential. In this context, switchgear and controlgear can be used as resources (see Figure 1 ) for three different roles: 1 ) controlling the electrical (energy-using) loads in an efficient way; 2) source control: selecting, connecting or disconnecting the source of energy, as appropriate; 3) monitoring, measuring, analysing such as: • the availability of energy sources; • the power from each source and the power consumed by each load, including power quality; • sensing other environmental inputs (temperature, overload conditions, etc.). 5 General concepts of energy efficiency 5.1 Concept of energy efficiency system 5.1.1 System considerations Energy efficiency relates the output of an activity to its energy input, for a given system. The input can be expressed in various energy units (kWh, etc.), while the output may not be necessarily expressed in energy units and covers a wide range of activities and services,for example controlling a load (switch on/switch off/protect/monitor), providing data, etc. See Figure 2. It is key for energy efficiency not to reduce the given service but to optimize the energy input for a given service. NOTE Implementation of energy efficiency measures can be based on energy price consideration. It should be noted that: – energy efficiency may vary when the system changes; – energy efficiency may vary and degrade in time. EXAMPLE A system boundary to measure EE could be an electric motor itself or a motor-pump combination or the whole pumping system, consisting of a motor, a pump and the pipe installation. 5.1.2 System boundary description 5.1.2.1 General The system boundary should be adequately described in any publication dealing with energy efficiency. System boundaries should be defined in terms of: – intended use (relevant applications); – energy inputs; – outputs; – driving parameters; – EE related key performance indicators (KPIs); – interactions between components of the system; – possible interactions with other systems. Boundaries can include a device, a product or a system depending on the application considered. System boundaries may include: • the physical limits; • communication interfaces; • any measurable inputs and outputs. 5.1.2.2 Input Amount of...