Anuario Brasileiro do Cobre | Brazilian Copper Yearbook 2020

2020 Anuário Brasileiro do Cobre Brazilian Copper Yearbook 14 Copper : the common ally for energy efficiency and sustainable development Electricmotors - Entered into force inAugust 2019, the Interministerial Ordinance which sets IR3 Premium as the minimum acceptable efficiency level for new or refurbished three- phase electric motors. The new rule brings Brazil closer to countries that are emerging in terms of energy efficiency and brings a necessary, albeit compulsory, update for the national industry. This shortage was confirmed in a Market Research on Refurbished Engines led by Procobre (Brazilian Copper Institute) with PUC-Rio guidance, which found that the Brazilian engine park is made up of about 90% of rectified engines. In figures (base year 2016), a total of three-phase motors in the country amounts to just over 20 million units (20,150,740). It was also found that the poor quality of the refurbished motor is equivalent to the waste of 8.43 TW/h of energy, which represents the consumption of 4.5 million Brazilian homes - or the estimated loss of R$ 1.6 billion - and that the total refurbished engines are responsible for 2.8% of the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) released into the atmosphere, this considering only Brazil. The study also shows that every 1% of energy loss, if avoided, saves R$ 16.2 million in investments in network expansion by dealerships. The loss is even greater for the owners of industries: in the sector, at the total cost of distributors tariffs, the energy loss would be equivalent to the loss of R$ 4.5 billion for the business class. For the entrepreneur, these numbers offer the opportunity to ponder more about the cost-benefit of purchasing refurbished versus new equipment. It is noticeable that servicing older engines is linked to the cost difference between refurbishing an engine – or buying a refurbished engine – and buying a new engine. In this regard, the energy expenditure of equipment has been neglected. The study weights this cost-benefit and points to the business community that if, at first glance, the cheaper price is more attractive, a closer look reveals that obsolete engines have compromised efficiency, very short service life and excessive energy consumption, which ends up making the refurbished engine more expensive. Broadly speaking, the scope of the research was to further understand two markets: engine repair services and refurbished engines which are back in business. Their results have met the interests of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and the working group within the Energy Efficiency Indicators Committee (CGIEE) - of which Procobre is part - whose objective is to improve the efficiency of refurbished engines in Brazil now gain this additional boost with the start of the Ordinance. The measure represents a major step towards improving Brazil’s energy efficiency and is sure to contribute to preserving the environment and increasing the competitiveness of companies, as it promotes a reduction in energy costs. One variable, however - enforcement - needs to be a constant in this new stage in order to effectively enforce the legal provision. For the copper industry and its alloys, the change that raises the minimum efficiency of electric motors, in addition to ensuring the demand for copper products in the country, reinforces the uniqueness of an industry capable of meeting society’s sustainable development concerns and, at the same time, meet your demands. In copper volume, if all refurbished engines met the new IR3 efficiency level, this would generate an additional demand of 15,000 tons per year. ARTIGO ARTICLE By Glycon Garcia, electrical engineer and the ex-executive-director of Procobre (Brazilian Institute of Copper).