Market Trends of Europe Alternating Current (AC) Drive Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the Europe Alternating Current (AC) Drive Market according to our research experts:
Rapid Industrialization is Driving the Market Growth
- The power and voltage requirements vary with the application's demands, and in most cases, the AC (Alternating Current) drives have to be specially designed and manufactured. The need to manufacture AC drives (Alternating Current) that are scalable for different applications yet reliable has increased. Germany's regulations require Alternating Current (AC) drives to be installed with heating systems larger than 25 kW (heating capacity).
- For example, AC drives can be used to control the airflow of a fan for large heating and air conditioning systems or the flow of water and chemicals in industrial processes. AC drives can also be used in more complex situations like wastewater processing, paper mills, oil drilling platforms, or mining. When speed control is necessary, AC drives are the best solution because it allows controlling the motor speed to ramp up, down, or continuous.
- Smaller drives are easier to install. Panel builders can fit more drives into a standard cubicle, enabling panels to be smaller. This allows the use of smaller and less costly control rooms. Also, drives become easier for OEMs to fit into equipment. An example is cranes, an application with limited space for drives. Drives have become smaller, more capable, easier to use, and less costly.
- AC-drive users can reduce costs even more by employing application-specific drive solutions. These drives incorporate incremental functionality that supports specific applications such as fan and pump control, mixers, or crane controls. They can reduce the total cost of ownership through shorter startup times, lower integration costs, and improved machine productivity.
Power Generation Industry to Witness Significant Growth
- Europe is a large market for alternating current (AC) drives. Germany is the largest importer, followed by Italy and France. The demand for AC drives is driven primarily by a stable manufacturing economy in the European region that continues to grow over time. In the power generation industry, AC Drives would replace other drive systems, and the high power high voltage drives will replace inefficient damper and valve control systems. This will give reliability of operation coupled with energy-saving.
- For instance, AC drives capable of operating at 600 Hz or greater frequencies are generally referred to as high-frequency drives. The European region considers these drives to be dual-use devices commonly used in civilian applications. In Europe, AC drives are widely used in power generation industries to increase equipment efficiency. It controls the speed of electric motors according to the process needs and typically reduces energy consumption by 35-40%.
- AC drives control power plants' speed of fans, pumps, and mills. In European countries like Germany, Italy, and France, the need to boost energy efficiency Alternating Current drives (AC) along with massive infrastructure investments in these developing countries are among the factors expected to drive strong market growth for the AC drives. In addition to speed, control, and energy costs, AC drives offer greater reliability, soft-start, higher power, and improved efficiency.
- In Power Generation Industry, the low energy consumption of AC drives is one of the prime factors driving the market's growth. The medium and low-voltage AC drives play a major role in key power plant applications, such as primary fans, electric feed, and condensate pumps. These AC drives can save energy, maintenance, and downtime costs in the power generation industry.