Testing Centres for Motor Efficiency

A task of the IEA 4E EMSA Project - The International Energy Agency (IEA) Implementing Agreement for a Co-operating Programme on Efficient Electrical End-Use Equipment (4E) was set up in 2008 and is currently supported by around 12 countries. A new Electric Motor Systems Annex (EMSA) was launched at the end of 2008 and is made up of a number of Tasks.

The Task ‘Testing Centres’ began in early 2009. The aim of this work is to raise the quality of testing of motors worldwide by developing networks between laboratories in different countries. This will be achieved by facilitating a dialogue between a selection of test labs in order to share best practice in the use of the new IEC 60034-2-1 procedures. Australia is the Task Leader for the Testing Centres Task. Other participants include Denmark and Switzerland, with a strong involvement from South Africa as well.

The ‘Testing Centres’ forum will be useful for developing conventions on any unresolved points of detail on procedures, should any become apparent. The network of laboratories will be encouraged to share the results of their work in this ‘Testing Centres’ forum with other laboratories in each geographical region, either by electronic communication or by local meetings. There is a need for this work so that suppliers, purchasers and regulators can be more confident of the claimed performance of motors on the market.