The reduction of energy consumption in Switzerland is strongly incentivised both at home and in industry, through a dynamic environmental policy that also provides financial assistance aimed at increasing energy efficiency.
The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) is the country’s centre of excellence in the supply and use of energy within the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy & Communications. Within its remit is the task of creating the necessary conditions for an efficient gas and electricity market, whilst delivering the benefits of reducing CO2 emissions. The SFOE supervises the work of independent bodies who each year organise programmes to recognise and reward the best programmes in the field of energy efficiency.
In industry, where energy consumption is huge, one of the most expensive items is the production of compressed air. A compressor plant has high operating costs linked to energy consumption, which account for about 70-80% of the life-cycle costs.
The optimisation of compressed air systems can therefore significantly reduce overall energy consumption, even by as much as 20%. One of the required steps to achieve this goal in all industrial environments, is to start by performing an energy analysis of the compressed air system, introducing more efficient machines and also considering systems which can utilise residual heat, whilst in both cases limiting any air leaks to a minimum.
Mattei has always been at the forefront of energy saving and there are many Swiss companies that have chosen their compressors to reduce their costs enabling them to present their projects to compete for tender projects.
Gabriele Sutto, Owner of Air Sutto SA, an authorised Swiss distributor for the Canton of Ticino, regularly conducts in-depth analysis into the energy consumption and costs of customer’s compressed air systems, assessing their actual needs and identifying the best solutions for their operation, thus avoiding unnecessary waste. “Swiss legislation is very demanding when it comes to energy efficiency and motivates companies in the area to improve by providing financial incentives for the most worthy projects. The requirements to obtain them are rigid though, even with specific reference to compressor drives; the minimum standard required is IE4 for stop/start machines and IE3 for those equipped with inverters.”
“In order to best meet the demands of different systems, the ability to create bespoke machines adds a huge value. Mattei offers end users extensive customisation options and produces efficient machines, which places it firmly as one of the top players in the Swiss market. In particular the low rotation speeds, at only 1,000rpm stand out, obtained thanks to the high-performance pumping unit. The efficiency is further increased with the high-efficiency IE3 and IE4 motors delivering yields higher than 94%, as well as the 1:1 direct-coupling of the motor to the pumping unit, and the absence of rolling or thrust bearings. Maxima is the compressor that best delivers all of these elements delivering energy savings of over 15% compared to other compressors on the market. Amongst the variable speed machines, the top performer is the Optima, equipped with an inverter”.
From Vane Magazine 12, September 2018
