Small motor control efficiency gains deliver big energy savings

In a keynote speech entitled "Sources of Innovation for Motion Control" scheduled for April 15 at 11:00 AM EDT, John Hanks of National Instruments will provide details on the amount of energy used globally to power motors. The kickoff event of the EE Times Motor Control Virtual Conference will explain how small advancements in motor efficiency deliver major savings in global energy usage.

According to Hanks, 64% of energy consumed by industry on a global basis is attributed to motors. In the US alone, we spend $197 billion globally to power electric motors. Indeed the energy costs dwarf the costs of maintaining and buying motors.

Hanks will prescribe ways to raise efficiency ranging from drive and motor technologies to selecting proper motor sizes. He will also address green energy initiatives and how motors come to play in harvesting wind energy with maximum efficiency.

The presentation will examine two very interesting use cases including the CERN Large Hadron Collider and the large telescopes of the European Southern Observatory. Both applications include a complex array of sensors, actuators, motors and control systems.

John Hanks is the Vice President of Industrial and Embedded Product Lines at National Instruments. Hanks has led new product teams in machine vision, wireless sensing, and motion control. He led the launch of the company's first motion-control and power-drive hardware, and motion-control software. Hanks also serves as an Industry Advisor to the Texas A&M Engineering Department.

The EE Times Motor Control Virtual Conference will run from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM EDT on Thursday April 15. Along with the keynote, attendees can attend a series of webinar panel discussions, participate in chats with peers, view motor-control content from EE Times, and visit virtual booths. Register now for free at www.eetimes.com/motor.