ABB calls for faster adoption of high-efficiency motors and variable speed drives 05 March 2021 ABB has released a white paper "Achieving the Paris Agreement: The Vital Role of High-Efficiency Motors and Drives in Reducing Energy Consumption" that reveals the potential for significant energy efficiency improvements in industry and infrastructure enabled by the latest and most high-efficiency motors and variable speed drives. ABB is calling on governments and industry to accelerate adoption of the technology to help combat climate change. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), industry accounts for 37 per cent of global energy use and some 30 per cent of global energy is consumed in buildings. Motor and drive technologies have seen exceptionally rapid advancement in the past decade, with today’s innovative designs delivering remarkable energy efficiencies. However, a significant number of industrial electric motor-driven systems in operation today – in the region of 300m globally – are inefficient or consume much more power than required, resulting in monumental energy wastage.