Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI
Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI

Project

EU-MORE – EUROPEAN MOTOR RENOVATION INITIATIVE (LIFE CET)

Replacing old, inefficient electric motors delivers rapid, cost‑effective energy savings, cuts greenhouse gas emissions and improves reliability and productivity. EU-MORE (EUropean MOtor REnovation initiative) is a 30‑month LIFE Clean Energy Transition project funded by the European Union and managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). It supported Member States in accelerating motor renovation, developing policy options and practical tools, and strengthening implementation in line with Articles 4 and 8 of the Energy Efficiency Directive (recast).

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Sources state that electric motors account for around 70% of industrial electricity use and over 40% in the tertiary sector in the EU. Their very long lifetimes and repair/replace practices slow the penetration of high‑efficiency technologies. Barriers include: upfront costs and “capex bias” over life‑cycle cost; downtime risks and limited maintenance windows; use of onsite spares and legacy stocks; limited awareness of non‑energy benefits; and fragmented end‑of‑life and circularity practices. EU‑MORE addressed these gaps by:

  • Reviewing existing policies and best practices in the EU and beyond
  • Co‑creating policy recommendations with national authorities and stakeholders
  • Developing an accessible impact model for policy design, monitoring and evaluation
  • Integrating circular economy aspects and non‑energy benefits to make the business case stronger.

 

  •   Design and test a suite of policy options to accelerate replacement of inefficient motors, complemented by system optimisation (e.g. correct sizing, variable speed drives) and digitisation.
  • Provide Member States with an accessible motor policy impact model (EU M³) to project energy and GHG impacts and support monitoring, verification and reporting.
  • Develop streamlined deemed savings and measurement and validation approaches tailored to motor renovation.
  • Integrate circularity and end of life aspects into policy design to align with the EU’s ESPR and CEAP.
  • Facilitate knowledge exchange among policymakers, agencies, industry and experts.
  • Support replication of the approach to related motor driven products (e.g. pumps, fans, compressors).

  • EU‑M³ policy impact model (Deliverable D4.2) • Developer/lead: Fraunhofer ISI • What it does: An Excel‑based, stock‑and‑policy model to assess energy demand and GHG reductions from motor policies, designed for policymakers and programme owners (no specialist software needed). • Status: Final version delivered in December 2024, with case studies for one hypothetical and three existing policies. Result: policies can make a significant, quantifiable contribution to energy savings and emission reductions.
  • Policy support package (Deliverable D4.5) • Lead: Fraunhofer ISI (with partners) • Content: interactive presentation; tutorial videos; five concise policy briefs on (1) subsidy schemes, (2) tax incentives with voluntary agreements, (3) information and capacity building, (4) non‑energy benefits, (5) integrated approaches. Originals in English with translations into BG, NL, FR, DE, EL, IT, PT, ES.

Publications

  • Journal article: Modeling stock, material and environmental impacts of circular economy product policies: Trade‑offs between early replacement and repair of electric motors, Resources, Conservation & Recycling (2024), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107600
  • Conference paper: Assessing the environmental impacts of policies on industrial electric motors: a stock model, material flow analysis and life cycle assessment approach, eceee Summer Study 2024.
  • D4.3 Policy impact analysis https://eu-more.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/D4.3-Policy-impact-analysis.pdf
  • D4.5 Stock model policy support documents (interactive presentation, tutorial videos, policy briefs, see project website)

Further project results

  • Policy review and recommendations:
  • Final policy review on the acceleration of motor renovation (D2.2, IEECP, updated with extra‑EU policies).
  • Co‑created policy recommendations (D2.3, IEECP), developed through five national co‑creation workshops (AT, DE, EL, NL, PT) and validation with authorities, agencies and experts.
  • Non‑energy benefits of motor renovation:
  • Report on non‑energy benefits (D4.4): reduced maintenance and downtime, improved reliability and productivity, quality gains and flexibility—strengthening the investment case beyond energy savings.
  • Circular economy and end‑of‑life:
  • Analysis of end‑of‑life practices for electric motors (D2.4, ISR‑UC): interviews across industry, repairers, dealers and recyclers; insights to support trade‑in schemes and higher‑value material recovery aligned with ESPR and CEAP.
  • Knowledge exchange and engagement:
  • Motor Policy Forum and Multi‑Stakeholder Platform established; where forum interaction was limited, targeted bilateral exchanges, workshops, webinars and advisory board input ensured robust stakeholder feedback.
  • Communication and outreach:
  • 8 major international events; 5 newsletters; 3 open webinars (356 attendees); website reach >5,600 visitors and ~1,200 downloads; LinkedIn community grew to 431 followers.
  • LIFEx3 cluster (AUDIT2MEASURE, EU‑MORE, KNOWnNEBs) increased visibility and cross‑learning.

Public deliverables, policy briefs, the EU‑M³ model and support materials are available at www.eu-more.eu

Duration

October 2022 - March 2025 (30 months)

Clients

  • European Commission (LIFE Programme — LIFE-2021-CET-POLICY)
  • managed by CINEA Grant agreement: 101076631 — LIFE21‑CET‑POLICY‑EU‑MORE

Partners

  • ISR UC – Instituto de Sistemas e Robótica, University of Coimbra (Portugal) – Coordinator
  • European Copper Institute (United Kingdom)
  • Austrian Energy Agency – AEA (Austria)
  • CRES – Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving (Greece)
  • IEECP – Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy (Netherlands)