Industrial Electrification for Sustainable Manufacturing
Scalable Semiconductor Solutions for the All-Electric Society
According to the International Energy Agency, industrial sectors account for around 25% of global CO₂ and other carbon emissions, largely because of energy‑intensive production processes and the widespread use of fossil fuels for process heat.
This is where the transformation toward a green industry within the All Electric Society begins: by electrifying industrial process heat and core production steps and using energy‑efficient technologies, companies can significantly reduce co2 emissions and overall energy consumption.
Modern electric motors and variable‑speed drives – the main energy consumers in factories – offer enormous potential for increasing energy efficiency, reducing costs, and lowering the environmental impacts of industrial production.
In combination with industrial energy storage systems, AI‑supported energy management, and precise CO₂‑linked measurement, industrial electrification becomes the foundation for sustainable manufacturing and long‑term competitiveness.
The Engineering Challenge & Solutions:
Decarbonization vs. Competitiveness
Carbon Pricing
The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) makes CO2 emissions a direct financial liability. Efficiency is no longer just "green"—it is a cost-saver.
The Heat Gap
Electrifying industrial process heat requires massive shifts in power density and thermal management.
Data Latency
Scaling smart factories requires processing data at the edge to reduce bandwidth and energy consumption.
Article: Green Industrial Transformation
How Efficient Technologies Drive Low Carbon Industry
Industry accounts for massive energy use – and innovative motor technologies, high efficiency drives and robust raw materials frameworks are key to cutting emissions. Learn how energy efficient motors and modern power electronics enable a greener, more resilient industrial landscape.
Key Focus Areas
Advanced Drive Systems
Electric motors and drive systems consume around 70% of industrial electricity, making them one of the most important levers for reducing energy consumption and reducing emissions in factories. Since July 2023, EU regulations have required that motors above certain output levels meet the IE4 efficiency class or higher, setting binding minimum efficiency standards for many industrial applications.
Additional savings come from variable‑speed drives, which adjust motor output to match real‑time process demand by combining an inverter with an electric motor. The more efficient the inverter, the more efficient the entire drive system – which is why power electronics based on wide‑bandgap materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) are increasingly used in industrial environments.
Industrial energy storage systems, such as battery energy storage and thermal storage, help buffer fluctuating renewable energy and stabilise electrified process heat and drive systems. By combining efficient motors, inverters, and storage, factories can reduce peak loads, optimise energy consumption, and integrate renewable energy sources more effectively, supporting smart energy infrastructure in line with the All Electric Society.
- Industrial motors account for nearly 70% of electricity consumption in manufacturing. Upgrading to IE4-class motors combined with Variable-Speed Drives (VSDs) can reduce energy use by up to 30% by precisely matching motor output to real demand.
- Next-generation SiC- and GaN-based inverters further increase system efficiency and power density, enabling more compact, reliable, and energy-optimized drive architectures.
- Technology Focus: Precision Motor Control, SiC/GaN Power Stages.
- Solutions:
- onsemi | Powering efficient green-energy systems with SiC innovation
- Vishay | Increase industrial power efficiency with next-gen SiC MOSFETs
- Nexperia | Enable smarter, low-power industrial systems with efficient power devices
- STMicroelectronics | Reduce industrial energy use with GaN power & ultra-low-power MCUs
Smart Energy Management
Efficient, resource‑conserving production technologies help reduce CO₂ emissions and cut operating costs, improving both environmental and business performance. Intelligent automation, combined with widespread electrification of production steps, lowers energy consumption, reduces waste along the supply chain, and strengthens competitiveness in sustainable manufacturing.
By capturing and analysing production and energy data, workflows and process parameters can be continuously optimised to enhance efficiency, throughput, and product quality. This data‑driven approach is a key element of Industry 5.0, supporting highly flexible, customised manufacturing with a smaller carbon footprint.
- Technology Focus: High-Voltage Switching, Isolated Gate Drivers.
- Solutions:
- ams OSRAM | Enhance automation performance with advanced machine-vision sensing
- Broadcom | Drive precision automation with robust encoders & isolation
- Renesas | Achieve real-time industrial automation with deterministic MPUs
- STMicroelectronics | Build smarter factory automation with STM32 MCUs
- Micron | Ensure reliable real-time control with industrial-grade memory
- Nexperia | Power stable and efficient automation hardware with proven MOSFETs
Digitalized Production & Robotics
A sustainable factory increasingly depends on robotics as part of industrial electrification. Modern industrial robots are energy‑efficient and minimise resource use; optimised movement patterns and advanced control technology reduce energy consumption per unit while increasing throughput.
Collaborative robots (cobots), which safely interact with humans, are expanding the use of robotics across sectors. Equipped with advanced sensors and edge computing – often with integrated AI – these systems can perceive their surroundings, adapt to human presence, and continuously refine their movements. This boosts industrial efficiency, supports safer workplaces, and accelerates adoption of robotic technologies in green industry environments.
- Scaling Industry 5.0 through intelligent automation and collaborative robots (cobots).
- Using Edge AI to reduce data transmission volumes by up to 99%, lowering latency and energy use.
- Technology Focus: Vision AI.
- Solutions:
- ams OSRAM | Elevate robotic intelligence with superior 3D & NIR sensing
- Broadcom | Achieve precise robotic motion with high-performance encoders
- onsemi | Empower AMRs and AGVs with efficient motor control & sensing
- Renesas | Enable advanced robotics with real-time multi-axis control
- Micron | Accelerate robotic AI with high-speed memory solutions
- STMicroelectronics | Optimize robotic motion & sensing with MCUs and MEMS
- Vishay | Boost robotic drive efficiency with SiC power devices
Industrial Transformation at a Glance
- Industry accounts for around a quarter of global CO₂ emissions, mainly from inefficient drives and fossil‑based process heat.
- Efficient electric motors, inverters, and industrial energy storage systems offer major savings potential in energy consumption and carbon emissions.
- Since 2023, many motors in the EU must meet IE4 efficiency standards or higher.
- Digital, controllable drives and AI‑assisted control enable optimal use of renewable energy sources and flexible load management.
- Electrifying process heat with electrode boilers, induction furnaces, high‑temperature heat pumps, hydrogen‑ready systems, and thermal storage reduces reliance on fossil fuels and cuts greenhouse gas emissions and overall carbon emissions.
Emissions Certificates Create Incentives to Save Energy
Cutting-edge semiconductor solutions becomes one of the key driver of sustainable business strategies and compliance with climate regulations.
A central instrument for reducing CO₂ emissions in the European Union is the Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Any company wishing to emit CO₂ must offset it with corresponding certificates – in other words, “pay” for the emissions.
The total volume of available emission allowances is reduced each year. As a result, the price of CO₂ certificates tends to rise over time, creating strong incentives for companies to invest in climate protection measures and energy efficiency.
To accurately measure and verify actual carbon emissions, companies rely on advanced energy management systems (EMS). These systems, powered by smart devices and sensors, record detailed energy consumption across all operations. This precise monitoring provides the foundation for the correct calculation of the required CO₂ certificates.
Beyond measurement, semiconductor technologies actively contribute to energy efficiency. By reducing overall power consumption in industrial processes, they directly lower operational costs while decreasing the number of CO₂ allowances a company needs.
As a result, the combination of CO₂ monitoring, smart energy management, and cutting-edge semiconductor solutions becomes a key driver of sustainable business strategies and compliance with climate regulations.
Components and Expertise for Smart Manufacturing
The transition to a green, electrified industry within the All‑Electric Society is complex – but vital for a sustainable future and long‑term competitiveness. Semiconductor technology is the backbone of digitalisation and industrial electrification in factory automation, enabling resource‑efficient, low‑emission production and precise control of energy consumption.
EBV supports you with state‑of‑the‑art components and practical know‑how to unlock efficiency and automation potential – from production safety and motor control to full automation, robotics, and industrial energy management. Our three technology segments – Embedded Processing, Analog & Power, and Connectivity & Peripherals – enable comprehensive system solutions for sustainable manufacturing and smart energy infrastructure.
Enabling Green Industry
Through our three technology segments we provide the core semiconductors required to electrify industrial drives, digitalize production, and integrate energy across factory systems.
Analog & Power
High-efficiency SiC/GaN inverters, motor-control stages, and power components for IE4-class drives, electrified process heat, and industrial energy-storage systems.
Embedded Processing
Deterministic MCUs/MPUs and Edge-AI compute for motion control, robotics, predictive maintenance, and local energy optimization in industrial environments.
Connectivity & Peripherals
Industrial sensing, isolation, and communication (SPE, IIoT) enabling condition monitoring, grid-integrated systems, and CO₂-relevant energy data acquisition.
EBV Elektronik’s Portfolio for Creating a Green Industry
| Application | Technology Segments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Analog & Power |
Connectivity & Peripherals |
Embedded Processing |
|
| Motor Drives & VSDs | Si/SiC Gate Drivers, Power Modules | Industrial Ethernet (TSN), IO-Link | Real-time MCUs for FOC |
| Industrial Process Heat | High-Voltage MOSFETs, IGBTs | Wireless Sensor Networks | MPUs for HMI & Thermal Control |
| Energy Storage (IESS) | BMS Controllers, Cell Balancing, Bidirectional Converters | Secure Cloud Connectivity | Battery Passport ICs (Compliance 2027+) |
From Vision Sensors to AI Processors – Semiconductors Are the Key to a Sustainable Industry
Smart factories rely on increasingly complex systems. EBV Elektronik provides a comprehensive portfolio to support your development – from motor drivers, sensors, and imaging modules to discrete power supplies, processors, and interface ICs.
EBV assists you in selecting the right technologies and combining them into powerful solutions for industrial electrification and sustainable manufacturing. Support extends from initial concept and architecture through design‑in to successful product launch. Together with trusted suppliers and development partners, EBV helps you realise even the most demanding industrial applications.
Frequently Asked Questions:
The growing demand for energy efficiency and flexibility is driving the adoption of intelligent, networked automation solutions. Industrial digitalisation provides the standardised data space that enables cross-manufacturer data exchange between components or systems. This also opens up new ways of linking sectors, particularly with regard to end-to-end value chains and networked systems.
Local DC grids for industrial production facilities are also important: the direct current generated by renewable energy sources can supply grid consumers, such as machines, motors and conveyor belts, directly with electricity, reducing conversion losses. Thanks to networking in the DC grid, it is also possible to feed a system's braking energy back into the grid as electricity. This makes it possible to save up to 10 percent of energy.
| Process | Typical reduction |
| Simple data filtering (e.g. noise removal) | 30 – 50 % |
| Data compression (e.g. lossless algorithms) | 50 – 80 % |
| Event-based transmission (only send relevant data) | 70 – 95 % |
| Local pattern recognition and anomaly detection (e.g. ML models) | 80 – 99 % |
| Edge aggregation & decision making (send metadata only) | 90 – 99 % |