Power transformer energy performance: Landscape of market surveillance testing avenues: Worldwide and EU Technical standard and legislative framework

The energy performance of power transformers is currently being improved around the globe. In the EU alone, total losses from inefficiencies in 2008 amounted to 93.4 TWh per year, equivalent to almost 12% of the continent's residential electricity consumption ([1], [2]). A regulation covering this group was adopted in May 2014. The cost-effective improvement potential through more efficient design has been estimated in about 16.2 TWh per year in 2025, which corresponds to 3.7 Mt of CO2 emissions, with a projected loss of (aggregate of the 10-20% expected loss through noncompliance) of 1.6-3.2 TWh). There is a need to strengthen the capacity of Market Surveillance Authorities (MSAs) to conduct Ecodesign related market surveillance activities with respect to new and pending industrial and tertiary sector products. Especially in the case of customized products which are unsuitable for testing in laboratories. The focus of the research is to support Market Surveillance Authorities (MSAs) in monitoring, verification, and enforcement to ensure compliance for very large industrial products, specifically transformers and industrial fans, with the requirements of the Eco-design Directive. This paper discusses critically the technical boundaries, the existing energy performance metrics, the standardized measurement methods and provides a comparison highlighting issues and criticalities. The paper considers three-phase and single-phase power transformers (including autotransformers) with a minimum power rating of 1 kVA used electricity transmission and distribution networks or for industrial applications except for small and special transformers.