Variable-speed drives have been utilized for many years in order to achieve energy savings. In recent years, the variable speed drive has also been seen as a valuable source of data, benefiting from the current and voltage sensing capabilities of the drive. The aim of digitalization in motor drive systems is to improve both energy and operational efficiency.

In this paper, we will dive into the concept of using the drive as a sensor, as well as the role of Industrial IoT (IIoT) in data visualization and analytics. This allows for the monitoring of energy usage and deviations due to wear-out and other operating conditions. Our final paper will share the experiences of the last five years and highlight both the challenges and opportunities.

Challenges include the unknown application output power without additional sensors, cost, insufficient use cases, and complexity. However, there are also opportunities to be had such as data analytics, the use of AI and machine learning (ML), and the use of data from VSD.