Global AC manufacturer Vacon estimates that its products helped save approximately 44 TWh of energy in 2011. The energy savings helped reduce the carbon dioxide emissions considerably. Also, the amount of energy produced from renewable energy sources with Vacon's AC drives was approximately 18 TWh. About 44 TWh of electrical energy was saved last year with the help of Vacon AC drives. This corresponds to the amount of energy produced by approximately eight 700-MW nuclear power reactors in a year.  In addition, in 2011, the amount of energy produced from renewable energy sources with Vacon's AC drives was approximately 18 TWh. Producing an equivalent amount of energy using coal would generate about 16 million tonnes of carbon doxide. An AC drive adjusts the speed of an electric motor according to the real process need, which typically reduces energy consumption by 20-50 percent. An investment in an AC drive is small compared to the cost of the energy an electric motor consumes, so the energy savings resulting from an AC drive controlling a motor quickly makes the investment profitable. According to studies, the payback time of AC drives has continuously shortened. For example, in pump and fan applications the payback time can even be less than one year. Furthermore, inverters based on the company's AC drives technology are key products in generating energy from renewable sources, such as the sun and wind. "Vacon has delivered AC drives since 1995, and they are used to control electric motors, and they play a key role also in clean technology applications, e.g. in solar and wind power stations. From the technological perspective, AC drives will be more energy efficient and offer better performance in the future. Competing or substitute technical solutions do not exist for AC drives and are not within sight," says Vesa Laisi, president and CEO.