ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Ӏ SPECIAL REPORT


j First, though, let us talk electric power. Both new and existing technologies are relevant; and if further progress is to be made supply chains, manufacturers, technology developers and end- users will all have to be involved. United Kingdom Research and


Innovation or UKRI, is a public body charged with encouraging and facilitating that process. Through it the government has invested nearly £80 million into upscaling the manufacturing of Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD) - essentially the technologies that will make electrification possible, especially for off-highway and construction vehicles. Professor Will Drury is its challenge director. “Whether your electricity


comes from a battery, a fuel cell, the mains or whatever, irrespective


of its source you need to convert it into mechanical energy to do the work,” he says. “To do that you use some electronics and electric motor – a power train. And those are the components that will drive the sustainability revolution. “Some of them can be the application of existing electronics, but we are looking for new and more modern, more efficient electronics now, using what are called wide bandgap devices that allow us to convert electricity much more efficiently. The UK is world-leading in some of that R&D; we are working on supply chains to allow those to be made and distributed here as well. “There are also older motor-


types that are being brought into the 21st century with increased efficiencies; technologies such as


switched reluctance motors use no magnets, thus saving material resources and the energy and destructiveness of mining them. “Technologies already used in other application can be transferred to cranes,” he says. “Elevators in office buildings are essentially lifting machines, and are almost all electrically powered. Already in this country we have some world leading elevator manufacturers that make the electronics for those: Seimens are based in Congleton, ABB are doing stuff in Warrington, Nidec Control Techniques are in Powys, and there some start-ups from the beginnings of the 2000s. So we have people making the product for a different application that, perhaps with some minor tweaking, will do what you need for cranes.


Link-belt'S FACToRY: A pLACE oF bluegRass AND gReen space...


Sustainability is about much more than the litres per hour fuel-efficiency of the machines that you produce. The carbon footprint of a crane spans its entire lifetime, from the energy used in the factory that makes it, via its maintenance, transport and running energy-costs, to the recycling or disposal of it after as long a useful life as can be environmentally justified. Link-Belt, at its 104-acre (42Ha) plant in the bluegrass country of Kentucky, has been a pioneer in recognising this. “In order to formalise our commitment to protecting our surrounding Bluegrass region and being a responsible corporate citizen, the


company created the Link-Belt Environmental Management System in 2011. Link-Belt has pursued environmental targets since implementation of this system,” says a company spokesperson. “One of the main targets was becoming a zero-landfill facility; in 2017, Link-Belt achieved this classification and has maintained it to the most


recent audit completed in 2021. In 2011, Link-Belt Cranes achieved ISO 14001 certification, which is a standard for conserving natural resources in the best possible way, taking into account practices to maintain long-term standing of environmental standards. This too has been maintained through the 2021 audit. In 2017 Link-Belt reduced its carbon emissions by 30 percent (6,134 tonnes) from base year 2013 through energy efficiency measures such


as low-wattage automatic lights, high-volume, low speed fans for recirculating air, using exhaust air from large air compressors to supplement shop heating. Office areas are heated using a heat-recovery system, dual stage variable speed heat pumps and air handling units, and a setback temperature program to reduce consumptions when space is unoccupied. Paint line improvements have reduced demand for natural gas. Link-Belt’s vendors are asked to share environmental


information about their operations. This also encompasses Link-Belt’s dedication to the cranes it manufactures with the latest diesel engine technology from the standpoint of exhaust emissions and fuel efficiency. Link-Belt says it was the first mobile crane manufacturer in North America to achieve Tier IV final compliance across its product line. Link-Belt’s factory grounds includes a ‘riparian buffer’ – see


the photograph – which is a pond fed by stormwater runoff. It is part of an erosion control partnership with Lexington’s local city government. The partnership provided grant funding also for additional research on stormwater runoff best management practices. The buffer was installed in 2017 and as well as managing stormwater provides a habitat for many species of vegetation and wildlife.


36 CRANES TODAY


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