SECTOR SNAPSHOT Ӏ BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS
Which, of course, is a complete waste of fuel since that diesel is simply converted to waste heat.
COST SAVINGS London, UK-headquartered Zenobē is another leading designer, owner, and operator of battery storage systems. Robert Long is its head of portable power. “We have done many projects
powering cranes,” he says. “Results have been very successful. When powering with a generator we can downsize the generator and increase the efficiency. We have found around a 90% reduction in fuel costs and consumption; so on a cost basis that more than pays off the higher cost of the battery. “With regards to carbon you are also making large CO2 savings. And if you are using a battery to replace a generator entirely because you are trickle charging from a small grid supply then you have 100% fuel savings and no rental costs for the generator.
“Both of those scenarios
are very compelling on an environmental and economic basis, and they have been very successful.”
Sa a BESS on-site can save a
substantial amount in fuel bills. As Long points out, it also has pay- backs in sustainability: less fuel means fewer carbon emissions –
and on those sites that can use BESS with a low-power grid, carbon emissions can be almost zero.
“Integrating BESS into the on-site energy mix can help contractors reduce reliance on diesel and gain greater control over energy spend,” agrees Tom Adlington, sector sales manager, building services and construction at energy solutions specialist Aggreko. “Using them alongside Stage V generators running on hydrotreated vegetable oil, for example, also offers a clear route to energy-efficient emission reduction,” he adds.
SLOW TAKE-UP Given these advantages “the technology should be taking off,” says Keys. Those in the industry, however, have been surprised at the relatively slow take-up of BESS for tower cranes. Aggreko has produced a
downloadable white paper on BESS; it is called ‘Building with BESS – How construction managers can boost site resilience using Battery Energy Storage Systems’ and is available for free download at
https://bit.ly/4vxvzUV. After listing some of the advantages of BESS – flexibility, agility, resilience, as well as green sustainability and money saving – it
Aggreko batteries come in sizes and
capacities to suit
says this: “Despite this, their full potential is still yet to be realised by the industry; [BESS has] a range of more advanced capabilities beyond basic energy storage.” Zenobē’s Robert Long echoes
this. “Adoption of BESS for tower cranes has been slower than I had expected,” he says. Note his qualification of the statement: ‘Adoption… for tower cranes.’ Because, he explains,
construction companies have been perfectly willing to hire BESS systems – indeed business is booming – but they have not been using them to their full advantage. “From about the beginning
of the year we have noticed an increase in demand for batteries in construction,” Long continues. “I have to say I expected the demand in cranes to be leading it. But, in fact, it is demand across other applications – such as welfare offices, site lighting, batching plants and applications like that. We are seeing quite a lot of deployment of batteries on those because they have a lot of requirements to be greener. Clients don't want the generator running all day for those. “That is useful; yet it is not as
fruitful for them economically. It is a win, but not as much of a win as using BESS for a crane. You can still make savings and reduce
CRANES TODAY 17
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