Power Generation - Market Report High Energy
Combining batteries with generators is not just an energy flash in the pan. Dan Jenkins reports on how this technology can benefit hirers and their customers.
E
nergy storage systems are steadily making inroads into generator hire fleets
– and often they’re combining with generators rather than replacing them. While usually it might seem counterintuitive to buy and then hire out two machines rather than one, in this case there are some compelling arguments for it.
“With an energy storage system it is not just the fuel savings, you are increasing the lifetime of your fleet and ensuring a good resale value,” says Barbara Gregorio, Atlas Copco’s divisional product marketing manager – innovative energies and digital solutions.
A typical application would be working in tandem with a generator, called a hybrid solution. The battery energy storage system manages low loads and the generator kicks in to provide power during peak demand. Diesel generators are inefficient when idling or dealing with low loads. Battery energy storage experts Lifos calculates that a hybrid solution could save contractors £600 per week in fuel, while hirers prevent generator damage from extended periods of low load operation.
“Stage V engines can be expensive to look after if they run at low levels, particularly in terms of filter changes and additional servicing,” says Lifos CEO Adrian Williams. “But by running a hybrid system you prolong
the life of the generator by several years, as you are putting fewer miles on the clock.”
Stuart Bell, business development for the UK and EU at POWRBANK manufacturer POWR2, concurs.
“In a low load, temporary power scenario, batteries not only bring huge reductions in CO2, they also reduce the maintenance requirements,” he says. “As temporary power is traditionally oversized for the application, with the latest stage 5 generators having a good load profile is absolutely essential.”
ProPower 3PH-30
Education needed Prolectric has launched a savings calculator to make it easier for customers to understand the financials. “We have to help them see the benefits,” says Kathryn Adams, head of market insight. “We have a real job to articulate that it is not just a good environmental opportunity, it is a good commercial opportunity as well.
“As a green tech industry we have to make it as easy as possible for rental companies and end users to view the savings. People
think solar is more expensive and of course it is initially, but you have to look at the diesel savings and labour savings as part of a wider purchasing cycle. If you look over the lifetime of the product within your hire fleet you can see it is the right choice.”
For solar hybrid there are even more barriers. “With solar there are still people that believe that solar will not work in the winter months,” she adds. “We have still got a job to do to prove that our solar technology is not like the solar lights you buy from the garden centre. It will work in the winter and it will last a lot longer than a year.”
This is echoed by Atlas Copco’s approach. “It is our job to still help our customers to still
Battery storage devices not only help to reduce CO2 emissions, they also have lower maintenance requirements.
26 Executive Hire News - September 2023
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