Powr2 finds early adopters of its Powrbank system are typically generator hire specialists who are supplying to tier one contractors. “They are more open to getting these assets on their books, but on top of that there is a huge section of the market that wants to re-rent them,” says Bell.


Along with construction, other applications where it finds users are more receptive to energy storage systems include TV and film production and events such as concert tours and music festivals.


Atlas Copco thinks that the construction sector is quite conservative compared to other industries.


make money,” says Gregorio. “Comparing the list price to a 40kVA generator, an energy storage system looks completely crazy – but it is a pointless discussion. We have to help the hire companies to look at total cost of ownership in the first analysis.”


Williams at Lifos agrees. “At the moment it is end users that are driving demand; hire companies are not fully aware of the capabilities and benefits of energy storage systems. So, they are being reactive at the moment. There is still an educational piece to do.”


For POWR2 it is also about differentiation. You are not just buying a box with batteries and inverters; you are buying our expertise and technology,” says Frank Moyer, global director of sales. “Our ECM which manages the batteries is what differentiates us from our competitors and why we feel we offer a premium product. It is like the difference in the electric car market between Tesla and Ford. Tesla is a dedicated electric car company; Ford is a car company with some electric cars.


“We offer technical and operational training as part of our package. We also offer sales training for rental companies so that they can properly sell the POWRBANK as a rental product to end users.”


Market adoption It is fair to say that wholescale market adoption remains an ambition, but some hire companies are proving more adventurous than others.


“It is still a relatively new concept and some products have had mixed results and short warranty terms which does not help build confidence in the market,” says Williams,


ahead of Lifos starting deliveries of its Fort system in November. “But once there are a number of reliable, well-respected products available, hire companies will feel more confident in investing in this type of kit.”


Adams from Prolectric adds, “They are not necessarily being picked up and adopted as much as we would like them to be. But there are some real heroes who are doing it incredibly well. Nixon have purchased our ProPower solar hybrid generators, they have the largest fleet. The big tier one companies are all moving towards it.


“The industry has a significant role to play as the hire industry is buying 65% of all equipment that goes into construction.”


However, construction can have a conservative culture that is resistant to change. “Construction can be quite conservative compared to the events or telecoms sectors,” says Atlas Copco’s Gregorio. “In the current market there are a lot of uncertainties about new technologies so in those cases we have to guide the customer to help them meet their environmental targets and to make more money.


“Everyone is starting to adopt the technology, even the smaller players they are starting to see the benefits and are becoming more curious. This investment is still not for everyone, but cross-rent is becoming a tactic for big rental companies who can afford to have a large fleet.”


New applications New uses are emerging all the time, too. “Customers are very clever and are discovering new applications, such as peak shaving (managing spikes in energy demand) or using them with cranes,” says Gregorio. “Cranes have always been a big pain for generators because they are consuming a lot of power in a very short period of time and then the generator is running super-low the rest of the time. The engine is not running efficiently at all, so here an energy storage system can eliminate that extra cost.


“We have a good understanding of the applications because Atlas Copco knows so much about diesel generators. We know what applications are not ideal for generators and we know how to improve the customer experience with energy storage


The new base of the Lifos Fort is the result of user feedback.


28 Executive Hire News - September 2023


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