POWER SHIFT
With contractors setting sustainability targets and the cost of fuel about to soar, is the power generation sector starting to look at alternatives to diesel? Dan Jenkins investigates.
W
ith great power comes great responsibility. Power generation is
a vital part of the hire industry, but also a significant contributor to site emissions. With alternative options becoming more viable, has diesel had its day?
According to the equipment manufacturers who are struggling to keep up with demand, diesel is still dominant. Tom Page, Sales Director for Shindaiwa, said: “We have sold out across every product range and have just received our biggest ever order in the UK. The biggest challenge for us is keeping up with demand.”
Appetite is strong after a challenging 18 months caused by the COVID pandemic and the almost complete cessation of outdoor events. Paul Rea, Rental Sales Manager for FG Wilson said: “Fleet owners are not just looking at buying more to meet demand, but many are also assessing which stock need replenishing with new product, particularly while EU3 transition product is still permissible to integrate into fleets until end of 2021. So, it is a very busy time for the sector.”
Stage V
As for many equipment providers, meeting Stage V emissions standards has been the
main objective in recent years. Some OEMs have also taken this opportunity to revise and upgrade their products.
All welder generators from Shindaiwa now meet Stage V, while achieving market- leading positions in performance. Page said: “The new range will ensure our reliable, Japanese-built machines have the lowest noise, emissions and fuel consumption available on the UK market today.”
Larger generators will increase in cost and complexity, mainly due to the addition of diesel particulate filters (DPF). However, this does not apply to Shindaiwa’s smaller products. “The regulations do not affect us quite as severely as they have with some other manufacturers,” added Page.
“Above 20kVA the machine has to have DPF, which adds cost and complexity. Our smaller generators are Euro V compliant but remain a relatively simple engine, which is great for rental companies. The cost increases have been a lot less than those for the big machines – for example, we understand the increase in price of a 100kVA machine at the moment is astronomical.”
FG Wilson’s strategy is based around the assumption of the market slowly transitioning to EU5 while the old Stage IIIa product is still available. “We invested heavily in IIIa engines to use during the transition stage to satisfy our customers demand and then introduce our new EU5 compliant product with a ramped-up approach,” said Rea.
FG Wilson is seeing strong demand for its products, post COVID.
“Everyone wants to do their bit for the environment, but there are cost implications from moving to Stage V.
Hire rates will have to go up by 60 to 70 per cent in order for owners to get the same return on investment. That isn’t going to happen overnight; it will be a while before hirers can start charging a premium for these products. Hirers are therefore cautious about going in headfirst and investing heavily.”
Going green
While Stage V has set the minimum standard, a lot of manufacturers are going a step further, looking at hybrid and even fully electric generators. “The plant equipment and generator manufacturers are very closely watching what is happening in the automotive sector, as ultimately they are all interlinked,” said Page.
Shindaiwa is launching a diesel hybrid welder generator at the Executive Hire Show in February – one of several new products it will unveil at the show. Believed to be an industry first for welder generators, it uses what Page describes as an advanced engine charging system similar to that used by automotive manufacturers.
“It will come at a higher price – if you want the latest technology, you will have to pay for it,” he said. “Hybrid is therefore not going to be the same price as a standard welder generator. However, you also then have to consider lifetime costs and especially fuel consumption, which we anticipate will be around a 60% saving compared to standard model Shindaiwa Welders. Over the lifetime, a hybrid will be cheaper.
“We are already seeing demand for greener equipment from the big, blue-chip contractors. They are really driving this market segment. They understand that replacing all their 300Amp diesel welder generators with hybrids could make them huge savings.”
FG Wilson is on a similar path, but believes diesel has a long way to go yet. “We are always looking at new and evolving
38 Executive Hire News - September 2021
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