ATLAS COPCO’S BATTERY STORAGE DRIVES DOWN CO2 ON RENEWABLES SITE

At this unnamed project in the UK, an Atlas Copco battery energy storage unit is being used to power the site’s welfare and office facility, not only preventing significant carbon emissions being released into the climate but also reducing operational costs significantly.

Typically, construction sites without access to mains electricity use 45 KVA or 60KVA diesel powered generators to provide power for employee welfare facilities. These temporary use cabins contain canteens, toilets, showers, storage and site office facilities.

Generally, the diesel generators burn around 10 litres of diesel an hour, and often run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If one litre of diesel creates around 2.68 kgs of C02, then using one of even the cleanest diesel-powered generators would create an incredible 4.5 tonnes of C02e in just one week. This figure makes it no surprise that construction as an industry contributes to around 40% of annual C02e emissions in the U.K. Cost wise, powering a diesel generator would amount to roughly £2,940 in just one week (3,350 Euros in Ireland). If you take into account the cost of Adblue for Stage V generators, engine oil, regular servicing, alternate fuels such as HVO and if you pay fuel management, the cost would be even greater.

A green future with ZBP 45

To avoid producing such emissions, Atlas Copco’s customer wanted to use a mains grid supply instead of generators, but the power available through the mains fell short of what was required. The power grid could provide 20 kW of power, but the site produced peak power demand of 30 kW. This is where Atlas Copco energy storage comes in. The ZBP 45 is being used to plug the energy gap by trickle charging its batteries in times of low demand, ready to provide up to 45 kW power when required. The ZBP 45 Lithium-ion battery technology is compact yet can provide over 12 hours of power with a single charge if the mains fail it. This is a portable product with plug-and-play capabilities to reduce connection and disconnection labour costs. These energy storage units are also simple to install and are silent, limiting noise pollution on site. And, as they emit no exhaust emissions, they can be stored safely indoors or even underground if required. On this site, the electricity being provided is ’green’, meaning that the welfare facility has a zero-carbon footprint.

Environmental innovation and the future of construction

Despite the higher cost of the energy storage unit itself compared to a diesel-powered generator, these power packs lower operational costs significantly. Not only is electricity cheaper than diesel, per unit of energy, the energy stored, once full, can switch off and stop absorbing from the grid. In conjunction with this significant cost reduction, this battery storage unit is playing a critical role in the utility’s goal to drive down carbon emissions.

their significant environmental and financial benefits. “These energy storage units, despite being little known, undoubtedly have an important role to play on all types of construction sites in the future,” he says. “The capability to provide power to sites across the U.K and Ireland at a muchreduced cost and generating only very little carbon emissions is a huge step forward in construction achieving its goal of becoming a greener, and more environmentally conscious industry. This year is where we step-up models with increased power and battery capacity, Solar PV and Wind turbine compatible more than ever before, especially with increased electricity tariffs and emission restrictions”.

Barry Hughes,

Atlas Copco’s Business Development Manager is working to raise the profile of battery energy storage products and