The two companies have been working together in a series of field trials since 2021 to identify areas where savings could be made to reduce energy use and emissions during construction.
The savings, which were made across five tower cranes from October 2022 to January 2023, came from powering on-site tower cranes with smaller generators, battery energy storage systems (BESS) and biofuels.
Overall, estimated total savings across the five tower cranes came to 87,300 litres in fuel and more than 234 tonnes of emissions – equivalent to an 85% reduction in consumption.
On one of the five cranes the saving was 93%.
Sir Robert McAlpine plant procurement manager Martin Mitchell said: “We have been working closely with Aggreko for a while now as part of our shared goals to deliver long-term emissions and energy reductions on our projects. The fact that we’ve now realised an 85% reduction in fuel and emissions across multiple live cranes is fantastic news.”
From October 2022 to January 2023, Sir Robert McAlpine’s tower cranes were powered by HVO-fuelled generators and BESS technology. Instead of running the cranes off generators running all day – the old way – the batteries power the cranes and the generators only run at time of peak load or to charge the batteries. This also means smaller generators can be used too.
Aggreko Europe sales manager Tom Adlington said: “The typical nature of power consumption on construction sites means peaks and troughs are common. However, this also means generators are often oversized due to the misconception of incorporating greater power to meet start-up demand. In addition to adding a BESS solution, it was also crucial to select power solutions that would optimise energy usage through right-sizing.”
He added: “The success of this project provides a valuable example of challenging conventional thinking in the supply chain on the solutions and technologies required to reduce carbon footprints in line with net zero emissions targets set out in legislation.”
This sort of battery technology is gaining traction in the UK crane industry. Other users include Bowmer & Kirkland, Laing O'Rourke/Select and Falcon Cranes.
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