Batteries slash costs, emissions for utility company on a mission
Combining battery storage with a generator delivered silent power for a utility company’s portable offices, reducing emissions and enhancing worker comfort on-site.
Client: Portacom
Location: Pāuatahanui, Wellington, New Zealand
Sectors: Utilities
The Challenge
Silent power for portable offices.
One of the largest utility companies in New Zealand was on a mission to rewire high voltage powerlines in a remote area of the North Island. The job took months to complete and required setting up portable powered offices. The customer sought a cost-saving solution that would also minimize noise on site and create a welcoming working environment for the team of high voltage electricians.
To meet these requirements, they turned to Portacom, a market-leading supplier of modular buildings across New Zealand. Portacom collaborated with Aggreko to deliver portable offices powered with a combination of a diesel generator and battery energy storage (BESS).
To meet these requirements, they turned to Portacom, a market-leading supplier of modular buildings across New Zealand. Portacom collaborated with Aggreko to deliver portable offices powered with a combination of a diesel generator and battery energy storage (BESS).
Project facts
Battery storage unit
45kVA
Saved
11,732 Kg CO2
Diesel generator
60kVA
Of fuel saved
4,377Litres
Of fuel used
756Litres
Portable offices
5 Modules
The Solution
Battery storage system backed up by a generator
To meet the customer's requirements, Aggreko sized the generator and battery storage according to the power needs on site. They provided a 60kVA generator and a 45kVA battery. As portable offices require a moderate amount of power, the battery was intended to do the bulk of the job, with the generator only used to trickle charge the battery after hours. A redundancy system was in place to ensure the generator kicks in when the battery's charge drops below 30%.
As a result, the generator only ran 6% of the project time, or 135 hours, and consumed 756 litres of fuel over a period of 93 days. To put these numbers in perspective, powering modular offices with a generator alone (a 20kVA generator would be supplied in this case) would require the generator to run 24/7 and consume 5,134 litres of diesel fuel.
As a result, the generator only ran 6% of the project time, or 135 hours, and consumed 756 litres of fuel over a period of 93 days. To put these numbers in perspective, powering modular offices with a generator alone (a 20kVA generator would be supplied in this case) would require the generator to run 24/7 and consume 5,134 litres of diesel fuel.
“The buildings on our handover were all up and running with no noise. Last year there was continuous noise 24/7 with the generator running to power the buildings. Now other than the general work noises, we can enjoy the environment we are working in, it’s an amazing little spot. The set up also supports our Health Safety and Environment initiatives.”
Transmission Line Project Manager - Ventia
Tim Drake
The Impact
Costs, emissions down, workers comfort up.
Replacing a conventional diesel generator with a combination of a generator and a battery energy storage system proved to be an ideal solution for powering portable offices in remote locations.
The customer was able to save over $14,000 NZ in fuel costs and a staggering 11,732 kg of CO2, equivalent to taking 7 passenger cars off the road for one year.
Further, with a 1000L fuel tank supplied at the start of the job, there was no need to perform multiple vehicle trips for refuelling (estimated 13 trips), which contributed to reduced project costs and scope 2 emissions, not included in the calculations above.
In addition, noise reduction on site has proved to be beneficial both for workers’ comfort and the environment, which was highly appreciated by the customer. The emissions and noise reduction achieved in the project were in line with the customer’s sustainability goals and their ESG policy.
Aggreko once again proved the power doesn’t have to cost the Earth.
The customer was able to save over $14,000 NZ in fuel costs and a staggering 11,732 kg of CO2, equivalent to taking 7 passenger cars off the road for one year.
Further, with a 1000L fuel tank supplied at the start of the job, there was no need to perform multiple vehicle trips for refuelling (estimated 13 trips), which contributed to reduced project costs and scope 2 emissions, not included in the calculations above.
In addition, noise reduction on site has proved to be beneficial both for workers’ comfort and the environment, which was highly appreciated by the customer. The emissions and noise reduction achieved in the project were in line with the customer’s sustainability goals and their ESG policy.
Aggreko once again proved the power doesn’t have to cost the Earth.