Kilmarnock South Commissioning
Discover how Zenobē’s Portable Power team used commissioning experience and battery expertise to develop an alternative solution to traditional commissioning.
Falcon Cranes
How Falcon Cranes reached new heights in its carbon-cutting ambitions
£16,000
saved in diesel over a ten-week period
29,000kg
of CO2 avoided
£80,000
projected fuel savings, extrapolated over a year
Mobile BESS saves Falcon Cranes £16,000 and avoids 29,000kg in carbon over a ten-week period.
The challenge
Tower cranes require large amounts of power to carry out their tasks. Yet, as crane movements are only occasional, adopting a traditional power source is clearly an inefficient choice. A fuel-powered generator required has to be large, and is therefore wasteful from the outset.
Falcon Cranes wished to improve their fuel efficiency as well as minimise emissions, as part of their sustainability commitments. The construction industry is under pressure to reduce its environmental impact, and Falcon wanted to explore solutions to help its clients achieve better results.
The solution
By working with Zenobē, Falcon Cranes uncovered the dual benefits of mobile BESS: cutting overall energy costs and reducing onsite pollution. The programmable battery unit enabled smarter power management and cleaner operations.
A 100kW second-life mobile BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) was deployed alongside a 63A grid supply. This configuration powered a crane that would otherwise have required a 250 kVA generator.
The outcome
Over a ten-week period, the BESS system saved Falcon Cranes an estimated £16,000 in diesel, by providing power only when it was needed. This result was for a crane that was active for 26% of working hours. The CO2 that was avoided by not using a fossil fuel generator at site was 29,000kg. Looking at alternative fuels, the projected HVO cost avoided for this period was £26,500. The cost for electricity to run the crane for the ten-week period was £1,540 – an overall fuel saving, from avoiding diesel, of £14,500. Extrapolating over a year returns fuel savings of £80,000.
Batteries store energy when it’s available, and release it on demand – an important function when there’s limited supply, since for many organisations it’s paramount that operations continue unimpeded. On one occasion during the ten-week period, the grid connection at site was not available. Due to the features of the mobile BESS unit, the site operations were not disrupted: the crane could be powered for the day, though the grid supply was offline.
“Zenobē have been a pleasure to work with. With consistent support, the team at Zenobē provided energy and efficiency in the perfect package to suit last minute power demands.”
Rupert Cook
Associate Service Director, Falcon Cranes
Other Portable Power projects
Select Tower Cranes in Birmingham
See how Zenobē’s mobile BESS powered four tower cranes for Select Plant Hire, slashing diesel use by 98% and cutting 284,000kg of CO₂.
Select at Sizewell C
Discover how portable power helps a vast construction site with limited grid access to reduce its carbon footprint.
