How Falcon Cranes reached new heights in its carbon-cutting ambitions

A construction brand case study

Mobile BESS saves £16,000 and avoids 29,000kg in carbon over 3 months

01.

The challenge

Building a clean air future

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.

02.

The solution

Using mobile BESS to deliver on environmental goals

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 100 kW 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.

03.

The results

Fuel cost savings and operational continuity

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. This meant an overall fuel saving, from avoiding diesel, of £14,500. Extrapolating over a year returns fuel savings of £80,000.

* Diesel cost was assumed to be £1.5/litre and HVO cost of £2.3/litre. Calculations assume an electricity cost of £0.23/kWh.

“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

04.

Operations continue uninterrupted

Batteries store energy when it’s available, and release it on demand. This is an important function when there’s limited supply. 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.

How can you quantify your potential savings?

Want to know how much you could save? Zenobē uses its experience with power management to create optimised power plans for clients. Let’s explore the options, so you can see power saving models first-hand.

Talk to our team and learn more about clean power solutions.