Imagine an average construction site: Equipment is everywhere, contractors are drilling, clearing debris, dust is swirling, generators are roaring - there's a lot going on. It's hot, dusty and noisy.

Until now, this hasn't only been the norm, but the standard.

Battery storage systems offer a long-sought alternative. The demand for reliable energy under the caveat of environmentally friendly energy sources is now greater than ever.

Here's why battery storage systems are likely to become a staple of power generation on construction sites over the next decade.

Why are construction sites moving away from diesel generators?

For decades, diesel generators were the salvation for quick access to off-grid power, but at the cost of harmful emissions. Even with advanced Tier 4 generators and restrictive emissions standards, diesel exhaust can still emit dozens of air pollutants.

For this reason, demand for alternatives is high - because diesel generators, while cheap and simple, are also a constant problem. Here's why:

1.Diesel Generators Aren't Always Suited to the Electrical Load.

Say a company requires an office complex to be sent out for a road works program. The procurement department has no idea what the electrical load will be so they’ll usually make an assumption of the load they require. Let’s say they assign a 50kVA generator to the office complex, organise its delivery and wire it in. More often than not, this information will continually be passed on. Due diligence tends to go out the window – if they used a 50kVA generator last time, they’ll send for it again.

Now, once the generator is on-site, it’s not uncommon for a generator to operate at a low load constantly. This invites issues like glazing which often causes the generator to fail and risks the safety of workers. Each time a piece of equipment fails, it’s an unplanned added expense.

Batteries don’t have this problem, even if the unit is larger than what’s required, there won’t likely be any issue with its operation, even at low load draws.

2.Maintenance, Refuelling & Servicing of Diesel Generators Disrupts Power Supply

Generators require regular servicing, maintenance and repair, not to mention refueling.

Best practice requires the generator to be taken offline during these procedures. Users may need to implement priority loading or take it offline completely. It also means additional manpower to visit the site, shut down the generator, complete the task, and re-wire it in.

This is disruptive and can chew into deadlines.

Labour forces can’t be stood down just because the generators are offline or waiting to be fixed, so there’s extra cash being paid out into unproductive site labour.

3.Diesel Generators Produce Carbon Emissions...

This is the big one. Although there are restrictions on emission output with diesel generators , it’s still a problem.

Battery energy storage systems solve fuel logistics, noise pollution, maintenance and servicing restrictions, and even worksite productivity.

But above all, the battery doesn’t emit carbon, resulting in an 85% average reduction of carbon emissions.

For example, 1L of petrol will produce roughly 2.3kg of carbon dioxide and 1L of diesel will produce about 2.7kg of carbon dioxide. So, if you save 10,000L of diesel per year, that’s up to 27 tonnes of CO2.

Contact us

Foxtheon delivers renewable energy worldwide, from New York to South Africa. No matter where you are, we can help. If you need further advice from a member of our team, please send an email to info@foxtheon.com.