CEA: Energised by ZenergiZe
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With government contracts including clauses around sustainability, new technology to power sites while reducing emissions offers opportunities for the smart Infrastructure Manager.
The new ZenergiZe range from Atlas CEA takes modular energy storage to a new level. Developed with sustainability in mind, it helps operators dramatically reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. It also delivers optimal performance with zero noise and virtually no maintenance.
Leveraging the benefits of high-density lithium-ion batteries, the ZenergiZe units are compact and light compared to traditional alternatives. They can provide over 12 hours of power with a single charge.
They are ideally suited for noise-sensitive environments, such as event or metropolitan construction sites, telecoms, or rental applications, or to resolve low-load problems. They are also suitable for sites where diesel emissions are an issue.
The ZenergiZe range perfectly fits with applications that require a continuous and demanding flow of electrical power energy. It is ideal for properly sized cranes and other electric motors.
The ZenergiZe can also be used for events celebrated in noise-sensitive locations and other stationary applications such as hospitals or recharging points for electric cars.
The ZenergiZe can be synchronised with other energy storage systems, which allows the machine to become the storage of all the energy sources connected to a microgrid.
Investing in the future
Hutchinson Builders are currently operating several ZenergiZe units. Wade McGrath is a Site Manager for Hutchinson Builders and has been in the industry for decades.
“I started as a ‘chippy’ and have worked my way up the ladder,” he says. “I progressed to foreman and eventually to site manager. I suppose it was a goal of mine — I wanted to climb the ladder.”
McGrath has been with Hutchinson Builders for just over a year. His influences and knowledge stem from his time at companies such as Evans Built, BADGE Construction and Evans Harch.
“When I joined Hutchinson Builders, I worked with a full site team, a safety officer and site foremen. It’s a big improvement over when I was managing multiple roles. I’ve got a fantastic work environment now,” McGrath says.
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Sustainability a key focus
McGrath believes there is an increased focus on sustainability in the construction and infrastructure industries. This has arisen from the government’s desire for contractors to focus on their environmental aspects.
“We’re going away from petrol and diesel vehicles while shifting towards electric vehicles across society,” he says.
“We are also seeing this trend in the building industry as we always want a smaller environmental impact. Using the battery setup from Atlas CEA has been a massive tick. Government contracts are increasingly looking at the sustainability side of things, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a requirement.”
Hutchinson Builders hired a ZenergiZe ZBP 45, which runs with a JCB G60 generator. McGrath believes the company has the right solution for its needs.
“It always comes down to the job size,” he says. “Atlas CEA does have bigger units, such as the ZBC100-500, but we didn’t have that much demand for power. While we were drawing a big load, the actual demand was not as high. That’s because we don’t have a tower crane or multiple work fronts connecting to multiple sheds.”
McGrath found that the ZenergiZe could support their electricity needs along with their generator. With the restrictions on generator usage at night, they could operate at all hours off the back of their silent ZenergiZe. It also meant that any emergency lighting could run off the ZenergiZe battery.
Saving money and energy
Not only is ZenergiZe providing the power that Hutchinson Builders need, but it’s also helping them to save on operating costs.
“We’ve worked out that we are saving about 500 litres a week of diesel,” McGrath says. “That’s if we work the generator 24 hours a day, seven days a week. While it’s still early days, we believe we are saving about $4000 or so a month. Those funds have allowed us to invest in other energy-saving projects.”
This includes investing in solar panels. The increased possibilities of solar-powered facilities with energy inverters could provide construction sites with power to operate at all times.
“These inverters are taking in the energy from the sun and saving it for us. The industry appears to be working towards creating sheds with solar panels installed on the roof. We will be able to connect all the sheds together as a central input into the ZenergiZe,” McGrath says.
The future could be a solar farm that fits inside a sea container. With four to six solar panels, it is possible to develop enough power to run the site from solar energy, along with the ZenergiZe on stand-by. Such a development could support the likely government regulations around sustainable power.
“We already have to do hours’ worth of upskill training,” McGrath says. “I can see a similar requirement around energy efficiency and the size of our carbon footprint in the future for contracts over a certain size. We are already ahead of the game in that regard.”
For more information, visit https://www.atlascea.com.au/
This article was originally published in the September edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.
This article was originally published in the September edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.
This article was originally published in the September edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.
This article was originally published in the September edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.
This article was originally published in the September edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.
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