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The power grid is getting more overloaded every day and that’s bad news for anyone working in the construction and infrastructure sector. Grid congestion puts you in a double bind: on the one hand, you have to work more sustainably, which increases the demand for electric equipment, and on the other hand you’re confronted with the fact that there isn’t enough power for your project. How do you solve that dilemma in a way that is feasible and affordable?
Grid congestion, or in other words ‘a clogged up power network’, occurs just like traffic jams when there is too much supply and that supply can’t be processed. As a result, traffic flow slows down to a trickle or even a gridlock. The congestion problem has grown in recent years, in line with our efforts to use less fossil fuels (natural gas, petrol, diesel). Electricity supply these days comes more from wind turbines and solar panels. Unfortunately, these are unstable sources because of their heavy dependence on the time of day and weather. The peaks of solar and wind energy generally don’t match the hours of greatest offtake. A lot of solar energy generated during the day is actually lost because we only see the highest power consumption later in the day, when the sun goes down and afterwards. This means that supply and demand aren’t in sync.
You’ll hear the word ‘impossible’ more often
The partial switch from fossil fuels to renewables has been rapid, too rapid for our somewhat ageing power grid. The transmission lines between large-scale power generators and small and large energy consumers scattered across the country can no longer handle the rapidly growing supply. As a result, more and more existing as well as new customers are being told their request for a (larger) electrical connection is impossible to achieve. And the consequences could be disastrous, as we are already seeing: construction projects grind to a halt or are delayed, electricity prices go up (sharply) and the dream of zero-emission construction is slowly slipping away. To continue building, the only option you have is to start using temporary solutions such as peak shaving and temporary power storage.
Peak shaving in combination with a battery pack
With peak shaving, you basically ‘shave’ the sharp peaks off the high power demand. The method most commonly used is a battery system with sufficient storage. You let the battery steadily recharge at night – in the (cheap) off-peak hours – because then the electricity grid can supply enough and only the camera security and emergency lighting are on at the building site. If you run into a power shortage at some point during the next working day, the battery system automatically kicks in and you won’t notice any grid congestion.
Boels has various Energy Storage Systems (ESS) you can hire. These range from portable battery packs with a capacity of 1600 or 2000 watts (for electric hand tools, for example) to battery packs and battery containers that can be moved with a forklift truck in capacities ranging from 45 to as much as 318 kVa (at 400 volts).
Working with a temporary electricity supply is more complicated than it may look at first glance. That’s why it is so important to get good advice beforehand, both for working safely and to keep costs as low as possible.
Custom advice
Our specialists can help you with all your detailed questions about temporary energy supply.