United Rentals Introduces Tower Crane Battery Energy Systems to North American Fleet
United Rentals has added battery energy systems for tower cranes to its North American rental fleet, the company said. Developed by Termaco in collaboration with United Rentals, this innovative system provides clean, sustainable power that enables contractors to reduce fuel consumption and equipment-related downtime while achieving quieter, lower-emission jobsites.
Configurable up to 500kW, the system operates alongside a generator to deliver reliable power to support tower crane operations. It minimizes generator run time by storing energy in batteries and running on battery power whenever possible. For smaller applications, the battery unit can be powered by solar panels to create a completely emission-free solution. This allows a contractor to significantly downsize the generator and dramatically reduce generator run time and emissions, while still meeting peak power demands.
“Battery energy systems for tower cranes provide a great application of practical sustainability on the jobsite by helping contractors address their economic and environmental goals,” said Larry Worthington, region vice president, Power and HVAC, United Rentals. “This solution demonstrates United Rentals’ commitment to bringing innovative products to market that deliver outstanding value to our customers.”
Proven in the Field
General contracting firm Award Construction, based in Alberta, Canada, pioneered the use of the United Rentals battery energy system to fully power an 8-ton, 70-meter-tall tower crane at Riverbank Landing, a 20-acre planned mixed-use community being built in Edmonton.
At the project, Award went from running a 300kVA T4 generator 24 hours a day to power its tower crane, to charging the battery energy system with a 100kW generator for just two and a half hours a day and operating the crane solely on battery power. Generator run time was reduced by 91 percent, which resulted in a fuel and emissions reduction of approximately 80 percent.
“Sustainable building aligns with our company’s core values. We are proud our Riverbank Landing construction site is making history as one of the first in Canada to fully power its site tower crane entirely by battery,” said Brian Hennessey, construction manager, Award Construction.
This innovative tower crane battery energy system is part of a range of low and zero-emission solutions. Learn more on the Sustainability at United Rentals webpage.
United Rentals is the largest equipment rental company in the world. The company has an integrated network of 1,504 rental locations in North America, 38 in Europe, 23 in Australia and 19 in New Zealand. In North America, the company operates in 49 states and every Canadian province.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.