General contracting firm Award Construction, based in Alberta, Canada, has used a United Rentals battery energy system to fully power an 8-ton, 70-meter-tall tower crane.

Developed by Termaco in collaboration with United Rentals, the system is designed to provide clean, sustainable power that also enables contractors to reduce fuel consumption while achieving quieter, lower-emission job sites.

Configurable up to 500kW, the system operates alongside a generator to deliver power to support tower crane operations. It minimizes generator run time by storing energy in batteries and running on battery power whenever possible, United said in a statement.

Read also: United Rentals Adds Solar Battery System

For smaller applications, the battery unit can be powered by solar panels to create a completely emission-free solution. This allows a contractor to downsize the generator and reduce generator run time and emissions.

Award used the system 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 two-and-a-half hours a day and operating the crane solely on battery power.

Generator run time was reduced by 91%, which resulted in a fuel and emissions reduction of approximately 80%. 

“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 for Award Construction.