There are not many more high profile ‘green’ jobs in the world of electric lifting than lifting a new air source heat pump into the garden of independent global campaigning network Greenpeace’s North London, UK headquarters.
This is exactly what UK lifting service provider Ainscough Crane Hire has done thanks to the recent purchase of its new Liebherr LTC 1050-3.1E Hybrid – the first of its type in the UK (www.linkedin. com/posts/cranes-todaymagazine_ ainscough-enhancesfleet- sustainability-new-activity- 7176196292824465408- l4We?utm_source=share&utm_ medium=member_desktop).
The heat pump installation is part of Greenpeace’s wider carbon reduction strategy and, as such, had to align with the project’s principles and, by necessity, be a low carbon operation.
The job comprised a lift and drop of a next generation air source heat pump that Greenpeace is using to replace its gas boilers for heating and hot water, part of its wider carbon reduction strategy.
The heat pump is provided by an Italian company called Enerblue and is an ultra-low noise model designed especially for built up areas. This is necessary as the Greenpeace building is a 1920s’ block in a built-up residential area with local noise and local traffic constraints.
As bringing a large crane to this site was a non-starter Greenpeace required a machine that was relatively compact but still provided the necessary lifting capacity. The project had a number of other challenges, too: primarily very tight tolerances when it came to the space for the crane, the lift, and the drop. As such, Ainscough’s new Liebherr LTC 1050-3.1e was a clear winner.
“What really appealed to us about the Ainscough LTC 1050-3.1e was the ability to run the operation from our on-site power,” explains Andrew Hatton, resources and technology director at Greenpeace UK. “Given the project is all about carbon reduction it made perfect sense to have the lifting operation fully electric and to put in the time and effort up front to make sure that our onsite supply was able to meet the requirements of the crane.”
Greenpeace utilised Ainscough’s skills and crane via its mechanical specialist, VWG, which is leading on the project. VWG listened to Greenpeace’s requirements and brought in a company it often works with called TEP Machinery.
Together VWG and TEP managed the whole operation, in conjunction with Ainscough.
“It was an impressive feat of organising, to lift and drop a large heat pump in such a crowded area – almost silently, with virtually no impact on local residents or traffic,” Hatton concludes. “I was really impressed with how well this went and can’t thank the team enough for the smooth operation.”
PORTABLE POWER
Although for the Greenpeace job Ainscough’s LTC 1050-3.1e was powered by on-site electricity the crane can also be powered by Liebherr’s new portable energy storage system: Liduro Power Port (LPO) which the company is currently showcasing.
The system was displayed at the Intermat trade show in Paris, March 2024, as well as at recent trade press and customer showcase days.
The LPO system allows the operation and charging of hybrid or fully electrically powered construction machinery without creating local emissions. Liebherr says it provides a high-power density combined with a compact design to supply machines with a wide range of power requirements. Its constant power output reaches up to 160 kW.
The energy storage system can supplement an insufficient grid connection or be used as an isolated grid when there’s no available grid connection.
By using the LPO as a supplement to the grid connection the dimensioning of the grid connection power can be significantly reduced, claims Liebherr, as the energy storage unit covers the load peaks of the machines.
In isolated operation the LPO can supply power on demand, without surplus, to offer optimal price-performance ratio.
Without idle phases the LPO delivers power with a significantly higher efficiency than a diesel generator, which has a consistently high consumption of fossil energy regardless of use, highlights Liebherr.
The LPO is available in various power ranges up to 160 kW/ kWh. It can be charged at up to 32 A and deliver power to loads via multiple connections that can be used simultaneously: 16 A, 32 A, 63 A and 125 A. The LPO can also be charged and discharged at the same time. The energy and condition monitoring can be handled via local control or by smartphone app.
ELECTRIC RT DELIVERED
In Japan, plant construction company Taihei Dengyo is making waves by being the first company in the world to receive Tadano’s new EVOLT eGR-250N electric rough terrain (RT) crane.
The 94-kW electric RT has a maximum lifting capacity of 25 tonnes, a working radius of 34m, a ground lifting height of 44.2m, and a maximum speed of 49km/h.
Taihei will be utilising the crane’s capabilities to help build a power station in Himeji, Japan, over the next two years.
Proud of its status as an eco-trailblazer Taihei Dengyo commissioned the crane with a special livery which reads ‘world’s first full electric [RT] crane’ on the back of the counterweight.
The electric crane offers the same performance as Tadano’s diesel-engined model. This, Tadano reasons, will help users on their transition to electrified machinery.
Once on the jobsite a single battery charge is enough to work for up to nine hours.
This means that, for example, the crane can travel around 25 miles to a jobsite and then still have enough energy for around five hours of operation.
The crane takes just twoand- a-half hours to charge via a CHAdeMO system; using a standard three-phase 200 VAC / 100 A power connection it takes around eight hours to charge.
Once at the jobsite the crane can have unlimited operation via its plug-in mode once it has been connected to an external power supply.
USER INPUT
In Europe, in Oosterhout, the Netherlands, you’ll find the headquarters of PVE-Crane, a company dedicated to ‘the development, production, and marketing of 100% electric crawler cranes, and related accessories, with the aim of helping create an emission-free and healthier construction site.
PVE-Crane currently offers a range of battery-powered lattice boom and telescopic boom crawler cranes, ranging from 80-160 tonnes of lifting capacity for the lattice booms and between 70- 120 tonnes for the telecrawlers.
The company is the sister company of PVE Cranes & Services which specialises in the sale and rental of crawler and mobile cranes worldwide, and is also headquartered in Oosterhout.
PV-E Crane was an early innovator in the electric crawler scene, making its debut at the end of 2001 by providing international construction company VolkerWessels with the world’s first fully battery-powered crawler crane – a 160-tonne model with a 42 metre main boom and a 43 metre luffing jib.
Since this debut PV-E has extended its range and also collaborated with customers to fine-tune and further develop its products. “PV-E Crane’s crawlers are built through years of crane experience and listening to our valued clients,” explains CEO Joost Bomer. “We develop them together with the users.”
As part of this process, a number of changes in response to customer feedback have been made to it electric crawlers, as Bomer explains: “All our cranes are now equipped with a more spacious cabin. We have gained eight centimetres in width and gained more visibility all-round.
“The cabin is also equipped with a large touchscreen display where everything can be read and controlled by the operator, while an ergonomic operator seat now has integrated joysticks to give the operator the highest comfort level. This includes seat heating and optional seat massage.
“While working you can charge your batteries via the undercarriage as standard. Also standard is AC charging and DC charging (fast charging).
“Indeed, the undercarriage has been completely renewed and equipped with elastomer tensioners. Also, users can also now benefit from remote control for wireless operation of the crane during assembly.”
Another tweak is that all lift E-Cranes are now equipped with pendant bars instead of pendant wires as standard; only the foundation cranes are equipped with pendant wires.
PV-E Crane says all its cranes are built and certified under EN 13000 and, optionally, under EN 16228 (foundation cranes).
For the US market all cranes can be certified under AN-SI/ ASME B 30.5 standards.
Another development is that PV-E’s EC100, EC135, EC160 and EC300 models can all now be equipped with a luffing jib.
These models have a live mast with self erection system for the counterweights, tracks and boom erection and there is no need for a support crane, PV-E says.
ELECTRIC RETROFIT
Remaining in the Netherlands, electric-powered cranes have been a focus for Utrect-headquartered heavy lift and transportation specialist Mammoet for some time.
It has engineered zero-emission offshore wind and onshore wind cranes, and the SK series of cranes has been a staple of its fleet for over a decade.
The SK range is notable among ring cranes in that its hydraulics run from an electric motor, powered by a generator.
The SKs are suitable for construction projects that require a ring crane to be on site for a long period of time; but what about projects needing faster and shorter crane mobilisation? To address this challenge Mammoet recently developed a 100 tonne mobile crane with a fully electric cab.
“This LTM 1095 crane was four-years-old,” says Niek Bezuijen, global sustainability advisor at Mammoet. “We decided to do a retrofit and use it as an opportunity to learn more about the electrification of our equipment. We also wanted to push the market for these types of cranes towards zero emission.
“The upper carrier (the cab) is fully electric. It has a 105kWh battery inside, so we can run a normal working day with it.
“The crane’s pre-existing engine was still in good condition so we were able to use it to breathe new life into another crane in the fleet whose drivetrain was approaching end-of-life, and again reduce waste.”
It’s clear the industry is poised for a broader adoption of electric lifting solutions. The advancements outlined here promise not only environmental benefits but also improved operational efficiencies and cost savings.
The successful deployment of electric cranes in diverse projects, from urban installations to large-scale construction, signifies a pivotal shift towards greener and more sustainable lifting operations.
SHOWCASING SUSTAINABILITY: BOOM LIFTS TREE VIA E-PACK
Southbank, Victoria, Australia-based lifting solutions provider Boom Logistics showcased its Tadano AC4.080-1 all terrain, which it claims is the first fully hybrid crane in Australia plus Tadano e-PACK technology, at the Perth Garden & Outdoor Living Festival.
Boom Logistic showed the technology in order to demonstrate how it can help reduce the company’s footprint. To make the point Boom Logistic lifted an oak tree weighing just over a tonne, with a height of about 14.4 m, and a radius of about 5 m.
Tadano introduced its e-PACK in Europe all the way back in 2019. It is an electro-hydraulic system featuring an integrated 32-kW electric motor that works with zero emissions and nearly zero noise – and without any loss in lifting capacity to boot. The e-PACK is currently available for all new Tadano AC cranes with lifting capacities of up to 80 tonnes, as well as a retrofit for existing cranes.
“The configuration we used for this lift was 9.2 tonne counterweight with about 14.4 m of boom with the T6 poked out about 45%,” said Anthony Hunt, maintenance manager at Boom Logistics. “We are always looking at innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint and we thought the show was perfect to showcase the features of the AC4.080-1 and the e-PACK technology. With the e-PACK connected the functions of the crane were perfect with the only difference being how quiet it was in the cab!”
FIRST SPIERINGS ELIFT MOBILE TOWER IN ITALY
Italian crane and transport services provider Pizzolato Trasporti & Sollevamenti has expanded its fleet with a Spierings SK597-AT4 eLift mobile tower crane. This is, according to Spierings, the first model of this crane in the Italian market.
Pizzolato’s managing director Simone Pizzolato, said, “Spierings gave us a warm welcome, great hospitality and we strongly believe in this crane concept. It will provide us all flexibility in the reach and height from a tower crane, but then built up in a couple of minutes and it’s easy to manoeuvre throughout the country. We’ve chosen for a Spierings because of its operational speed and ease of use. This year our company celebrates its 50th anniversary, which makes the acquisition of this Spierings mobile tower crane extra festive.”
Pizzolato is based in Treviso and offers transport and crane rental services across Treviso, Padua and Venice.
