Early April this year, Top Systems B.V. in The Netherlands delivered a sustainable, autonomous power supply to KWS, an operating company of Royal VolkerWessels. Following on from an electric truck and electric mini crane, this fully electric powered site trailer contributes to the sustainable ambitions of this Dutch infrastructure and roadconstruction company.
The system
The ‘green trailer’ is equipped with 6 DMEGC solar panels, a Victron SmartSolar MPPT solar charge controller, a Victron Quattro inverter-charger with automatic transferswitch and two compact MG Energy Systems Lithium-Ion high density NMC batteries. One single Victron Color Control is used to control and monitor the entire system. This mobile construction site trailer is used on road infrastructure projects in the Amsterdam region.
Limiting both CO2 and nitrogen emissions is an important goal for KWS. “We are constantly working to reduce our CO2 and nitrogen emissions. In doing so, we not onlyfocus on purchasing green energy, reusing materials and increasing the efficiency of our asphalt plants, but also on the electrification of our equipment” says Pepijn Kok, Manager at KWS Infra in the region Amsterdam-Utrecht.
The mission: autonomous power supply
“At KWS, we want to be the most sustainable road builder and constructor in the Netherlands. Our mission is to achieve a 100% circular infrastructure in 2040. Large projects and tenders in The Netherlands are increasingly awarded based on the so called EMVI regulation. Within this regulation the sustainability is leading in addition to price. Moreover, in many places in our country – including Amsterdam – it is no longer allowed to work with large generators driven by fossil fuels. A few years ago, we already took a step in the right direction with the switch to Aspen petrol – which contains virtually no harmful substances such as sulfur, benzene and aromatics.
However: raw materials are becoming increasingly scarce and we have to go to a sustainable and emission-free construction site, for which electrification of our (small) equipment is essential. The sustainable and fully electric site trailer fits perfectly within this ambition and could be realized relatively easily. Moreover, this mobile trailer meets the quality of life on the construction site. The construction is very quiet. The hum of running aggregates during the lunch breaks is no longer an issue, which is very pleasant for our employees.”
Sustainable energy generation
As a result of the electrification, the electricity consumption within the KWS company will increase significant, Kok emphasizes. “The growing demand on electricity can be generated clean and cheap in two ways: installing windmills and solar panels. Because there are no windmills on most construction sites, we have opted for the integration with solar panels on the roof. The challenge was to equip the trailer with enough solar panels to accommodate the daily power consumption. In order to gain insight into this consumption, we measured the electricity consumption for a longer period of time. For this project we came into contact with Top Systems, who was able to assist us with this project. Based on the requirements, we received a good offer in terms of price and risks. The cooperation during this project was excellent. Top Systems has fulfilled its agreements in time and money.”
Principles for the refit
“In close cooperation with the Sustainability & MEAT Coordinator and the Head of the Road & Equipment department of KWS, I formulated the principles for the refit of the existing site trailer.” says Ronald van den Berg, Sales Manager at Top Systems. “How many solar panels were needed? And which system will fit the best for this project? What did this mean for the height of the trailer? Which battery systems and inverters are the best choices? And what is the best place to install and integrate the required components? Based on these principles, Top Systems made a complete design for the entire autonomous power supply including the battery storage.”
