12
OFF-GRIDENERGY INTERVIEW
IRN JUNE 2014
that is an intrinsic part of thepower rental business,
or the disruptive effect on existing generator fleets.
Whatever themotivation, it isn’t deterring Mr Jones
from a crusade on behalf of hybrid technology that
hasalreadymetwithconsiderablesuccess, including
a supply agreement withA-Plant in theUK and sales
as far afieldasAustralia.
Grid-to-go
Established five years ago, Off-Grid Energy has
now built around 200 hybrid units, assembled at a
workshop in Rugby, UK, where he employs a small
workforceof around 12people.
The ‘Grid-to-Go’ hybrid sets use battery packs
that are linked to conventional diesel generator.
The batteries can either operate alone when the
power demand is low – which reduces the amount
of time that the generator is operating at inefficient
low loadings – or augment the power offered by the
diesel set. The batteries are recharged when the
diesel set isworking. The cuts
in operating hours on the
genset reduces maintenance
costs and extends its
economic life.
DannyJones of Off-Grid
Energy tells
IRN
how he
is going about convincing
rental companies of
the enormous cost and
environmental benefits in
using hybrid systems for
power generation.
Y
ouwould think that a new power generation
technology offering a cocktail of reduced
fuel use, lower noise, fewer operating hours
on diesel gensets and lower CO
2
emissions would be
welcomed with open arms by the specialist power
rentalmarket.
In fact, Danny Jones, founder and managing
director of Off-Grid Energy – the UK company that
is among the pioneers of hybrid, battery powered
technology – tells
IRN
that while generalist renters
have been welcoming, it is the niche power rental
community who have been among the most
sceptical.
“Nobody has ever told us that we aremad, or that
it will never work. People have been helpful – except
for some in the generator rental sector”, he says
withagrin.
It isdifficult to second-guess the reasons for that –
itmight relate to the impacton thesaleof diesel fuel
Timeforhybrid?
Mr Jones says fuel use reductions will closely
follow the reductions in run time – for example, a
20% reduction in fuel consumption if the run time
is cut by 30%, and 70-75% reduction for an 80%
cut in running times. Consider that burning 1 litre of
diesel generates around 2.65 kg of CO
2
and you see
thepotential environmental benefits, nevermind the
cost savings.
He says the technology is most suitable for
genset applications of more than 20 kVA – smaller
sets typically have a more consistent loading, with
reduced benefits. “Where it really works is when
there is significant variation between loads during
theday”, he says.
Battery technology is key to the system, and Off-
Grid uses three different types, depending on the
application and the customer. The least expensive
is AGM lead-acid batteries, which will operate for
around 600 charging cycles, giving them a two year
Danny Jones, founder andmajority owner of Off-Grid
Energy, at the company’s workshop in Rugby, UK.
The partnershipwith A-Plant has been
key to getting Off-Grid established in the rental market.
