Editorial News Cranes
United Rentals’ tower crane battery energy system debuts in Albertan fleet

STAMFORD, Conn. – United Rentals, the world’s largest equipment rental company, has added battery energy systems for tower cranes to its North American rental fleet.

Developed by Termaco in collaboration with United Rentals, the 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 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.

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 per cent, which resulted in a fuel and emissions reduction of approximately 80 per cent.

“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.