Geocon employs two of these 300 kVA batteries at The Grande construction site in Civic. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Construction sites draw an enormous amount of power, and up until recently, there have only been a couple of options for getting it.
Large diesel generators can provide up to 9000 watts to power things like power tools and cranes, but even larger generators that churn out well over 10,000 watts are often the go-to for industrial-sized properties.
Alternatively, the local energy provider may be able to rig up a temporary connection between the site and the nearest substation.
However, neither of these was particularly desirable for Geocon’s up-and-coming development.
The Grande on London will comprise 332 residential apartments and three commercial tenancies across three buildings and eight levels when it’s completed in late 2025.
But it’s nestled in a tight spot on the cloverleaf between Allara Street and London Circuit in the very heart of the city.
Or as Geocon’s project director Hugo Villano says, “We’re in a tricky location in Canberra”.
“We’re right in the middle of the CBD. There’s really only one entry to the building. and we have a number of adjoining interfaces … and the light rail project is one of our neighbours.”
Construction on The Grande on London is set to finish by late 2025. Photo: Geocon.
Evoenergy established a connection with the nearest substation, but being in the middle of Canberra, the local electricity network was already running at close to capacity, and the power wasn’t quite enough.
And generators are “never a great outcome”.
“They’re obviously quite taxing on fuel costs and space on site – they’re quite large – and bloody noisy as well,” Hugo says.
And while the inner-city neighbours are accustomed to the noise of living in the city, “I’m sure would appreciate not having to listen to a generator”.
The batteries were procured by Titan Cranes. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
The answer lay in batteries.
Geocon has become the first developer in Canberra to employ battery power at its construction sites, after it contracted Titan Cranes to provide the lifting power for the site, which in turn, procured two batteries from New Zealand company Cranepower.
Cranepower offers four different battery units with outputs ranging from 150 kVA to 600 kVA, depending on a site’s power needs.
They’re stored in marine-grade stainless steel boxes and include “advanced heating and cooling systems” so they can safely operate in temperatures between -20 and 45 degrees Celsius and filtration systems to capture “environmental dust, salt and other particulates”.
During times when demand is low, the batteries suck power from the grid and store it for when demand is high.
The two 300 kVA batteries at The Grande site replace “up to four generators”, according to Hugo. And with no noise and little space.
“It’s literally just a 1.5-metre high stainless steel container, so it’s one of the most compact batteries on the market,” Hugo says.
“We’re very pleased with that.”
The battery measures 1.5 metres high. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
He says there was no change to the site’s safety requirements either, as a battery falls under the same standards as a generator as a “large source of energy”. As with a generator, ACT Fire and Rescue is told of its location on the site in case of an emergency.
Hugo says Geocon will “absolutely” look to roll it out across its other Canberra construction sites in future.
“This job is going to be the test for us to make sure it performs as promised, and if it does, absolutely – wherever we need a backup power supply, the batteries will be implemented as opposed to a generator.
“A specific tradesperson might need a smaller generator for a hand tool they might have … but to supply our site with power, we’ll have no generators.”
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