42
GENERATORS
IRNAPRIL-MAY 2015
4 final. It’s been very difficult with Stage 3 and Stage
4 intermediate, and engine manufacturers have
learneda lot. Everybody’sabit relievedwe’ll begoing
toTier 4 Final.“
Havingagoodproduct isone thing, butasuccessful
application speaks volumes. Coromatic - one of the
370-strong dealer network of FG Wilson - managed
just that when it supplied a Wilson P700-1 genset
to Finland’s Solo Sokos Hotel Torni, a 25-storey
landmark inTampere.
Thestandbypower solutionwasdesigned tosecure
theoperationof thebuilding’s fireprotectionsystem,
refrigerating equipment and customer and service
elevators, aswell as providingpower for someof the
hotel’sheatingand lighting.
Theunitwasplaced in the immediatevicinityof the
building, inside a container, which was landscaped
to blend with the exclusive setting and to meet
the colour specifications provided by the architect
SampoValjus.
Coromatic’s Martin Arhippainen said: “From the
initial blueprint stage it was very clear that safety
would be one of the key design criteria and a top-
classgeneratorwith theprovenpedigreeofFGWilson
was required to helpmeet the safety standards and
legal requirements. We worked closely with the
contractors toensurewe found theoptimumdesign.
“Our highly skilled and experienced team also took
great care to ensure that full account was taken of
environmental concerns, as the hotel’s city centre
locationmeant that the generator set’s noise levels
must be kept low.”
Phil Winnington, managing director of UK-based
Morris Site Machinery, has found his company being
able tobenefit froma rangeof rental scenarios.
“Companies are looking to thwart the rising costs
of power with energy efficient, low cost products
whilst at the same time turning to temporary power
rental industry. We are producing to serve the rental
industry with a variety of products. We decided 27
years ago to make generators for rental in Europe
andnow theUSA.
“We’re not a traditional generator company, we
didn’t have stationary version and then decided to
design for rental. Wedid it theotherway round.
“We’re always asking the customers about what
happens next, we’ve just had a rental event with 68
customers present. What’s important is offering the
users the highest degree of flexibility. We have a
verywide customer basewith a challenging rangeof
applications, so it’s all about transportability and the
easeofmovement.
“When we talk about generators, the industry still
at Stage 3A, which will continue for another couple
of years. In theUS, themarket is in transition to Tier
Fireflyups hybridunit to48kVA
UK hybrid power specialist Firefly used this year’s Executive Hire Show in Coventry, UK, to expand its
range of hybrid power generators with the launch of the 36 - 48 kVA Cygnus HPG Four, its largest hybrid
unit yet.
TheCygnusFourbuildson theexisting rangeofmodels in the 1.2 to24kVA ranges, offeringgreaterpower
outputs andmore efficient OPzV batteries, which Firefly says doubles the life of AGM type batteries, with
1500 cycles.
The latestmodel will be suitable for operationwithdiesel generators up to 250 kVA.
The concept behind hybrid units is that they are linked to conventional gensets and are used to provide
quiet, zero carbon power during periods of low demand – such as at night on a site. The generator cuts
back inwhen thepower demand rises orwhen thehybridbatterypackneeds charging.
“We’re seeing such a demand for hybrid”, saidAndyMead, CEO and founder of Firefly, “It has taken time
for contractors to understand the concept, but they see the fuel savings and lower carbon output. The
demand for this technology is growinga lot, andour route to thismarket is the rental industry.”
Firefly says theCygnusFour could savecontractorsasmuchas£40000 (€56000) ayear bycuttingdiesel
usageby4500 litresamonth. It says the smaller CygnusThree is “regularly saving” contractorsmore than
2000 litres amonth.
The new, larger unit - the first of which has been sold to Stuart Power in Norfolk, UK - comes with
remotemonitoringas standard, with customerspayinga feedependingon the chosenpackage. Theunit is
assembled at Firefly’s facility in Lewes, East Sussex, using enclosures fabricated elsewhere in the UK. The
batteries aremade inGermany.
Mr Mead said the company is seeing demand from rental companies all
over Europe and estimated sales could double to around 1000 units
annually by 2017, with around half of that going to customers outside
the UK. UK rental customers include Speedy Hire, Mather & Stuart and
John FHunt.
He also foresees changes in the way units are built in the future.
Currently, hybrids are generally built as stand-alone units, allowing
them to be linked to any generator in a rental fleet and providing the
rental companywith flexibility.
“We will see an increase in the number of integrated power units”,
he said.
“Itwill becomea standardpart of OEM ranges.”
Finland Solo Sokos Hotel Torni, scene of an unusual application
for FGWilson dealer Coromatic
Part of the Chicago Pneumatic portable generator
range goes towork
Atlas Copco has launched the QEP range
of portable air-cooled generators for the
construction industry at the start of 2015
