Independent renewable power at any location

In this magazine in January 2020, you have already been introduced to the result of a revolutionary idea, born at Mobilis. In an interview, the 'spiritual father' of the e-CO₂tainer, Jeroen Ritzer-van Dinther, spoke at length about the solution Mobilis had found for independent, mobile power supply. An idea that had just seen the light of day back then is now being actively deployed by construction consortium De Groene Boog. We have the pleasure of speaking to Ritzer-van Dinther again, this time about a sustainable solution that has come of age.

'Power from a container'

"The e-CO₂tainer has been further developed into a fully deployable solution for providing renewable energy at any location," says Ritzer-van Dinther. "After the introduction at the time, at Mobilis, we have not been idle and I have made the e-CO₂tainer my own branch of business. For this purpose, the company Electure was created. The end result is a container measuring 6 x 2.5 x 2.5 meters, packed with energy technology. On board we find a generator that runs on HVO 100, the clean biofuel chosen by De Groene Boog. The container also contains an impressive battery of LFD batteries, along with all the electronics that control everything and communicate with the outside world. It's 'power from a container' and clean too."

First Euro 5 certified HVO generator

The generator on board the e-CO₂tainer is the first Euro 5 certified HVO aggregate in the world. "We are proud of that. In addition to the generator, we have batteries on board that add up to 240 kWh of power. On the outside of the container is a door for the contractor to access a display with numerous monitoring functions and contact information. Also on the outside of the container: a 380 V 3-phase mains connection. This connection allows the batteries to be charged and the grid to step in if there is peak consumption. Outgoing power is controlled via CEE plugs, 380 V, 1 x 125 amps and 2 x 63 amps. You can connect anything to that that needs power. That can be a "distribution mushroom" on construction sites, as well as electrically powered equipment and vehicles. We can set which power outlet has priority.

Control via a convenient app

Turning on and off the e-CO₂tainer is conveniently done through an app. "We do that remotely, though this is the 'back end' of the system, only we have access," explains Ritzer-van Dinther. At the time of this writing, there is one e-CO₂tainer already active, in subarea 1 of the project, where it supplies power to the construction site. A total of 5 e-CO₂tainers planned for The Green Bow. Sustainability comes not only from using HVO as fuel or batteries, but also from smart energy management. Ritzer-van Dinther explains, "With 'normal' diesel generators, these are in continuous operation, even when no power is being drawn. That causes a lot of CO₂ and particulate matter. The e-CO₂tainer runs its generator only when it is really needed, because when it is off-grid, everything runs on batteries. If it is on-grid, i.e. connected to the grid, we look at the relationship between power input and power output. This allows us to calculate the e-CO₂tainer always in the most efficient way possible."

A calculation

"An e-CO₂tainer has higher fixed costs (purchase), but lower variable costs (consumption). An "old-style" diesel generator can be bought for less, but its consumption is many times higher. The combination of the e-CO₂tainer and a grid connection makes it interesting when it comes to variable costs and sustainability. So a win-win situation. I firmly believe in the e-CO₂tainer when it comes to TCO (total cost of ownership)."

The e-CO₂tainer is a real 'TBI child' according to Ritzer-van Dinther. "Developed at Mobilis at the time and now built by our sister company Eekels. Nice to see how this concept has been further developed into a practical deployable solution!"