Diesel Generators Cost Thousands To Run Long-Term. Liebherr’s Battery Wants To Fix That

• German heavy machinery manufacturer Liebherr has deployed a new type of mobile battery.
• It’s called the LPO 100 and it has already powered a remote jobsite in Austria for four months.
• The 94-kilowatt-hour energy storage system acts as a buffer between the electric crane and the limited mains supply; it also powers various tools.

Working in hard-to-access places usually means there’s a diesel generator buzzing away in the corner of the jobsite. It makes sense because remote areas don’t usually have a reliable grid connection, so there needs to be a way to reliably power tools and even cranes.

But that’s not particularly efficient, especially if a truck needs to make several arduous trips to refuel said generator. Costs add up quickly, not to mention the environmental damage done by running big diesel engines day in and day out.

Here’s where Liebherr’s new mobile energy storage setup comes into play. The German heavy machinery specialist deployed one of its LPO 100 mobile power stations in a remote area of Austria, where a fast-erecting crane is needed to build a consolidation barrier, which will protect residents living in the lower areas from flooding, landslides and even avalanches.

Up in the Grossarl valley in Salzburg’s Pongau region, the Austrian Torrent and Avalanche Control Center has been relying on Liebherr’s energy storage system to power a 34 K electric crane, as well as hand tools.

The jobsite has a mains connection from a nearby farm, but it’s not enough to power everything. So the LPO 100 battery acts as a buffer between the insufficient grid connection and the sudden power peaks that often reach 100 kilovolt-amps, or 80 kilowatts, considering a power factor of 0.8.

With a total energy capacity of 94 kilowatt-hours, Liebherr’s battery generator can typically go all day and is then recharged during the night. A few solar panels also provide a bit of energy when it’s sunny outside.

The battery-in-a-box has been hard at work at the Ellmau site in Austria for over four months, during which time it has saved thousands of gallons of diesel from being burned by a conventional generator. Not having to drive a big tanker up a mountain to refuel said generator is also a bonus.

According to Liebherr, using the LPO 100 battery on this specific jobsite has saved roughly 2,100 gallons (8,000 liters) of diesel, which adds up to a nice cost saving. In Austria, a liter of diesel costs about $1.64 (1.4 Euro), so 8,000 liters of the stuff comes out to a hefty $13,140 (11,200 Euro).

The German company offers multiple energy capacity options for its mobile energy storage systems. With capacities ranging from 39 to 156 kWh, Liebherr’s LPO comes with several input and output slots to cater to most jobsites. The inputs include 16A 230V and 32A 400V connections, while the outputs go up to 125A at 400V.