Hybrid power on the move

Driven by advances in battery energy density, solar integration and smart energy management, hybrid power systems are redefining off-grid power.

“No matter if it’s construction sites, mines or industrial sites running off-grid, they all require a lot of temporary power, says Sergio Salvador, Vice President Sales and Marketing for Atlas Copco Group’s Portable Power and Flow division.

“Diesel prices are volatile, power demand cycles vary, so our customers want simple, reliable solutions that are quick and easy to set up and use. A hybrid generator marks a substantial change in how they can produce onsite electricity.”

Less complexity, more control

Atlas Copco Group’s hybrid power portfolio includes hybrid generators and energy storage units. The latest addition is the QHS Hybrid Generator which integrates a diesel and HVO-compatible engine, alternator, batteries and power electronics in a single, compact unit.

“Creating hybrid power usually means putting several generators and energy storage systems together on a site. Then you connect them to solar panels and the electric grid, creating a micro-grid,” explains Gill Dhooghe, Vice President Research and Development.

“You then need elaborate commissioning to make these machines work together, and complicated controls. With our new hybrid generator, the batteries and the generator are inside the same compact box, and they work together with a smart controller.” 

Optimized from the inside out

Driven by a smart algorithm, the ECO controller ensures optimal performance, fuel efficiency and maximum uptime, without manual configuration. The system also automatically balances generator and battery, so the engine runs only when needed and at optimal load.

“You won’t oversize your generator anymore,” says Gill. “On today’s construction sites, you buy or rent the machine meant for the peak capacity you think you might have. The problem is that the engine isn’t meant to run at 10% or 20% load most of the time. This fundamentally affects its lifespan.”

Instead, the QHS Hybrid Generator ensures that whenever there’s battery power available it uses it. And when the engine kicks in it supports your battery, ensuring the engine runs at the optimal point for efficiency.

Compared with conventional diesel generators, it cites 80% reduction in fuel consumption, up to 80% fewer CO2 emissions, six times fewer service intervals per year and 95% less engine run-time.

Worth the wait

The QHS Hybrid Generator’s combination of hybrid energy and improved serviceability creates a machine which decreases the total cost of ownership, while achieving sustainability and profitability.

“This is the fruit of the technological investment we’ve made over the past five years,” says Gill. “We could’ve put hybrid machines together much faster but we took time to master the software and the controls needed to steer the generators in the best way possible for a huge variety of customer applications.”

“We started our presence in hybrid operations with our battery-energy storage systems back in 2018, so it’s been quite a journey,” says Sergio.

Gill adds, “For me this is the holy grail of machines. To see it work the way we imagined it, steering this entire hybrid power concept together with these intelligent controls, is just fantastic.”