Business and industry are under ever-increasing pressure to increase production, improve efficiencies, decrease costs, and protect worker safety while at the same time looking to shrink their carbon footprints. South Africa’s intermittent power supply adds a further challenge as companies look for innovative solutions to keep the lights on and ensure business sustainability. Fundamental to this is process and plant optimisation through the use of efficient machines and equipment.
To assist customers and end-users in sustainably achieving these objectives, Rand-Air is continuously looking at offering cleaner and more cost-effective renewable green energy rental solutions that will deliver lowest possible Operational Expenditure (OPEX) and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) to customers and end-users.
“Reinforcing our commitment to providing customers with clean rental solutions, we recently added the new ZenergiZe ZBC 250-500 kVA battery energy storage system to our hire fleet,” says Rand-Air Sales and Marketing Manager, Byrone Thorne. He explains that whilst the ZenergiZe cannot replace grid power completely, this highly efficient modular energy storage unit offers a clean, reliable, and efficient short-term solution where grid power is intermittent.
The ZenergiZe can be used in combination with a generator and also has the ability to manage energy generated from intermittent renewable energy sources, offering a hybrid power solution for a wide range of industries. Moreover, micro-grids can be created to provide energy to residential, commercial, industrial or public service applications.
The escalating price of diesel is pushing up the costs of running a generator. Byrone explains how operators can reduce fuel bills significantly by alternating between the ZenergiZe and the generator. “In addition to consuming less fuel, running the generator for shorter periods will also reduce machine wear and subsequently maintenance and related costs.” Byrone also recommends using the efficient ZenergiZe when demand is high and then switching to the generator when demand is low. “Generators use less fuel when they run at lower stages.” This innovative storage system offers a cleaner energy solution for a wide range of industrial and retail applications across diverse segments – from food processing and data centres to the entertainment and tertiary education sectors.
Designed with sustainability in mind, the ZenergiZe range features a trio of zeros, delivering both economic and environmental benefits to customers and end-users. Using zero fuel and emitting zero CO², the unit will substantially reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions for operators. With zero noise levels, the virtually maintenance-free system is a particularly suitable solution for noise-sensitive environments such as events, film-making, shopping centres, etc.
At the heart of this powerful and compact unit are high-density lithium-ion batteries which are capable of providing over twelve hours of power. These batteries are lighter in weight compared to other technologies and the ZenergiZe is also 70% more compact in contrast to traditional alternatives. This facilitates effortless transportation and installation of the system.
The unit incorporates a number of connectivity features and benefits including a smart start-and-stop function, an Energy Management system (EMS) complete with battery management communication (BMS), a remote monitoring system, a Bluetooth mobile application as well as a parking mode.
Rand-Air is a trusted, professional, reliable and responsible hire partner for mining and industry across South Africa and Sub-Sahara Africa since 1973. The company has made significant investments in its rental fleet to offer customers the complete hire solution – an extensive range of high quality, reliable and efficient machines, backed by expert service. “Our comprehensive rental fleet includes mobile oil-free and oil-injected air compressors, diesel- and electric-powered screw air compressors, from 30kVA to 1000kVA diesel generators, lighting plants and pumps, with steam boilers coming soon,” concludes Byrone.
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About Rand-Air
Rand-Air, part of the global Atlas Copco Group, was established in 1973.
As far more than a rental equipment provider, Rand-Air is focused on making agility count for our customers: offering an adaptable, flexible and responsive partnership to address their technical and business challenges.
With a solid national footprint and serving a diverse customer base both locally and in sub-Saharan Africa, the company has a product portfolio which includes TUV-certified oil-free, diesel or electric air solutions; nitrogen solutions; power, flow (pumps), steam boilers and lighting solutions.
Rand-Air is ISO-9000, 14000 and 18000-certified and is a Level 2 B-BBEE-rated company.