“Change brings more opportunities”
8 June 2021
MHM Plant knows well the challenges that the road towards net zero carbon represents, having re-hired and sold diesel and petrol equipment including lighting towers and generators since its foundation just over a decade ago. However, the company has been planning for the changes in demand for some time, as MD Mat Llewellyn told me.
“It all really stems from when my Dad [the legendary Josh Llewellyn] and his Italian manufacturing partners actually created a hybrid lighting tower for a national hirer in 2008. It was derived from the popular VT-1 diesel machine but had a synchronised backup battery and was called the VT Hybrid.
“Obviously only a small number of contractors demanded it back then but we could see the trend and we recognised that power generation would eventually follow the same path.”
One challenge is, of course, that creating a green lighting tower is somewhat easier because the power requirement is fairly constant, but generator loadings can vary considerably. This means a diesel generator is typically over-sized so it can meet peak demands, but is running wastefully for most of the time.
“Now that Boris Johnson has announced the UK’s net zero carbon target of 2050, people are now actively looking at new solutions,” said Mat. “And now that we have telemetry available you have visibility of the power you are actually using and can select the most efficient solution.
“We’re still building traditional diesel generators and will be for some time to come, obviously with Stage V engines, but we are adding a range of other equipment for those seeking other solutions.
“For example, we have our solar hybrid generators (pictured) which currently include 3.5, 6 and 10kVA models. We plan to add 24, 45a and 60kVA versions in Q3 this year, with a 100kVA variant in Q1 of 2022. They have an engine, battery system and a roof-mounted solar panel, with the option of fitting additional solar panels. Our sales teams report strong demand now from hirers who are exploring this technology.”
MHM has also stocked up with quantities of its ST-9 compact solar light, a self-contained battery powered unit ready for this autumn. “Some customers who would traditionally place orders for 100% diesel machines are now typically taking 25% of them as solar-only.”
All brand new MHM equipment is compatible with the appropriate grade of HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) as a non-fossil diesel replacement in traditional machinery, which will inevitably remain an important element in hire fleets for some years yet.
The company’s line-up also includes storage tanks and bowsers for HVO, diesel and AdBlue.
“This is a time of immense change in the industry,” said Mat. “But with change comes opportunity and we all need to take actions now to protect the environment in the future.”
