Nixon Hire and ProPower

Summary

Nixon Hire, a leading hirer of plant and facilities, was working towards becoming the UK's greenest hire provider. They were looking for reliable and sustainable products for their customers which would help them reduce carbon emissions, fuel usage and maintenance costs.

After testing and proving the effectiveness of the Prolectric ProPower solar hybrid generator, Nixon Hire placed a large order and now boasts the largest off-grid fleet in the UK. 

The ProPower features a 22kVA generator, 15kVA inverter, and a 35kWh lithium-ion battery, rechargeable in just three hours. In just one July month, Nixon’s fleet saved customers over £56,000 in diesel costs and reduced diesel usage by 29,512 litres.  They also cut carbon emissions by 77,885 kg.  Importantly, the Prolectric Power Portal allows customers to monitor and control power consumption remotely, optimising efficiency savings and reducing emissions.

Background

Nixon Hire is a leading provider of plant, site accommodation and welfare facilities for hire. The company is a major advocate of eco-friendly technology, investing in commercially viable sustainable products and striving to become the UK’s greenest hire provider. 

Challenges

Nixon Hire needed products that generated as much renewable power as possible to help reduce carbon emission, fuel usage and engine run time, as well as reducing labour costs for re-fuelling and maintenance. The products needed to work reliably day-in, day-out and be able to cope with harsh British winters.

The Solution

Nixon Hire initially purchased ten ProPower solar hybrid generators to test and prove that they could cope with the needs of their customers. They quickly saw the benefits and re-ordered more, and now have the largest off-grid fleet in the UK. Prolectric provided full training and onboarding support to Nixon's team on the ProPower, which features a 22kVA generator with a 15kVA inverter and a 35kWh lithium-ion battery – rechargeable in just three hours. The trailer-mounted design means it is quick and easy to deliver and set up, and its compact footprint makes it ideal even for smaller sites. The 130-litre internal fuel tank has the option to connect to an additional external supply, however diesel usage is kept to a minimum by using the Power Portal to remotely monitor and control each unit in combination with an smart ERICA distribution board, which also helps to reduce energy wastage by enabling switchable loads.

The Results

In July 2022, the ProPower fleet saved Nixon Hire customers over £56,000 in diesel costs, reduced diesel use by 29,512 litres and cut carbon emissions into the environment by 77,885 kg. The eight hydraulic solar panels can harvest as much as 3kW of solar energy and can power up to seven 32ft site accommodation units plus one Watermatic at a time. The cloud-based Power Portal – combining intelligent hardware, software and GPS tracking – enables customers to review the power generated and consumed at any time. They can also switch the unit on and off as needed, wherever they are, further saving time, money and emissions on-site.