India is one of the fastest-growing economies and inching towards becoming a $5 trillion economy by 2025. Infrastructure development will be the catalyst that will lead us to our dream. As we grow, there is a need to consciously address the catastrophic environmental effects of various initiatives toward growth. Thus, sustainability has become the star prefix for everything we do today.

Going with the theme of this edition SAfER, let us address a few feasibilities to which the equipment fraternity can contribute.

Sustainability and OEMs

As organisations are pledging more resources towards improving ESG footprints, they are keen to switch towards equipment with more focus on eco-friendly operation and maintenance.

A few areas where OEMs can contribute are:

Equipment that is more energy efficient

Equipment having fewer moving parts

Equipment with regenerating power/energy

Equipment with increased service intervals

Consumables like filters, tiers, oils, and lubes made from environmentally friendly materials

Automation and robotics for improved productivity with lesser input

Modular equipment with multiple attachments and variable capacity

Timely scrapping of inefficient/old equipment

Alternate fuels

There is no prize for guessing the requirement of alternatives to fossil fuels used on our equipment. Biodiesel is one of the major alternatives and many blends of various proportions are available in the market. The industry is very cautious to use them on construction equipment due to a lack of clarity on their purity and consistency apart from OEMs acceptance and warranty-related challenges. Logistics adds to the woes.

It’s time to bring in certain regulations as being done for other fuels.

Hydrogen fuel is also gaining momentum. A few models were launched at the recently concluded Bauma, Munich. Days are not far before this sweeps the industry. Meanwhile, the relevant bodies in India need to organise campaigns to promote awareness.

Battery-operated machines

Today, if one says that he has an electric car or scooter, we are not surprised. Widely accepted. Why not on construction equipment (CE)? The technology has undergone a sea change and is now penetrating the construction equipment segment.

We do have a lot of electrically operated machines like tower cranes, boomers, drills, forklifts, compressors, etc. Thus, CE is not new to electrical operation. The intent to reduce dependence on fossil fuels is now redefining this ability. Battery-operated CEs have now started showing up here and there. As the features get refined, the pie is certain to increase. Some manufacturers have shown keen interest and introduced a few machines like pick-and-carry cranes, wheel loaders, trucks, tandem rollers, excavators, etc.

A few features that can be suggested to the electric equipment manufacturers are

The autonomy of the battery must be for a min of 12 hours

Battery Management System to be designed well for fast charging without affecting the existing infrastructure

Govt must introduce codes for uniformity in BMS to facilitate portability

Cartridge-like battery swapping facilities must be in place for round-the-clock operation

Interchangeability of battery sets/modular battery sets must be in place

More hybrids can be introduced. Solar plus electric or diesel plus electric. Etc to overcome any eventual emergencies

Regenerative energy systems must be seriously explored along with solar facilities for perpetual battery charging

Create awareness of battery disposal/recycling policies

Create awareness of safety

To explore the possibilities of remote operations and automation. This can help reduce dependence on skilled manpower

Gas-operated vehicles

Another easy and good concept is gas-based equipment. The machines do not need to undergo major changes for working on gas. The process is totally reversible and hence it is imperative that we use gas wherever the logistics support us.

A few city-based projects, particularly in Delhi and its surroundings are deploying more gas-operated construction vehicles. But, when it comes to construction machinery, it is again a great challenge due to logistics. A better logistics arrangement can help improve the deployment of more gas-based construction equipment. However, all the city-based projects must refrain from using diesel/petrol vehicles and must insist on only gas based.

Solar: Initially, construction projects were totally dependent on power from DG sets. Later, with an improvement in grid connections, electrical power started supporting construction projects. It is now time to see how to improve utilisation of solar power.

One megawatt solar plant will need about 4,400 sqm of area, and can be net-metered based on the regulations. A DG of 1 MW emits carbon of 1 MT for every eight hours of operation. One can easily imagine the environmental benefit of introducing solar plants for construction.

Green pellets: One of the areas where fossil fuel is consumed heavily is hot mix plants where diesel or furnace oil heats the bitumen as well as aggregates. This is a huge consumption.

One of the alternatives is gas based on plants. While gas has come to the rescue in some cities, thanks to regulators, the other locations are mostly greenfield, and hence getting a commercial gas connection for construction equipment is far from reality. We can think of using pellets at such locations for heating bitumen. Recent trials revealed a reduction of 200 MT of carbon for every 1 lakh tonnes of asphalt apart from cost savings.

To sum it up, infrastructure growth will play a significant role in achieving India’s target of being a 5 trillion economy by 2025. It is imperative to ensure sustainability during this journey. The theme of this edition, SAfER, is very apt and in line with the trend. The total ecosystem, which includes but is not limited to, the government authorities, developers, contractors, equipment manufacturers, and equipment service providers (rental agencies), has to be in sync to ensure that we provide the best-in-class infrastructure for our people with the best approach that is environmentally friendly, energy-efficient and sustainable.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The article is authored by SP Rajan, who is Head – Plant & Machinery at Larsen & Toubro.