Aggreko and the R&A, one of the governing bodies of golf worldwide, delivered renewable power via microgrids at the 149th Open Championship in Sandwich, England.
According to Aggreko, the microgrids provided 5% of the event’s overall power needs from solar, generators that use energy storage and hydro vegetable oil (HVO), a fossil-free biodiesel.
“We are testing our mobile solar solution for the first time at the event, saving up to 40% of CO2 emissions while enabling the rapid charging of EVs on-site,” said Mike Baldwin, operations planning manager at Aggreko, a Scotland-based provider of mobile modular power, temperature control and energy services,
Aggreko deployed two microgrids for the event. Sixty kilowatts of solar photovoltaics, a 108-kW battery and a 100-kW HVO generator made up the first. This powered the contractor’s compound and EV charging. The second, a showcase microgrid, consisted of 60 kW of solar PV, a 240-kW battery and a 100-kW HVO generator. This powered 10 7-kW EV chargers to charge courtesy cars for players and patrons.
Sustainability certification
The HVO, supplied by Neste, is produced from about 10 different waste and residue feedstocks, with over 80% coming from waste and the remainder from vegetable oils.
“Any palm oil used has been fully traceable all the way to the plantation level since 2007,” Baldwin said, adding that the palm oil also has International Sustainability and Carbon Certification.
The event, golf’s oldest major, welcomed up to 32,000 fans per day over the course of a week. Other major event organizers, who traditionally rely on diesel generators, are taking an interest in cleaner, sustainable power systems. Aggreko has set out to address this challenge.
“Last year, we committed to becoming a net zero business by 2050 across all the services we provide and, as part of that, we are working with event organizers across the world to deliver cleaner and greener events,” Baldwin said.
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