Baden (Switzerland), January 28, 2025 – The call for the electrification of construction sites will gain even more importance in the coming years, to meet local and global climate targets for the reduction of emissions. Therefore, construction site operators have a dynamically growing energy demand in response to the existing and upcoming emissions regulations.
Sometimes, access to power supply on construction sites is either limited or missing at all. Consequently, electrified construction sites face such challenges as machine operation at a maximum power, charging of numerous machines during breaks and smoothing load peaks. The LPO offers a highly efficient solution for the power supply of machines, being a market-leader in power and energy density to date.
Mobility and flexibility with the LPO 100
Liebherr’s components product segment presents the smallest model range of the Liduro Power Port as a series product in the LPO 100 version on the Liebherr main booth (809 – 813) at this year's Bauma. It can be used with maximum efficiency to supply tower cranes, fast-erecting cranes and small to medium-sized machines – for example Liebherr’s wheel loader L 507 E. The gross energy content spans from 40 kWh to 160 kWh, depending on the version, with peak outputs ranging from approx. 60 to 150 kVA.
The energy storage system can supplement an insufficient grid connection or be used as an isolated grid - i.e. when no grid connection is available. “Using the LPO as a supplement to the grid connection allows to significantly reduce the dimensioning of the grid connection power, as the energy storage system covers the load peaks of the machines,” explains Fabian Zell, product group manager at Liebherr-Electronics and Drives GmbH in Biberach (Germany). “In stand-alone operation, the LPO is a flexible and highly efficient solution: High load peaks, on the one hand, and longer periods with very low power requirements, on the other, are typical of construction sites - for example for lighting or small appliances,” says Zell. The mobile energy storage system supplies power on demand and without surplus, i.e. with an optimum price-performance ratio. Compared to diesel generators, which have a consistently high consumption of fossil energy regardless of their consumers, the LPO delivers power with a significantly higher level of efficiency and without idling phases.
The energy storage units in this series can be charged with up to 32 A and supply power to consumers via several connections that can be used simultaneously: 16 A / 32 A / 63 A / 125 A. The LPO also allows concurrent charging and discharging. Energy and status monitoring is carried out via the local controller or the digital "LPO Monitoring" app for smartphones and tablets.
The series is available as "LPO Basic" without a chassis or as "LPO Drive" with a trailer chassis. Moreover, the LPO can be moved on site via suspension points, using a crane or excavator, and lifted and moved from all sides, using a forklift truck. The basic dimensions of the “LPO Basic” variant are 2,434 x 1,520 x 1,433 mm, the “LPO Drive” version measures 3,903 x 2,031 x 1,899 mm (L x W x H).
LPO 600: energy supply for large machines and fleets
The LPO 600 represents the medium model range of the Liduro Power Port series. This battery-based energy storage with integrated DC fast charging stations and further AC charging connections has the gross energy content of 564 kWh, and therefore sufficient power for the supply of large machines or fleets – even with no grid connection available. The two folding DC fast charging stations (150 kW each) or additional AC charging connections (type 2, 32 / 65 / 125 A, powerlock) allow for a quick and flexible charging of mobile machines. It is also possible to charge the LPO 600 via different connections, like 32 / 63 / 125 A, CCS2 or powerlock. Its basic dimensions are those of a standard ten-feet-container (3,048 mm).
The medium and large LPO variants with the gross energy content ranging between 300 and 1,200 kWh are currently under development.
"Energy Planner" – a valuable companion on the LPO’s side
Energy Planner is a browser-based software for holistic planning of the power and energy requirements of a construction site in various construction phases. The tool helps construction site and fleet managers, electrical and energy planners or dispatchers with the energy planning, set-up and monitoring of a construction site.
And what are the functions? The first step is to locate a planned construction site on the map. The software offers the users the relevant network providers and connection points with the respective cost indicators. An integrated library contains a wide range of machine types and specific performance ranges, from which the planned machines can then be selected and put together into a fleet. In the planning area, it is possible to determine the duration of the construction phases or to create and name several construction phases thereby.
The Energy Planner now derives the energy requirements and charging phases from each construction phase for the specific machines, which can be adapted in the app based on consumption. The software draws on an extensive integrated library of construction machinery and Liebherr’s operational knowledge brand wide. “All users involved in a project can collaboratively access the current energy requirements stored in the app for each construction phase and, based on the available grid connections, select and plan an appropriate additional energy storage system or power source to supply the machines in an efficiency-optimised manner,” summarises Zell. Thus, the Energy Planner significantly increases planning security, as well as the smooth and efficient sequence of construction activities.
