Brussels, the beating of heart of Europe and a city that is changing and reshaping for a greener future. The upbeat center of the European union and capital of Belgium is always buzzing with activity. In such a metropolis, smooth traffic is of vital importance and Brussels has radically chosen for sustainable mobility. The whole city center is a Low Emission Zone and new infrastructure projects prioritize keeping cars out of the city.
Complex construction with Atlas Copco’s equipment
It’s at the heart of Brussels that Jan De Nul builds a new subway station, with the help of Atlas Copco’s equipment. The project will take 7 years to complete and involves a new metro station and a whole new tram line. Jan De Nul specializes in complex building projects, such as this one. With underground excavations, often underneath classified buildings, the construction site at the Brussel’s South Station is a challenging one. To carry out the project in a safe and sustainable way, Jan De Nul draws on all its expertise… and an innovative compressed air solution.
At Jan De Nul, we love a challenge. This project near the Brussels South station is a complex project, with lots of underground work. Luckily, we have the right experience.
Sustainable urban development is important to the City of Brussels… and it’s also high on the agenda of Jan De Nul. They try to go beyond the latest environmental standards. Their construction site is constantly monitored with equipment that measures particulate matter, CO2, noise, etc. Alarms go off once a certain threshold is overstepped. The site even has solar panels on the roof of the site offices. When it comes to their construction equipment, Jan De Nul found an innovative solution that helps them with their sustainability goal: an electric compressor with an Energy Storage System. This set-up allows them to run their pneumatic equipment in a sustainable way.
Electrifying construction sites with the E-Air, pneumatic breakers and the Zenergize energy storage system
An electric compressor makes sense: no diesel exhaust will keep the alarms from going off. These compressors also make far less noise than a diesel unit. Last but not least: electricity is cheaper than diesel. We asked Jan De Nul to try out the E-Air compressor with a suitable ZBP 45 energy storage system because of the flexibility the solution offers, even when they don’t have a plug nearby. The equipment is also small enough to maneuver around and place in limited or underground spaces.
On paper the battery pack has an autonomy of 2 hours, continuous operation at full load. But we hardly ever run it al full load, and we don’t run it continuously. So we found the battery could see us through a complete working shift. Then we can recharge the battery pack overnight. It works really well.
Necessity is the mother of invention. But so are companies that are determined to change the world for the better. Jan De Nul is constantly looking for more sustainable building methods. Atlas Copco’s innovative set-up with an electric VSD compressor, running on an energy storage solution, driving Atlas Copco’s pneumatic tools: that’s a future-proof solution.
