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The construction boom for major projects like data centers, manufacturing facilities and infrastructure improvements has created an unprecedented need for temporary power and temperature solutions as regional utility providers struggle to meet the soaring demand.
Because of accelerated project delivery schedules, it’s more important than ever to source equipment needs and lock in rentals months in advance. If left unchecked or unplanned, the result could be missed milestones and costly liquidated damages. EquipmentShare’s Energy Solutions division has the equipment and teams of experts who can engineer systems that provide reliable power, minimize fuel costs and help contractors meet their sustainability initiatives.
EquipmentShare recently signed a multiyear agreement with Cummins Inc., a global leader in power generation productions, that significantly expands its power fleet and enhances its ability to meet the energy needs of major projects across the United States.
“We can offer temporary utilities in any fashion that meets a customer’s needs,” said Joe Gallagher, EquipmentShare’s director of climate control. “Whether you require engineered solutions or comfort cooling solutions, we have the resources to support you. Our team includes process engineers as well as specialists in power and temperature who can accurately size projects and provide cost-effective solutions to keep your job on schedule.”
- EquipmentShare has a wide range of generators (Tier 4 Final diesel and natural gas), battery energy storage systems (BESS) and distribution accessories to supply power during all phases of construction.
- We have chillers and heat exchangers to perform system flushes of the cooling system before commissioning.
- We have load banks to test data center equipment during the commissioning process.
- During and after construction, EquipmentShare has mobile natural gas generators to deliver utility-scale megawatts that bridge the gap to the final tie-in to the electrical grid or the completion of a permanent on-site power plant.
Here are some examples of how EquipmentShare has helped our customers at all stages to support their power needs.
Powering trailer cities
The problem: During the construction process, office trailers need power around the clock. Powering each trailer with one small generator is an option, but it’s an operational nightmare to fuel and service that many generators running 24 hours a day. Because jobsite energy needs can drop drastically at night, constantly running diesel generators wastes fuel. It also invites problems like wet stacking — soot buildup in the exhaust manifold that clogs exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems and catalysts — which can occur when diesel generators operate at low loads for extended periods.
The solution: By consolidating offices into one area, EquipmentShare can power them all with a large generator paired with a battery energy storage system (BESS). The generator charges the BESS, creating a hybrid power plant. The generator runs during peak hours, and the BESS takes over the rest of the time.
“The office trailer compound setup has been a big success for our customers,” said Justin Carlisle, EquipmentShare’s director of reciprocating power products. “We call them trailer cities. We ultimately create a centralized power plant that saves our customers fuel while reducing how many hours the generator needs to run.”
Case study: A data center under construction in Texas has more than 100 trailers that cannot lose power even temporarily. Previously, the plan was to put the trailers in groups of 12, with each group powered by its own generator. Jay Lund, the EquipmentShare territory account manager for the site, proposed a fully redundant trailer city setup using a 1-megawatt (MW) primary diesel generator, 1-MW backup generator and a BESS unit.
“We’ve been saving them about $150,000 a month in fuel, and that estimate might be on the low side,” Lund said. “It’s because the battery is being charged by the generator, and the generator is only running about four hours a day.”
The LNG alternative
The problem: Natural gas generators can be a strong alternative to diesel for temporary power applications. Natural gas is typically less expensive than diesel, and natural gas generators are less susceptible to the reliability issues associated with operating diesel generators at low loads for extended periods. The primary challenge is that most data center jobsites do not have access to an existing natural gas pipeline.
The solution: Liquified natural gas (LNG) can be delivered to the jobsite, passed through a heat exchanger to return it to a gaseous state and then fed into a generator.
Case study: A data center jobsite in Texas needed power and climate control for a giant tent that serves as a cafeteria, cooling-off area and meeting room for workers. Because the power needs are steady throughout the day, natural gas generators were the best option. EquipmentShare provided a turnkey setup powered by two 400-kW natural gas generators.
“You bring in a trailer of liquefied natural gas, and depending on the load, that trailer could provide roughly a week and a half to two weeks of run time,” said Rick Cambiano, an EquipmentShare national technical support specialist for power generation. “Compared with running the same setup on diesel, you could potentially save thousands of dollars per month in fuel costs.”
Cooling system flushes
The problem: During the construction process, a data center’s cooling system has to be plumbed and piped together. The pipes can collect debris. The pipes and exchangers need to be clean before the cooling system can be commissioned. Because of friction and chemical reactions that happen during the flush, the liquid needs to be chilled throughout the process.
The solution: EquipmentShare can engineer a cooling system that uses chilled water to reduce the system flush’s water temperature. This is done by slipping a percentage of the flush through a heat exchanger and then back into the flush loop. By using flow meters, EquipmentShare can fine-tune this process and ensure the customer gets the most from their equipment.
Case study: At a data center in Ohio, EquipmentShare partnered with a mechanical flushing company to clear the cooling system. Using a 1-MW generator for power, a 500-ton chiller and a plate-and-frame heat exchanger, it was a successful and repeatable setup used for each section of the facility.
“We sat down and spoke to the customer about the entire plan,” said Justin Wann, an EquipmentShare district sales manager specializing in power and temperature solutions. “The hose connections, where the gear was going to sit, how much hose and cable we were going to need, where were we going to put the heat exchanger, all the way down to bolts and gasket kits — no details were left unturned.
“We were very conscientious about getting all the information we needed to put together a plan. This ensured that once the equipment arrived and their team began setup, everything would be smooth. There was no downtime. We even placed a technician on-site just in case their team ran into any issues. We were there and ready to assist. All of those things combined led to a successful project and a highly satisfied customer."
Quicker cooler commissioning
The problem: Performing a load test on a data center’s cooling system is a key part of the commissioning process before the computer servers are installed. Historically, industrial boilers have been used to inject hot air into the cooling loop to test and validate chiller performance. But installing the boilers is a time-consuming process, and downtime is extremely expensive.
The solution: EquipmentShare can set up a system in which liquid-cooled load banks — rather than boilers — generate the heat needed to test chillers.
Case study: At a data center in South Carolina, EquipmentShare used four 1-MW generators to power liquid-cooled load banks to create heat. The data center’s permanent chillers connected to the load banks and proved they could cool the generated heat.
“The amount of time it takes to bring a boiler in and connect up, you’re talking about a month or a month and a half, whereas you can install this in a few days,” Gallagher said. “Time is of the essence.”
Conclusion
EquipmentShare is a nationwide company with the equipment and expertise to tackle every challenge of data center construction. The power and climate solutions we offer are part of a comprehensive equipment and services menu that includes portable cell towers for internet connectivity, turnstiles, containers, sanitation, shoring, heavy construction equipment, tools, consumables, industrial vending machines, jobsite cameras, fuel, vehicles … and the list goes on.
EquipmentShare is one partner that can handle it all.
And because T3® comes standard on EquipmentShare’s rentals, you receive the added value of the industry’s most advanced fleet management system. You can monitor the location, utilization and health status of all your connected machines on the same platform, allowing you to make data-driven decisions that help keep your jobs on track.
“We can take on a data center from the beginning to the very end and succeed,” Wann said. “We have everything you need to get through the entire construction lifecycle all the way up to when the building is turned over to the customer.”
