Why cranes are hard on generators
A tower crane draws very little most of the time and then a large amount for a moment, each time the hoist or luff motor starts under load. To carry that peak, a generator has to be sized several times larger than the crane's average draw — and then it runs all shift at a fraction of its rated load. That means high fuel burn, wet-stacking, servicing, and a big machine hired for a small average job.
How a battery fixes it
A battery energy storage system sits between the supply and the crane. It holds charge and releases it instantly for the lift peak, then recharges from a modest mains connection or a much smaller generator between lifts. The crane sees a stiff supply; the site loses the oversized genset. The same fix applies to a construction hoist, which has the same short, sharp demand each time it starts a loaded car.
The Potain Power range
The battery systems page has the full specifications. In short: the PA units buffer the peaks between top-ups from a mains feed, and the PE500 carries a full shift's energy on board. Which one fits depends on the crane, the number of machines on the supply, and how much power is available at the base. A site with a decent mains feed can often run peak-only buffering; a site on a temporary supply, or with no mains at all yet, leans towards on-board storage.
Sizing
Sizing turns on the kVA peak of the crane, not its average draw. A crane that averages a few kilowatts can still demand ten times that for the half-second a hoist motor pulls a load off the ground, and the battery and its inverter have to cover that moment. Send us the crane model, any hoist on the same supply, and what the site can provide at the base, and we size the system to the peak with headroom.
What it costs against a generator
Weigh the battery against the full running cost of the diesel it replaces: fuel at low load all shift, scheduled generator servicing, and the generator hire rate itself, over the months the crane is up. On a long job the battery usually comes out ahead, and it removes the noise, the fumes and the refuelling. The battery ROI calculator works the numbers through for a specific crane and hire period.
Common questions
Can a battery run a tower crane with no generator at all?
Often yes, if the site has a mains connection big enough to recharge the battery between lifts. Where mains is limited, a small generator tops it up instead of a large one running all day.
Does battery power work for construction hoists too?
Yes. Hoists have the same peaky demand profile and the same systems apply.
Have the job in front of you? Tell us the load, the radius and the site →