Battery Energy Storage System: Sustainable Innovation at West Camp Wind Project
Mortenson has a long history of finding ways to innovate on our projects. We knew years ago that working efficiently helps complete jobs on time and under budget as well as reduces worksite accidents and injuries, a culture Mortenson is still passionate about maintaining. In this spirit, every project team is encouraged to think creatively and develop ways to improve upon their work. So when Mortenson’s West Camp Wind project team discovered a way to achieve 80% reduction in fuel savings over a 30-day period, eliminating over 5,000 gallons of diesel – it got our attention.
Our Wind Energy team routinely sets out to isolated job sites across the US, where they need remote power options as there is no access to utility grid power. The West Camp Wind project team is an example of this common occurrence. With upwards of 20 laydown yard offices housing Mortenson teams, trade partners, customers, and OEM teams, as well as climate-controlled conexes, fuel stations, water and ice storage, lighting and more, they were relying on large diesel-powered generators to meet these energy needs. This set-up was not always reliable and outages and routine maintenance coupled with rental fees and thousands of gallons of fuel consumed each month put a cog in the usual seamless day-to-day work of the project site teams. There had to be a better way.
Over the years, many of our teams have sought out alternatives for temporary power, trialing solar-powered battery storage trailers and asking our equipment vendors for increased monitoring of our gensets to dial in power needs over time. In addition, wind project teams at Inertia (’21), Laurel Mountain (’22), and Montgomery Ranch (’23) piloted a few ideas that worked well enough, but were not sustainable or not a reliable solution for long-term use. New to market hybrid generators and battery storage options in the past have eluded Wind projects due to availability, up-front costs, or schedule challenges…until now! Recently a project team working remotely in the mountains of northern Arizona found a way to reduce power consumption on site in a new and exciting way. Together with Ryan Griffin (Sr. Lean Innovation Manager) and Equipment Solutions team members Kelsey Leighow, Hayley Thompson, and Troy Dale, the team at West Camp Wind, including Chris Hall, Alejando Almada, Jacob Prochnow, Corrie Noah and Daniel Putnam discovered an innovative solution that checks all the boxes of sustainability.
Griffin and the Equipment Solutions team worked with the West Camp team to set up a pilot battery energy storage system (BESS) from Aggreko that promised cost savings and increased reliability. (Aggreko is a leading provider of mobile modular power, temperature control and energy services. They provide temporary turnkey products for customers such as Mortenson with cost-effective and flexible ways to contribute to the energy transition.) While rental costs were expected to increase in comparison to the traditional generator setup, and freight costs alongside it, they knew that the fuel savings should make up the difference.
Despite a few initial curveballs dealing with some administrative hurdles that have since been cleared, the system was set up in less than a day. Jacob Prochnow, an Assistant Project Manager on site, recalled the ease of which this system was set up and saving dollars from day one, saying, “There have been some administrative hiccups, as Aggreko is a new supplier in our system, but in terms of the actual implementation and installing it, it was extremely easy. It only took four hours! Aggreko came out, having shipped it out here and then it was done in half a day.”
After the first month in operation, the BESS had reduced the running time of the 200kVA generator from 24 hours per day down to an average of three hours per day. During those three hours, the generator runs at optimum load to charge the battery, resulting in optimal fuel consumption during that time. The estimate totaled an impressive 80% reduction in fuel savings over the first 30-day period, eliminating over 5,000 gallons of diesel – an estimated 53,300 kgCO2e avoided!
The second month’s data validated the team’s initial findings, and they are excited to demonstrate the increasingly reliable and efficient system through peak project operations over the busy winter months and into spring of 2025.
The BESS team at West Camp team has achieved far-reaching positive effects including efficient power systems for our projects, green energy to further our shared mission of producing renewable energy as well as major cost savings! Reducing our collective reliance on fossil fuels and protecting our planet by reducing the effects of climate change is our ultimate goal. One that has been made even more planet positive with another innovation from our outstanding team members here at Mortenson. Thank you to the team for all the work they put into this wonderful innovation! We see our teams utilizing this solution on more remote project sites in the future.
Visit our Corporate Social Responsibility page to learn more about our commitment to the planet. Congratulations team – this is truly inspiring what’s possible!