OUR SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY

AT THE FOREFRONT OF CHANGE, DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN OUR INDUSTRY

WB Power Services Ltd have been working with the Kohler/SDMO group now for over 20 years. Kohler’s commitment to a greener digital future through energy saving equipment and want to know how that belief manifests itself sits comfortably alongside the sustainability ambitions of WB. Working with Kohler we want to share what our commitment to reducing emissions is all about, and what that commitment looks like in practice. You could be looking to compare the Kohler/WB solutions to our competitors and want to know how our sustainability efforts compare in the marketplace or you are just curious or looking for a reason to make a purchase; here are five reasons to trust in Kohler’s and WB’s clean power advantage.

HIGH FUEL EFFICIENCY

Keeping the consumption of fuel and consequent CO2 emissions is a great signpost in the quest for sustainable business practices. The Kohler KD series of generators offer maximum possible fuel efficiency, meaning that as much of the energy as possible is transferred into electrical energy via alternator and not dispersed as heat or unburnt fuel through the system. That efficiency allows Kohler KD generators to have the smallest footprint in the market per kilowatt and because of that compactness and high efficiency the highest power density available on the market today.

If evidence of that fuel efficiency is required, it can be found in Kohler’s policy supporting no load testing of the KD engines. If fuel in the engine of generator’s cylinders didn’t burn so effectively, excess fuel would accumulate and need to be dissipated (known as wet stacking). Creating enough heat to dissipate any unburned fuel is why many generator maintenance regimes recommend regular running of the set with a load greater than 30%; frequently recommending annual load tests with 100% rated load (avoiding the consequences of wet stacking). Generating sets using the Kohler KD engines are fully approved for no load testing all of which is set out in the engine manuals and warranties. With this level of fuel efficiency, it means you are getting the most complete and cleanest combustion possible out of that fuel, making it the most sustainable solution.

UNIQUE AFTER TREATMENT APPROACH

From a regulator basis, operations team be they in a hospital, a data centre or almost any commercial or industrial setting can confront a number of different licencing, permitting and regulatory requirements which can varying from legal jurisdiction, location to location within a given jurisdiction and size / rating of generator installation etc. Much of this (but not all) is covered by the Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD) but other requirements will be locally derived (implementation of the clean air act for example) and often dependant on other factors. WB work with business operations teams, designers, and the local environmental team to ensure compliance with all the local emission requirements. Due to the exceptional fuel efficiency and cleaner fuel burn of the KD engine local emissions requirements can be met without the addition of any after treatments. On larger engines emission requirements can mostly be met with just the addition of an SCR. This means less equipment to maintain, fewer parts, less manufacturing waste making the entire package more sustainable. For mor information read our white paper on greening standby power generation.

When you’re looking for an EU stage V certified solution for your temporary generating set, your generator will use a range of after-treatment technologies to control particulate matter (PM), Nitrous Oxide (NOx) emissions, and other greenhouse gasses from the generating sets exhaust. Typically, emissions standards are reached using some combination of the following technologies: selective catalytic reduction (SCR), diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), and diesel particulate filters (DPF). While other generators use other devices in addition to SCR, Kohler products achieve certification using only one very effective SCR system on all its factory packaged Stage V products rated over 100kVA. As with our fixed solutions this makes the equipment easier to maintain and reduces the number of components that require to be manufactured – less waste.

EXCEPTIONAL DESIGN PROGRAM

The Kohler organisation is a truly global entity with generating set and engine manufacture taking place in the US, Europe, China and other counties across East Asia. One way to know you’re buying from a company that takes sustainability seriously is if environmental improvements are included in each stage of the design and production process. That’s the case with Kohler’s Design for Environment Program (DfE) which it applies to its business across the globe. The programme incorporates environmental impact analyses and metrics into each part of a product development project: from initial proposal, research, materials, budget, and timeline to manufacturing, transport, longevity planning, and end of life considerations. Part of the DfE program involves using special classifications like Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), More Environmentally Favourable (MEF) designations, and Positive By Design (PBD) qualifications to give visibility to measurable year-over-year success toward Kohler’s goal of net zero environmental impact by 2035. Currently, 100% of mechanical engineering and new product development projects in North America adhered to DfE standards, with all new product development worldwide set to meet them by the end of the 2023.

As the largest supplier of Kohler generating sets in Europe WB builds on the sustainability benefits offered by Kohler as it packages and installs generators right across the UK. We actively work with our supply chain to ensure all of WB’s packaged generator solution are as sustainable as possible.