Rolls-Royce developing power rental offerings

Rolls-Royce is developing mobile power solutions for the rental market with products to be available after 2022.

The news came as the company announced a partnership with investment firm Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL) to jointly offer ‘Energy-as-a-Service’ to accelerate the take-up of more sustainable power.

At the agreement signing in Glasgow, from left,Perry Kuiper, President Sustainable Power Solutions at Rolls-Royce; Jonathan Maxwell, CEO and Founder of Sustainable Development Capital LLP; and Andreas Görtz, Vice President Stationary Power Solutions at Rolls-Royce.

The agreement, signed at the COP26 meeting in Glasgow on 11 November, means that Rolls-Royce can provide customers with electricity and/or heat, generated by a sustainable source, as a subscription service, removing the need for customers to secure up-front infrastructure finance or operate the system themselves.

Asked by International Rental News (IRN) if this meant that Rolls-Royce was entering the power rental market, the company responded that it was developing mobile solutions for the power rental sector, which would not be available before 2023.

Rolls-Royce will work with SDCL to design, finance, build and operate new projects. Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems business has microgrid systems that use solar and wind power along with its mtu-branded battery storage and gensets. It is also developing fuel cells and making its mtu engines compatible with sustainable fuels.

Andreas Görtz, Vice President Power Generation at Rolls-Royce Power Systems, said; “Energy-as-a-Service is particularly interesting for companies that need to adapt their energy supply to new circumstances – be it an expansion for which more power is needed or an adaptation to new regulatory requirements, such as emissions guidelines.

Rolls-Royce provided this mock-up image to show a potential application of a microgrid at a mine.

“Because this often involves investing in equipment, such as a microgrid, that requires expertise to operate, it’s a challenge for customers to do this on their own. By offering Energy-as-a-Service, we can help them overcome that challenge.”

Jonathan Maxwell, CEO and Founder of SDCL, added; “SDCL was established to facilitate investment in environmental infrastructure markets. The company has always focused on investing in projects that are good for the environment, good for people and commercially sustainable.

“We believe that with our new partner Rolls-Royce, we will be able to pursue these objectives even faster. Companies that want to avoid high investment costs for their own energy plant and focus on their core business, but still want an energy supply that is precisely designed to meet their needs, will be well served by our new offering.”