At Volta Energy, we do like a challenge, and this time BUKO presented us with a problem in Rotterdam. Due to roadworks, BUKO was responsible for the temporary traffic management measures to ensure safety was maintained throughout the works. However, this naturally requires a power supply, something that isn’t usually readily available on the street.

Naturally, it is desirable, first and foremost, that temporary traffic management measures should be relatively inexpensive to operate, whilst at the same time not placing too great a burden on the environment. Furthermore, when carrying out roadworks in the city, it is important that local residents are inconvenienced as little as possible, whilst work must continue day and night. Experience shows that a conventional diesel generator causes significant noise pollution in such situations. A Volta is the perfect solution to this problem.

Road safety equipment must always be operational, 24/7, even when it is cold, dark or wet. During the dark winter months, the work took place in January and February, generating the necessary energy via solar panels does not therefore seem to be the most obvious solution.

BUKO’s work in Rotterdam took place in January and February, months which are not exactly known for their sunshine. However, energy consumption was low, which is why the Volta 6 was chosen. BUKO currently has ten Volta units in use in the Netherlands and therefore knows exactly what to expect. Thanks to a smart IoT application, this backup generator only needed to kick in during the day, meaning there was no noise disturbance for local residents at night. So Rotterdam could sleep soundly.

At the same time, significant savings of over €425 were achieved over a 30-day period compared with a diesel generator, whilst 542 litres less diesel were consumed. Apart from the financial savings, this resulted in a reduction in CO₂ emissions of 2,056 kg and 2.49 kg less nitrogen oxides (NOx) being emitted. We can therefore conclude that the target has been more than achieved.