Kennards Hire’s successful support of several major renewable energy projects has reaffirmed the company’s excellence in major project planning and delivery.
For those in the infrastructure sector, or the general public who frequently travel past infrastructure and construction works, Kennards Hire is a well-established and recognisable name.
Long has the company been among the preferred partners for project delivery, offering rental and project services for works across the country.
Despite its success in the construction market, Kennards Hire is often looking to further innovate with its services. Three years ago this ambition led the company to the renewable energy industry.
This foray was inspired by Australia’s national commitment to achieving zero emissions, and an increasing demand from tier one contractors to satisfy net-zero targets.
As well as its vast experience delivering services for major infrastructure services, Kennards Hire already had a variety of offerings used across many sites, including diesel generators, site sheds, toilets, lunchrooms, and other onsite facilities.
Each of these options were – and are – backed by dedicated departments and support teams, comprising power, pumps, lift and shift operations, and general site services.
Although the skeleton was there, investment was required to tailor these services for the renewables sector, as Paul Nicholson, Operations Product Specialist, Power and Renewable Energies – Kennards Hire explains.
“At the time, there was still quite a lot of scepticism around the capabilities of batteries, solar and what they were going to be able to do for major projects,” Nicholson says.
“I think some thought it was a ‘genie in a bottle’ scenario, but by being able to identify sites and power requirements, while producing documentation that supported those capabilities, we were able to explain and justify the benefits.
“The aim was to develop a package that could give a client a holistic approach for their project, which is the advantage we’d been able to establish for construction projects.”
Kennards Hire’s first step was to quickly invest in and offer battery storage, solar, and hybrid units as part of its rental fleet, with documentation and technical materials to clearly illustrate the practical and financial benefits, helping clients gain confidence in transitioning to renewables.
“Instead of giving them a cost analysis and throwing a product at them and walking away, we work closely with them to guide them and to help them understand the value, how it works, what it does and how it’s going to improve their situation on site,” Nicholson says.
“Continuous support throughout the project is next, to ensure that the unit/s work and are as successful as they possibly can be. That’s what we set out to achieve.”
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It wasn’t long after establishing these solutions that Kennards Hire won works to support the delivery of the Goorambat East Solar Farm in Victoria – the largest solar farm in the state.
When complete in 2026, the solar farm will have a generation capacity of 250 megawatts, which is enough to power up to 105,000 homes, thanks to the 500,000 solar panels at the site.
Procurement and construction contractor Bouygues Construction Australia had worked with Kennards Hire previously. This past experience, as well as the strength of Kennards Hire’s offering, contributed to the company’s selection as a project partner.
Kennards Hire’s main task was to supply an 80kVA (Kilovolt-Ampere) BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems) battery unit, a 44kW (kilowatt) solar array, a diesel generator for back-up, as well as hybrid generators.
Kennards Hire also provided 50 site buildings, such as offices, induction rooms, lunchrooms, a conference space, toilet, shower, and changing-room amenities.
“Effectively, what we were doing was taking the site from running on diesel 24/7 back to using the generator two cycles a day, roughly a maximum of six hours per day of diesel consumption,” Nicholson says.
“That way, a good portion of running time was supplied by solar during the day, while the battery was also charging and supporting the load.
“Going from 24 running hours with the diesel generator – back to six – has ended up being a reasonable reduction and saving in cost and obviously, carbon dioxide emissions.”
As well as power and infrastructure requirements, Kennards Hire also provided comprehensive day-to-day operational support for the project by assigning a dedicated major project contact to be present on-site.
This individual was responsible for conducting regular checks and balances throughout each day, ensuring that all equipment and services were operating smoothly and efficiently.
In addition to having personnel on the ground, Kennards Hire implemented advanced remote monitoring systems, allowing its in-house specialists and Bouygues Construction Australia to continuously observe the performance and health of the power systems, even when off-site.
“At no stage has the project been without power. It’s been a seamless supply of services at the end of the day, and I think that’s what makes it a cut above the rest, in terms of what we can provide,” Nicholson says.
Looking to the future, Kennards Hire is focused on expanding its renewable energy offerings with larger battery solutions, supporting more complex and larger-scale projects, while also integrating emerging needs such as electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure on construction sites.
“One of the things with this sector is that it moves so fast,” Nicholson says. “Sometimes it feels like it’s hard to keep up some days, as there’s always something new around the corner.
“There’s really exciting times ahead.”
This article was originally published in the February edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.
