Charles Jillings, CEO of Utilico, energized by strong economic momentum across Latin America. Watch the video here.
London South East prides itself on its community spirit, and in order to keep the chat section problem free, we ask all members to follow these simple rules. In these rules, we refer to ourselves as "we", "us", "our". The user of the website is referred to as "you" and "your".
By posting on our share chat boards you are agreeing to the following:
The IP address of all posts is recorded to aid in enforcing these conditions. As a user you agree to any information you have entered being stored in a database. You agree that we have the right to remove, edit, move or close any topic or board at any time should we see fit. You agree that we have the right to remove any post without notice. You agree that we have the right to suspend your account without notice.
Please note some users may not behave properly and may post content that is misleading, untrue or offensive.
It is not possible for us to fully monitor all content all of the time but where we have actually received notice of any content that is potentially misleading, untrue, offensive, unlawful, infringes third party rights or is potentially in breach of these terms and conditions, then we will review such content, decide whether to remove it from this website and act accordingly.
Premium Members are members that have a premium subscription with London South East. You can subscribe here.
London South East does not endorse such members, and posts should not be construed as advice and represent the opinions of the authors, not those of London South East Ltd, or its affiliates.
Yes, but thankfully AFC are not planning on using ammonium nitrate! Just Ammonia.
Ammonium Nitrate was what blew the socks off Beirut 9 months ago.
If a dogs pees on the lawn it is ammonia the grass dies as its too concentrated but the grass around it grows very lush!
Ammonium Sulphate is a plant fertiliser.
Exactly my thoughts Halfshell.
I didn't have any joy with our North East division so I don't think we use the pods up here yet and not sure how many actors the board although it seems to be rolling out more frequently.
But regarding the diesel rebate, a commercial manager said it basically equates to an increase of 55% in fuel cost for our sites and I imagine that cost increase in fueling our contractors machinery will be passed onto the house builder at tender stage.
Regardless of whether these solar pods do decent job, the back up generator needs to be fueled so it's in the builders growing interest to source an entirely diesel free method.
I could not locate the purchase cost of one of these solar pods only rental costs but none the less some of their case studies show a great saving on diesel consumption and benefits for constructin once construction losses the diesel rebate .
Of course AFC is a completely different Modle and far superior in my opinion and would save even more costs by using our system but the pod case study just gives a idea of how much in terms of costs construction may save in diesel costs by leasing one of our units not Including all the other benifits of us using ammonia and our zero emissions fuel cells .
https://www.easycabin.co.uk/downloads/EC_SolarPod_CaseStudy_Basildon_2020.pdf
https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/construction-to-lose-red-diesel-rebate-in-2022?amp=1
Daz,
Google will also tell you that ammonia can be stored in aluminium containers quite safely.
I’ve googled ‘ammonia’ so many times over the last few months I have concerns about being on an intelligence service watch list.
Hey Chippy, I only mentioned it because it was a concern raised in a paper I read recently on fuel cells. Hi Quizz, just looking at risks something everyone should do not just listen to the hype
Daz. I can't work out if you're a slow burn deramper, or just bloody miserable?
Ammonia has been used extensively for some time as fertiliser, fuel and refrigerant.
It’s not a big issue Daz.
Did AB mention the challenges with storing ammonia, one of which is that it’s corrosive ?
Let's not forget AB explaining the energy density compared to diesel, less haulage etc. Diesel needs storing and is flammable.... Ammonia takes up less storage and isn't flammable.
Thank you for the link
Yes I was of the same thinking in terms of storage and that it would not make a huge difference in terms of current practises in certain settings
Would you be aware of the number of solar pods initially trialed at Your company ?
In aware in mid 2019 Nixon Hire ordered 60 of these units in trenches of 20 and at the time stated that this was the fastest growing sector in hire at the present time with blue chip companies mandating the use of various sustainable products and demanding that the supply chain follow suit
It would be nice to know how much each unit costs (I’ll try and research further ) and how many was placed for trial but I’m guessing it was a healthy amount and something similar if possible for AFC would be extremely positive for us share holders
Very good point Halfshell, the storage of ammonia is something I hadn't thought about (or even appreciated tbh). I imagine it will become similar to storage of gas canisters on sites where you have a separate storage area/shed especially for it which goes with you from site to site with the rest of the compound. Initial outlay but ultimately built into your prelims.
We tend to use diesel generators mostly when we are unable to power from the grid at an early stage of site set up. Either due to delays in power on dates or logistically when building in a remote area with no immediate access to power (which seems to be happening more and more nowadays)
I am based in Newcastle so I could not really comment on our use on the high rise developments in London. Although I imagine grid connections are easier in those built up areas.
Barratt released a case study (below) trialling solar generators with smaller diesel generators inside on some sites (link below), I imagine once the pressure ramps up to reduce emissions further, the Great British weather will not be reliable enough to power sites alone and back up diesel may not be an option environmentally.
https://www.barrattdevelopments.co.uk/sustainability/taking-action/case-studies/reducing-diesel-use
Totally agree that the big boys needing to drive these advancements in technology with Government and to be fair my experience in house building has always been that if the technology works and helps meet the targets, businesses are proactive and taken on as soon as it is financially viable.
Hi Shuggy great post and I also think MACE are very Serious and alongside the company you work for are clients that are in a very powerful position to open up the market for AFC in the UK and beyond - the power they have to influence government and the rest of the construction industry is with out doubt if and if everything aligns and the numbers match up for both parties then this could really snow ball for AFC into a great numbers or orders from large leasing companies
Deployment in early 2022 should mean production starts long before in preparation .
From my understanding this will be a lease agreement for the units to power multiple site
For this to be cost effective to AFC then this surely must be based on a long term lease but is this for say two units that would get moved to different sites different settings at keys times or would this be many multiple units at each location
The number to be leased may be key - if it is just two units then AFC must have been given a potential number of units that could be ordered by future leasing to make this worth while .
We know it takes a couple of months roughly for each unit to be made with current staffing so we could expect that to be doubled or more with additional staff and techniques used - at some stage soon there has to be an announcement on production on these units
We really also do need to see the green ammonia and associated equipment being used fully as this I think would raise my confidence
I’d also like to know on how it will be stored on site and who will be housing the ammonia in-terms of safety as this is also a hurdle to overcome and get used to
Have you used diesel generators on a large scale on your projects in either central London or major construction projects? If so Do you see any issues with the storage of ammonia against diesel on sites
Ironically, we are so used to things taking ‘a long time’ with AFC during the development over many years, now they are dealing with established businesses that have deadlines, and get things done. I agree, MACE could well push this forward at some pace.
AFC are ‘only’ offering around 200 build capacity initially, and their strategy to negotiate with Co’s more likely to order large quantities, is the right one (ExE the exception).
With HH due to be ready very soon, and planning must already be in place, it would be valid for AFC to announce the revised delivery schedules for existing customers, Julich and Acciona, along with anticipated monthly output, to emphasise AFC’s transition to commercial operation.
Just over 5 weeks since the first ExE, when we saw the gov’t acknowledge AFC suggesting “global expansion”.
Production scheduling, staffing requirements and raw materials procurement will all align with the timing and volume of units to be made to contracts, which is standard. These contracts will be firmed up once partners/clients are able to see (and vet) the facility, which is again pretty standard. Further, any 1st or 2nd mover partner would like to tell their fellow directors that Extreme E is going to plan etc. If AFC did not have huge confidence in all this, they would not hire production experts at this time. Patience is a virtue!
I am sure they must have some idea already what order the orders will come in. They are pretty close to their partners so would think they have an idea what they will start production on first
I xpect that any delay would be due to negations on the terms of the contracts or on the purchaser's exchange with their
customers.. If I wanted several thousand T shirts I should get my order in - to be first in the que.
Thanks to the goodness of MMs, this would seem a great time to buy, imo.
I've heard the same with another big player in construction. Carbon bill potentially hitting just shy of £1 mil next year from about £200k (can't remember the precise number) at the moment. I think more partnerships will be announced and orders flowing very soon.
Good Morning All, my first post here but I've been invested quite a while now and didn't want to pipe up unless I could contribute in some way. Thanks to the more knowledgeable people for their contributions and keeping me on the positive side of AFC's future during the dips.
While I think the work with Extreme E is rightly taking any AFC headlines currently, I believe the partnership with Mace has the potential to pick up pace very quickly in the background.
I work for Barratt Homes and we had a trading and sustainability update last week. High on the agenda was our reduction of site emissions. Not least because of the reform of red diesel and the impending fuel duty rise in April '22 but also our own target emission reductions. It was stated that we are looking into alternative means of powering our site cabins, generators and machinery via renewable methods, Hydrogen fuel cells (as well as solar and wind power) were mentioned as potential alternatives being researched.
As the UK's largest house builder with around 300+ live sites at any given time there it highlights that there is huge potential across the residential sector alone.
Reducing space on site compounds is essential for build routes (especially in London) and I believe if the costings are competitive for AFC/Mace systems then it will be far more suitable to use our generators than any alternative energy methods out there. If the target remains to roll out to first sites in early '22 we can hit the market with our shop windows systems at the perfect time.
Bit long winded but just wanted to give my thoughts.