The Australian government striving towards net zero emission by 2050, pushing the mining and construction sectors into adopting more sustainable practices on site. As one of Australia’s leading equipment and power solution distributor, Blue Diamond Machinery (BDM) are dedicated to making their mark on the transition.

Recently, Blue Diamond Machinery Director, Justin Pitts, presented at the Future of Hire Conference and spoke with Hire & Rental Industry Association (HRIA) about the role BDM is taking in reducing emissions. 

Justin went into detail about BDM’s leading sustainability commitment is to transition the Perth head office to be 100 percent carbon neutral by the end of 2022. Saying that BDM will invest in a “77.5kW solar system and 60kW of inverters.” This alone will be enough to “cover 54 per cent of our expected energy requirements, which are forecast to grow as we add equipment testing capabilities, primarily designed for our Net Zero range.”

“We’re exploring ways to offset the balance of our energy requirements at our Kewdale hub. It’s likely to be through the purchase of excess energy with Large-Scale Energy Certificates.”

This venture won’t stop there, BDM’s Melbourne and Brisbane offices are next on the list, all three premises will operate completely carbon neutral.

 Making the Change

Justin Pitts Speaking at HRIA Conference 

At the conference, Justin spoke about the challenges of construction and mining sites of implementing carbon emission restrictions and how hydrogen and lithium battery technology are disrupting the market. While technology is still advancing, hybrid solutions and battery energy storage systems (B-ESS) now play a crucial role in the construction sector. More importantly, the availability of hydrogen-powered mobile equipment is rapidly increasing, meanwhile off-grid production is already commercially viable. 

BDM’s sustainability plan inevitably filters through to their power solution range, with Justin describing a commitment to distributing environmentally friendly equipment options. 

Hydrogen, Justin says, is a key part of the solution. 

“Given that our core business is power generation, we feel the biggest impact we have is investing in new technologies to give our customers options that help achieve their sustainability targets in the mining and construction sectors,” says Justin.

“We have invested a significant amount in the latest emission reduction technologies from around the world, this will be led by our GEH2 hydrogen generator, powered by a Toyota fuel cell and including a lithium battery energy storage systems and solar.”

According to Justin, installing a lithium battery generator in a tier 1 construction site can potentially save $155,000 per year on diesel fuel costs, reduce annual carbon production by 495,865kg and 61% CO2 reduction. Not to mention the benefits of having no on-site air pollution for employees' long-term health. 

BDM’s support for reducing emissions is a direct result of offshore sustainability trends as well as the overall push for their clients to make the transition. As a result, BDM have launched the GEH2 Hydrogen Generator, produced by French manufacturer EODev, receiving overwhelming interest in the unit. 

“We based our strategy on what’s happening in more progressive countries, such as France, the U.K. and parts of Asia.” Justin continues “The Australian Government is doing a lot in terms of offering grants for projects but there is no incentive or policy here that has so far influenced our strategy. We’re driven more by what our customers are asking for and what we see as our role, given out position in the power generation market.”

Justin is focussed on showcasing BDM’s responsibility and support via their investment in new solutions. Although alternative power solutions are making their mark in industries, these new power solutions must also make sense from an economical perspective.

“We are extremely conscious of promoting clean energy solutions, given the reality is our core business will be supported by traditional diesel-powered solutions for some time yet while we transition to new technologies.”

With that being said, some notable Net Zero investments include the addition of two electrical engineers and a sustainable solutions specialist to the BDM team. Meanwhile, more than a $3M investment was made into BDM’s Net Zero Equipment range before receiving an order. Not to mention the investment of time.

“Well over $200,000 has been spent on compliance for the new solutions. . .and it’s taken hundreds of hours to get an understanding of the packaging, applications and customisation options for our unique market.”

“All of our solution are related to hire and our focus is to assist clients to transition to zero emissions. Our offers will be led by our GEH2 hydrogen powered generator. We believe hydrogen will lead the energy transition on larger scale mines and construction, supported by solar and the Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard.”

The GEH2 Hydrogen Generator 

Advice for Hire

Justin highlights that while there are still a lot of kinks in implementing eco-friendly options, sectors won’t be able to outrun the push for long. Because of this, many industries who don’t need to make the transition to meet client demand, won’t.

“A lot of the technology is hugely expensive and the ROI is far better on traditional diesel-powered solutions,” Justin says. “[BDM] is having to accept this to take a leadership position, but I understand why many wouldn’t.”

“Construction companies face the same obstacles. They want to be ‘green’, but their margins are tight with no additional budget to reduce emissions. Clean power solutions need to stack up economically.”

In saying this, Justin encourages other hiring companies to adopt a role in supporting (and therefore promoting) eco-friendly options to support Australia’s responsibility in providing cleaner power solutions.

“They need to have more efficient equipment available to offer a choice,” Justin explains. “Even if it is at a higher cost - some customers want to pay it to achieve their own targets.”

“Change is being driven by tier 1 mining, construction and progressive customers. The risk is that if the government becomes more progressive in forcing change, you will get left behind. Hire businesses should understand the new technologies coming from power solutions. It’s not a matter of if, but when, some of the more niche solutions become mainstream.”

Discover more about Blue Diamond Machinery’s Net Zero range here.