by Luciano Andreoli. Noleggio, june 2009.
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An Iveco Stralis “All Black” with 500 horsepower is silhouetted against San Siro creating a colour contrast that reveals its sheer beauty before its raw power. This is the first image that greets us when we are here to discover the latest bi-generator developed by Energy Rental, a company based in Vimodrone (Milan) and founded in 1984 by Roberto Dusi, its sole director, and one that has always operated throughout Europe providing integrated services for lighting equipment and power for temporary electrical systems.
In the world of show business, sport and emergencies
Energy Rental has based its business strategy on continued investment aimed at updating and upgrading its equipment in a highly competitive and technological industry. In this context, particular attention is paid to producing and supplying electricity with 42 vehicles fitted with generators with parallel engines for greater assurance and reliability. The power generators range from 50+50 kW to the biggest system which is 1.2+1.2 MW, which is mounted on two trucks owing to its size and weight. The company provides a total power of over 13 MW. This impressive fleet of vehicles, conceived and designed by Roberto Dusi assisted by a team of engineers with extensive experience in show business, is able to anticipate the technical evolution of new film and TV equipment. The supply of electricity has multiple applications in the world of entertainment: concerts, tours and TV shows whether in studios or outdoors, cinema, plus emergency response in the event of a power outage or to replace electrical substations.
Energy Rental is also specialised in lighting setups thanks to its huge stock of white lights, control panels, light mixers, dimmers and all the related accessories allowing multiple solutions to be set up at the same time as it has over 3,000 kW of lighting apparatus in its warehouse. For coloured lights or special effects there are Coemar motorised projectors which are controlled by Comuplite Vector, Sabre and Spark consoles. This is complemented by various sized aluminium trusses (triangular 30×30 cm, square 30×30 cm and 50×50 cm), and various 500 kg and 1000 kg Lodestar hoists, towers and Layher structures. Recently, the company based in Lombardy is very busy with digital terrestrial broadcasting and is specialised in live TV broadcasts, just think how football pay TV benefits from Energy Rental machinery which power cameras, videos, microphones, repeaters, and lots of other equipment. So much power, so little noise
The deployment of the new Energy Rental bi-generator will start with the two Italian dates of the Depeche Mode tour: the Olympic Stadium in Rome and the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan in the middle of June. The bi-generator will provide power to the lighting, audio and video systems for the whole show. This equipment, like all the machinery of the company from Vimodrone, has been designed and assembled by Energy Rental. The truck we were able to admire in San Siro represents a real challenge, with regard to both the weight involved and the truck’s stability over four axles. As we scan the body of the truck, the sound proofing muffler system is behind the cab, between the two engines, in the back end there is a double tank in a separate chamber with a double jacket, while the tail end houses the electrical controls. Power is drawn using two systems: a special system designed for electrical stations which attaches directly to the bars, and a second system which provides multiple connection lines, for use in shows, positioned on the side of a truck.
THE GENERATOR
This bi-generator supplies a maximum power of 900+900 kVA. There are two 24-litre Cummins Qsk-23-G3 engines (with low environmental impact) for approximately 1,100 hp each, electronically controlled in order to optimise consumption based on the power generated.
The mufflers have been designed specifically for this application and are equipped with a three-stage sound damping system for low, medium and high frequencies (noise pollution is kept below 68 dB). Electrical coupling of the alternators is ensured by an innovative parallel central unit which can be monitored and controlled electronically from the company’s operational office.
Just one technician is needed to manoeuvre the whole system, and in the case of problems (or to report the need for maintenance) the machine automatically sends a text message which reports the fault using a scale of alerts. Maintenance of the generator is ensured first by a technician being always present and is also guaranteed by a mobile workshop.