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NEWS

Mi-Jack to bring Green Energy to World’s Container Handling Industries through Acquisition of EcoPower Hybrid Systems

Edmonton based, Mi-Jack Canada, Inc. announced the acquisition of the hybrid energy specialist EcoPower Hybrid Systems, Inc. of Montreal. 

Mi-Jack Products, the parent company of Mi-Jack Canada has been working with EcoPower Hybrid Systems for the past 30 months in the development of the first hybrid electric RTG crane for the rail industry.  The Mi-Jack 1200R EH (electric hybrid) was successfully introduced back in January of this year, and has been performing at an energy savings rate of over 70% annually while also reducing emissions by 70%.   EcoPower Hybrid Systems received a Clean Air Excellence Award for the development of their EcoCrane™ product which has been placed on the EPA Emerging technology list.  Also, EcoPower has been retrofitting cranes with hybrid systems and has shown the same fuel and emission reductions.

“We did a lot of work with the people from EcoPower Hybrid Systems in the development of the MJ 1200R EH.” Said Harvey Schmidt, Vice President of Technical Support for Mi-Jack. “Their expertise in batteries, electric regeneration and their proprietary computer software for maximizing the technology was very impressive.  We knew we could both benefit from them coming on board as an organization.”  Concluded Schmidt.

This acquisition starts a new era for the utilization of this leading edge hybrid system.  The EcoPower Hybrid Systems technologies can reach a much greater market as part of Mi-Jack Canada’s organization.  “With the reach of Mi-Jack’s extensive service division, Technical Services International and integration with the technical developments for ports and intermodal rail operations achieved through Mi-Jack’s Applied Technologies division, EcoPower is now a integral part of an overall advanced system designed to modernize container handling equipment throughout the world.” Commented Dan Heraty, Sr. VP of Sales for Mi-Jack.

 

NEWS

EcoPower Hybrid Systems Earns Clean Air Excellence Award

As a leader in the implementation of hybrid power systems, EcoPower Hybrid Systems, Inc. was awarded The Clean Air Excellence Award by The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), for their new EcoCrane® Hybrid Systems applied to rubber tired gantry (RTG) cranes.

The patented EcoCrane® product is the only battery assisted hybrid system for RTG cranes in North America. The system can be installed on new equipment or retrofitted on old systems. Initially, three EcoPower Hybrid Systems were installed in the Port of Vancouver. The system demonstrated 70% fuel reduction measured in operation saving 25,000 gallons per year of fuel. NOx and particulate matter (PM) emissions are potentially reduced between 65 and 80%. The most recent EcoPower Hybrid system was installed at the Long Beach Container Terminal. This hybrid technology is also available on hybrid cranes used in rail yards.

The EcoPower Hybrid System replaces the conventional diesel power plant of 400kW to 700kW with a smaller diesel generator set (GenSet) of between 100 and 150 kW combined with batteries.

The exceptional performance of the EcoPower Hybrid System is related to the following technical aspects:

Significantly Smaller GenSet Engine: The conventional RTG cranes idle a significant portion of the time. Even in heavy operation, the size of the conventional GenSet is required less than 15% of the time. In the hybrid concept, the generator is 4 to 5 times smaller and delivers only the required average power. Batteries supply the peak power required to lift a container.

Recovering Potential Energy: Efficiency increases by regenerative power captured and stored in the batteries as the hoist on the crane lowers containers. The potential energy of the container is maximum when at the top level; the crane essentially turns the electric motors into generators as the load is lowered, charging the batteries and further reducing the amount of time that the GenSet must operate.

Engine Running Part Time: The smaller diesel generator installed on a hybrid power plant is turned on only to recharge batteries when required. The GenSet is turned off 50% of the time during operation. This represents a significant fuel reduction compared to conventional RTG power plants in which the engine runs all the time.