Although the Hybrid Power Solutions product line offers contractors an opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint, the financial savings are the selling point.
Established in 2015 in Etobicoke, Ontario, Hybrid Power Solutions engineers and builds a range of power options, from 3,000 watts to 150 kW, that replace diesel generators.
The company builds batteries as well as solar/diesel power generators that can reduce fuel cost by about 75 per cent.
“We’re not saying ‘here’s a green product.’ That’s not how we sell. We just say, ‘here’s a way more cost-effective product’,” said Francois Byrne founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hybrid Power Solutions. “You’re going to be saving a huge amount of money on fuel, maintenance, wear and tear and rental.”
Hybrid Power Solutions was created to meet the needs of the mining industry and has since expanded to transit, military and now construction.
“We’ve been battle-hardened over time, and now we have a streamlined product line That can go from small contractors to full site power,” Byrne said.
How it works

To replace an on-site diesel generator, a hybrid system includes solar panels, batteries to store energy and a diesel generator, which acts as a safeguard in case energy demands exceeds electricity created by the solar panels.
“The diesel engine that we’re using is direct DC diesel charging. So, you have very high efficiency between the two,” Byrne said.
“It’s also a much smaller diesel generator that we’re using, because we’re using the batteries as an intermediate.”
A site trailer, for example, may require two to three kilowatts of electricity while running a 25-kW diesel generator, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
To meet the required power demand, Hybrid Power Solutions would install a system that generates electricity at double what is required.
“In a day, we’re charging and we’re running off the battery. So, we’re always making sure that you have power. The charge speed isn’t as important as properly sizing your solar to your actual needs,” Byrne explained.
A hybrid system does require more space than a traditional generator to accommodate solar panels. However, Byrne explained the panels are usually placed in areas that are not utilized on site.
“They can be placed on top of a container. Usually, it’s dead space that we’re using,” he said.
Hybrid benefits

While an all-electric power source would eliminate the need for a diesel generator, the benefit of using a hybrid energy source is security.
“Having a backup, just in case, is so important because these guys are running 24/seven, 365 days a year,” Byrne said.
“You can’t show up to work and your crane kit doesn’t move because you don’t have power to it, right? That’s just not happening.”
Understanding the system, how it works and the right renewable energy set up is another barrier to electric or hybrid adoption.
To ease the transition from solely diesel, Hybrid Power Solutions systems are designed to replicate a traditional generator.
“It plugs in just like you would with diesel. We’re going to give you that exact same plug and that exact same feeling. We’ll take care of the rest,” Byrne said. “And I think that’s what we really need until people get familiar with these systems, and it becomes just the same as anything else.”
Expansion

Hybrid Power Solutions is currently constructing its second manufacturing facility on 2.5 acres in Parry Sound, Ontario.
The 560 square metre facility will boost production of the company’s residential lithium-ion batteries and larger-scale portable power solutions, including the recently unveiled Batt Pack Spark.
The land is currently undergoing clearing, with plans to break ground this spring.