Agritechnica: Rolls-Royce shows microgrids and drive systems

Rolls-Royce will present drive and power solutions for the agricultural market under its core brand MTU at the Agritechnica show.

The company said that spotlights will be on Stage-5-certified MTU engines and microgrid solutions which combine renewable energy sources (such as solar panels and wind generators) and battery storage systems with natural gas-powered gen-sets.

MTU engines certified for EU Stage 5 emissions regulations can be used in harvesters and other agricultural and forestry vehicles. Series 1000, 1100, 1300 and 1500 engines received their Stage-5 certificates in March 2018 and have been available as serial engines since June 2018.

These units are based on Daimler commercial vehicle engines and cover a power range from 115 to 480 kW. Exhaust values fall below Stage 5 emissions regulation thanks to internal engine enhancements and by adding an SCR system as well as an additional diesel particulate filter.

Rolls-Royce reported that these engines have clocked nearly 110 000 hours of field testing and have already been shipped to customers such as Claas, Agco Fendt, Grimme, Same Deutz-Fahr and Ponsse. Besides on the Rolls-Royce booth, these engines will be seen around Agritechnica in numerous OEMs’ vehicles.

As for microgrid solutions, Rolls-Royce emphasized how agricultural businesses are ideally suited when it comes to implement this power generation technology, thanks to the many photovoltaic systems and biogas plants available on sites.

Key elements of the Rolls-Royce microgrid systems are the MTU EnergyPack battery storage system and the proprietary microgrid control system that optimizes the use of energy from various sources. When combined with battery containers and intelligent control systems to form a microgrid, these systems become ultra-efficient and offer major cost benefits, said Rolls-Royce.

Rolls-Royce will exhibit in Hall 16, booth C 29