Zero Emission Construction Sites: Possibilities & Barriers of Electric Machinery

While it is well known that construction sites are the source of different forms of pollution – including material waste, visible dust, noise, and vibration – construction and demolition sites also produce less obvious pollutants which are of serious concern for human health, namely NO2 and particulate matter. Combined with increasing urbanization trends and a fast-growing global population, it goes without saying that construction is here to stay. This calls for the adoption of timely policies and measures at the local and national levels to encourage the transition to zero emission technologies and processes across the full construction supply chain through these recommendations: 

Incorporating construction site machinery in legislation:

There is a unique opportunity to mandate the procurement of clean and zero emission construction site machinery by public authorities.  Putting in place a coherent policy framework governing the procurement of construction machinery is key to lowering costs, and creating scale and demand for zero emission products. Retrofitting also plays a large role in electrifying construction machinery today and helps reduce capital expenditure. 

Financial support measures

Financial support will be crucial in supporting public authorities, contractors and companies in making necessary vehicle, infrastructure and staff training investments. Establishing a platform for joint procurement of zero emission vehicles and machinery helps to bring down compliance costs while helping smaller cities reap the benefits of electrified machinery.

Need for targeted investments in infrastructure

Similarly to electric vehicles on the road, the electrification of construction site machinery necessitates investments into the deployment of suitably positioned recharging infrastructure.

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