The energy transition is now reaching the heart of the construction site. During the TES Community Meeting on 15 January 2026, led by Gerard van der Veer, one thing became crystal clear: emission-free construction is no longer a technical experiment, but an integral design and organisational issue. Together with Arné van der Wiel (Genpower), it became clear how strongly the complexity of the construction site has increased.

On the traditional construction site, energy supply mainly revolved around diesel and generators. That landscape is changing rapidly. The demand for an emission-free construction site is increasing and the supply is growing accordingly: electric and hybrid machines, battery containers and alternative energy carriers such as biogas and hydrogen are on the rise.

In short: energy is no longer a facility on the construction site, but a design discipline.

The challenge lies in design choices

Where further development is needed, it should primarily be viewed through the lens of the energy transition and not only from the perspective of a technology transition. The technologies exist. The real challenge lies in the design choices: choices that are increasingly influenced by (changing) legislation and regulations in the areas of safety, grid congestion, data security and the environment.

Where convergence is emerging is in connections and interfaces (such as CCS and Powerlock), but real standardisation and interchangeability are not yet self-evident. This is precisely what increases the need for integration and ‘systems thinking’: not the individual component, but the energy system as a whole determines whether a project runs predictably.

That the construction site is changing is becoming increasingly evident. Where fixed generators were previously used, hybrid systems are increasingly making their entry. The modularity of assets is increasing, the demand for monitoring and data is growing rapidly, and construction sites are increasingly being equipped with their own energy generation and storage. We also see a strong increase in electric equipment, such as electric excavators.

Because total energy demand on construction and infrastructure projects is increasing exponentially, it is unrealistic to cover this demand with a single energy carrier. Batteries are efficient for peak shaving and night-time supply, hydrogen provides robust power for variable loads, biogas delivers a stable baseload where no grid is available, and local generation reduces total demand. It is precisely the combination of these technologies that makes emission-free operation feasible.

New revenue models

A development that deserves explicit attention in this context is the impact of new revenue models on the market structure in construction. The investments required for emission-free equipment, temporary energy systems and associated infrastructure are capital-intensive. This makes it increasingly difficult for smaller construction companies to invest independently in new equipment.

As a result, there is a risk that primarily larger construction companies, with more capital and economies of scale, will be able to make these investments. This may lead to further consolidation in the sector: fewer construction companies, becoming larger and serving a greater share of the market.

Another development is the increase in specialised rental companies. Higher utilisation rates and lower downtime make it possible to operate expensive installations more profitably than when individual contractors would do so themselves.

These developments make it clear that emission-free operation goes far beyond replacing a machine. It affects the entire organisation of the construction site and requires a different way of thinking. Energy becomes a critical factor in preparation and planning, not something that is arranged “on the side”.

The role of the community

During the community meeting this was aptly summarised: the construction site is changing faster than energy technology can keep up. As a result, the role of suppliers is shifting. They no longer only deliver a product, but are increasingly becoming an integral energy partner. Not the individual component is central, but the system as a whole: from generation and storage to distribution, monitoring and control.

This development is also visible in the evolution of temporary energy systems. Where the focus previously revolved around fuel efficiency, it shifted to emission reduction. Meanwhile, safety and regulation are increasingly determining the design. With the introduction of, among others, PGS 37.1 and 37.2, it has become clear that all-in-one solutions reach their limits at higher power levels. Modular configurations offer more flexibility, are better scalable and make it easier to ensure safety and compliance.

For higher power levels, this means in practice: separating and modularising is often no longer a preference, but a design precondition.

Safety as a starting point

Safety was explicitly highlighted during the meeting as a precondition. New risks, such as arc flashes, thermal runaway and gas formation in batteries, are often not visible during normal operation, but can have major consequences in the event of incidents. This requires a fundamentally different approach: safety not as a checkbox afterwards, but as a starting point in the design.

At the same time, the construction site of the future also offers safety advantages: less noise on site ensures better communication and less risk of hearing damage.

From technology to collaboration

Perhaps the most important conclusion of the TES Community Meeting is that emission-free construction is shifting from a technical issue to an organisational and collaboration issue. Early coordination in the chain, clear division of roles and the sharing of data and experiences are crucial to keep this transition manageable.

Consider the site office: by measuring the consumption of climate control, drying and cooling and switching intelligently (timers and settings), energy demand decreases and therefore the required peak capacity.

For this very reason, it is valuable that within this community not only successes, but also dilemmas and lessons learned are shared. Together we accelerate the development towards a construction site that is not only emission-free, but also safe, predictable and future-proof.

Where in your chain is currently the biggest bottleneck: data, safety/compliance, logistics or standardisation?