We all know the financial and environmental benefits of switching to sustainable, renewable energy with Think Hire. In fact, if you make Think Hire your renewable energy partner, we guarantee to cut both your operating costs and your emissions. However, there is another benefit that comes with using temporary generator hire instead of buying your own equipment, and that benefit is felt right across the other side of the world in Argentina.

The hidden costs of green energy

They say that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and there’s certainly no such thing as free energy. Whether you’re driving an electric car or you’re installing solar panels, they all have an environmental impact in their manufacturing and their operation. Electric vehicles rely on electricity, which is often generated from fossil fuels. Solar panels are manufactured using scarce metals and other elements that are in short supply. Even the batteries you use to store your green energy have an environmental impact. Which is why hiring, instead of buying outright, makes much more sense for the planet.

The environmental cost of lithium

The element lithium is a key component in the rechargeable batteries used in everything from the phone in your pocket to the battery that comes with your temporary generator hire. The problem is, that while these batteries may facilitate all kinds of sustainable power initiatives in the UK, lithium mining is causing a number of environmental issues in South America.

Lithium predominantly comes from what is known as the ‘lithium triangle’ – part of the Andes that covers Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. Much of the lithium lies beneath salt flats and requires drilling and pumping to retrieve it, which burns fossil fuels and creates emissions. The lithium brine then requires substantial chemical processing to extract the lithium. In fact, it takes more than two million litres of water to extract just one tonne of lithium. As the BBC reported recently, this is putting a huge strain on the livelihoods of more than 400 indigenous groups who have farmed the land for more than 500 years.

Hobson’s choice?

When you learn about the environmental damage that lithium mining causes, it’s easy to wonder if we are just trading one environmental problem for another. Yes, lithium batteries are leading the way in helping to create a low carbon economy in the west, but at the same time, they’re causing untold damage to the day to day economy in South America. It’s easy to feel that we’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t when it comes to the fight against climate change. But there is a solution that can reduce the impact on both sides of the world.

Temporary generator hire

If every construction site, road and rail repair, or offshore energy project bought their own solar powered generators containing lithium batteries, then demand would soar. This would put huge pressure on the lithium mining industry and the people it affects. However, by using temporary generator hire instead, you can significantly cut this demand. With temporary generator hire, far fewer generators are needed, and therefore much less lithium. In effect, you are sharing your generators with dozens of other companies, instead of having one each. That not only saves you the cost of owning equipment outright, but also cuts the overall amount of equipment needed by the industry.

It’s just one more way in which Think Hire can help you cut your costs and cut your impact on the environment, locally, globally and even in remote areas of the Andes that you may never have thought of before. To find out more about the multiple benefits of temporary generator hire from Think Hire, call our friendly team today on 0330 133 2222, or complete the contact form online and we’ll be in touch.