Buy Single Generator or Paralleling Generator for 1200KW?
by Starlight Generator dieselgeneratortechBuying A Single
Generator Vs. Paralleling
If your power needs are large enough, you may wonder whether it’s better to go with a single, huge diesel generator, or split the burden between two or more smaller generators. For example, instead of a 1200kW generator, you could install three 400kW generators. This is called paralleling, and it can be a great option in the right circumstances. Here’s why:
1. Greater flexibility.
It’s very likely the reason you’re buying a generator at all is the additional
reliability, a hedge against an interrupted power supply causing a slowdown or
halt to your business’s operations. With multiple generators, you don’t have to
worry if one has to be shut down for maintenance. You simply shift the burden
to the others and keep right on working.
With just one generator,
if it has to stop, so do you.
2. Can be more
cost-effective. Obviously the economics will vary widely depending on brands,
new vs. used generators, prices in your geographic location, etc. But all
things being equal, once you breach a certain generator size, it becomes more
economical to parallel than use a single unit. Specifically, once you go over
the sizes of gas or diesel engines mass-produced for use in cars, as well,
those engines are harder to come by and are thus more expensive. And the engine
comprises more than half the cost of a generator.
The threshold for diesel engines is 600kW and for gas engines it’s 150kW.
3. Can be more
practical. Depending on your physical space, it may be easier to fit two or
three parallel generators into a room than one oversized unit. Among large
commercial generators, smaller capacities can mean the difference in 25 or more
square feet per unit.
4. Easier on the
generators. Load sharing among two or more generators can extend the life of
each generator and avoid the risk of overburdening a single unit. For
continuous usage, loads up to 80% generator capacity are ideal.
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Created on May 25th 2020 01:36. Viewed 198 times.