generator

As the North American hurricane season begins generator rental company Worldwide Power Products has unveiled a rental program to help companies running with uninterruptable power.

Worldwide Power Products new Contingency Generator Rental Program will no doubt give peace of mind to companies who rely on a constant flow on energy in the states prone to extreme weather.

While many generator rental companies increase rates when the generator is in-use, Worldwide Power Products will charge a flat monthly rate whether the generator is in use or on standby.

The company also offers an offsite storage option for companies unable to house a generator on its premises.

Ballard Power Systems and Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) are to test a fuel cell-powered microgrid prototype in a remote rural community in South Africa.

The companies will power 34 households in a 12-month trial with a generator system that is fueled by methanol and uses platinum group metals as catalysts. The fuel cell system is integrated into a prototype off-grid solution incorporating a battery bank and inverters that operate within the microgrid.

The system is designed to provide a total of 15kW of power and generate peak power of 70kW.

"This field trial will provide valuable insight into the market requirements of off-grid communities,” said Andrew Hinkly, executive head of marketing at Amplats. South Africa’s Department of Energy (DOE) has chosen the rural community of Naledi Trust as a suitable site for the trial as the area does not have any access to grid power and expanding the national network would be too expensive.

The next phase of the project will be the installment of 200 to 300 units in remote villages across the country, according to Godfrey Oliphant, South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources.

Ballard and Amplats are collaborating with power utility company Eskom and South Africa’s DOE to conduct the field test.

Generac has launched a low cost per kW protection standby 22kW generator.

The Guardian genset series comes with the company’s purpose-built OHVI engine and controller, including a dual-line tri-lingual LCD display.

The genset is engineered for standby power applications and includes a feature to ensure reliable operation to power sensitive electronics and appliances, according to the company. The engine runs at 1800rpm, which makes it quieter, less fuel consuming and extends therefore the service life of engine and alternator.

“Previously, if a homeowner needed a generator with a little more ‘oomph’ than they could get from a 20kW home standby, they’d have to invest several thousand dollars more for a 22kW liquid-cooled generator,” said Jake Thomas, senior product manager at Generac. The 22kW air-cooled home standby should set a new price and performance benchmark claimed the company. The recommended retail price of the new series is $4,699. “Our new 22kW Guardian Series generator provides that extra power for only a few hundred dollars more. That’s a tremendous value for our customers,” added Thomas.

The genset is compatible with a remote monitoring system that allows US and Canadian homeowners to monitor the status of their power system via electronical devices.

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has installed a second loadbank from UK-based manufacturer Crestchic to secure critical data and the livelihood of scientists at two primary research stations in Antarctica.

The resistive-only loadbank provides 200kW to ensure that generators do not lose power in the acute period of the Antarctic summer and winter peak season and to protect received data.

During the summer, temperatures remain close to freezing and in the winter, temperatures drop as low as -30°C at the remote BAS research centres.

Because of the lack of an electrical grid, the data backup and safety of the scientists depends on the power of the generators at the primary stations Halley and Rothera. The second loadbank was installed at the Rothera station, after the first loadbank was delivered to Halley.

“You can’t survive here without resilient generators and we can’t afford to lose the power so the loadbanks are critical for our operation out in Antarctica,” said Mark Wales, facilities manager at BAS.

Halley, where the ozone hole was discovered in 1985, lies within an auroral zone on the Brunt Ice Shelf and is suited for “space weather” research. At Rothera, located on Adelaide Island, the BAS researches glaciology, geology, geophysics and biology.

Doosan Portable Power has launched its first Tier IV Final generator, which includes a control panel with a DynaGen TG-410 integrated controller.

The G240WCU model comprises a dual-frequency switch that allows users to select from 50 to 60 Hertz and an operation protection scheme to prevent users from inadvertently switching voltage during operation.

The generator is powered by a Cummins QSB7-G6 Tier IV Final 282hp engine with a fuel tank capacity of 368 gal for 26h runtime at 100% load.

Tier IV emission standards were adopted in 2004 for new off-road diesel engines by the US Environmental Protection Agency in order to reduce hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and nitrogen oxide.

The model is part of the Doosan mobile generator line. Options such as positive air shutoff, preheat engine systems and oil level maintainer will also be available.