Paralleled On-Site Generators Increase Reliability and Cost Savings

摘要

Using multiple smaller gensets rather than one large genset provides certain advantages — and disadvantages. Standby generators are designed to supply electric power to facilities with critical loads when normal utility service is interrupted. Critical loads include air conditioning, lighting, computer networks, security systems, communications, and battery-backed uninterruptible power supply (UPS). In traditional standby applications, a single generator set is started up when there is a utility outage; it is shut down when utility power is restored. There are circumstances where multiple standby gensets running in parallel with one another provide additional benefits. Depending on local electric rates and the utility's policies on distributed generation, there also may be economic incentives in paralleling on-site generators with normal utility power for load sharing (see photo, this page).