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Commercial Generators Playing an Important Role in Diverse Venues

Often referred to as the principle driver of the so-called second industrial revolution, the process of electrification began in earnest during the late 19^th century. In the wake of the theory and practice of generating and utilising electricity, developed earlier by Michael Faraday, the invention of the electric light led to the first large-scale application for this new form of energy.

Subsequently, the demand for commercial generators began to grow following the introduction of electric street lighting in the UK city of Newcastle in 1879, and when, two years later, London’s Savoy Theatre became the world’s first public building to be illuminated entirely by electric lamps. 1882 saw the opening of the first large-scale distribution plant in the capital, and the birth of many new applications for electrical power that were to drive the near-exponential demand for electricity that has continued to the present day.

As advances in technology continue to provide new applications for this remarkable property of flowing electrons, the market for commercial generators for a variety of venues has been widening. No longer are these devices a requirement restricted to utility companies and heavy industries, such as mining, many other organisations are finding it necessary to install a suitable source of electrical power on their own premises, including malls and hotels.

Even when the mains network is both adequate and sufficiently reliable to satisfy all public demand, the occasional interruption can still occur. For example, unexpected damage to infrastructure may be caused by contingencies, such as a lighting strike. This possibility alone has, in some cases, posed a sufficient risk for institutions like hospitals to justify the purchase of commercial generators for use in case of an emergency.

It does not really take a lot of imagination to visualise the possible consequences of a power failure, whilst, for instance, a team of surgeons and scrub nurses is engaged in performing a heart transplant. Instead, an automated system can detect the drop in mains current, and immediately power up the emergency source to ensure the briefest possible interruption.

Of course, not all power outages have potentially life-threatening consequences. They may, however, cause considerable inconvenience, while posing a threat to the income of businesses, like hotels, that are not adequately prepared to cope. Consequently, the need for commercial generators extends well-beyond the healthcare sector. No longer just a hedge against the occasional interruption due to storm damage, Eskom’s ailing power generation and distribution infrastructure, and the resulting need for the service provider to schedule frequent, planned interruptions, have led to a source of on-site power becoming a basic necessity for many more businesses.

Among these new users, the hospitality industry is one with a particular need for an uninterrupted flow of electricity that often continues around the clock. The hotel is a typical example of a business in which commercial generators have become essential. Often, high-rise structures require power for elevators, operating key locks, and to provide food, cleaning, and laundry services, in addition to ensuring lighting, climate control, and audio-visual facilities for anything up to a hundred or more guest rooms.

Cinemas and theatres would frequently be unable to operate, and were threatened with substantial loss of income, without access to a secondary source of power, and faced with regular rolling blackouts. The consequences for a shopping mall can be even more crippling. Many are totally enclosed structures with no access to natural daylight. In addition to the failure of security systems, lifts, and escalators, shoppers would be left in pitch darkness, and subject to the risk of injuries arising from wholesale panic, should the lighting fail. Needless to say, commercial generators are a standard feature of any large shopping mall.

Banks and other financial institutions rely on electricity for the computers that process and store their data, and while they may not need to generate their own, an uninterruptible power supply is a valuable alternative.