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Generator Hire Pros and Cons

Why You May Need To Consider Generator Hire

Whether Eskom’s unreliability is due to corruption, poor maintenance or bad management, it becomes a secondary consideration when frequent technical failures result in lengthy supply interruptions. This is compounded by little to no reserve capacity being available from the utility’s ageing generation fleet and the new power stations not contributing the expected amount of additional capacity. This reserve known as a short-term operating reserve (STOR) is required during certain periods of the day to manage situations where actual demand exceeds forecast demand or unforeseen breakdowns reduce generation availability. In these situations, either more power is needed, or demand must be reduced. Eskom produces more power by burning very expensive diesel in open cycle gas turbines or reduces their load by implementing load-shedding.

They sometimes are obliged to do both.

A total collapse of the grid in South Africa is unfortunately not impossible. This has occurred in countries such as Argentina in 2019, leaving 48 million end-users without power for the better part of a day. 55 million North Americans were left powerless for two weeks in 2003 when a large section of the grid collapsed. No business can afford to go without power for a fortnight. Chronic grid unreliability forces businesses to provide backup power to curb the many negative consequences and the significant costs of grid failures.

A genset is often the most practical solution for providing backup power. Most business operators are aware that buying a genset outright is not the only way to get the benefits of having one. Generator hire may be an alternative to cash purchase. In the prevailing South African power supply environment, most businesses need to seriously consider the acquisition of a genset, or some other form of backup power to offset the negative effects of rolling blackouts (load-shedding) and outages due to technical faults. Eskom has become less capable of providing power reliably and as the sole power provider to South African consumers and businesses, there are no utility-scale alternatives.

The Benefits of Generator Hire

Generator hire is an attractive alternative to buying a genset outright whether on finance or with cash. There are several companies that offer generator hire on terms as short as a day. Generator hire may be a flexible, cost-effective route to providing backup power, and assisting businesses with their cash flow. An agreement with fixed monthly payments, especially if maintenance is also covered, allows for accurate budgeting preventing ad hoc, unbudgeted costs. Working capital is retained for alternative purposes such as income-generating projects.

Generator hire costs can usually be deducted from a business’s taxable income where outright ownership only allows for annual depreciation to be claimed. Generator hire often comes at rates that are comparable with the cost of ownership when maintenance and repair costs are factored in. Generator hire normally includes maintenance and repairs so the company providing the unit carries the responsibility of ensuring the genset is kept functioning.

The simple payment of a fixed monthly sum means that the accurate calculation of the total cost of backup power is extremely easy. In addition, most companies can provide remote monitoring of their gensets, including the fuel level, starter battery condition, run time and engine temperature, among others. Generator hire allows for a great deal of flexibility. If the load profile of a company changes, the genset required will also change. Generator hire allows for the genset to be easily changed to suit the new load profile without the inconvenience of disposing of the original unit. In uncertain economic times, the option to change the genset is a substantial benefit.

Genset Owners Also Benefit from Generator Hire

Generator hire gives genset owners a temporary stop-gap in situations where in-house units break or require scheduled maintenance. Failures are by nature ad hoc and inevitably usually when least convenient. Whatever the cause of the onsite genset becoming inoperable, generator hire will provide an interim unit to keep business operations going as opposed to a complete shutdown of activity with the resultant losses in production and revenue.

Generator Hire – Which Unit?

Gensets come in a wide range of sizes and types. The intended application for the unit will dictate what genset is needed. Sensitive devices such as computers, TVs and other electronic equipment need good quality, clean, power with steady current and stable voltage. Electronic devices do not draw very high current, so inverter-type gensets provide a good solution. They provide a steady current with minimal voltage fluctuation.

Power for heavy machinery, and the starting of large electric motors that draw substantial amounts of current will require a robust genset. The unit will need the ability to cope with short-duration, high current peaks that electric induction motors create on start-up.

The next step is to determine the capacity of the genset by calculating the total loads it will be expected to carry. The power requirements of all the equipment that will draw from the genset must be added up to give the minimum capacity that the genset can be. Additional allowance is required over and above the total obtained, or the unit will effectively be running at one hundred per cent capacity constantly, and the genset may be damaged if unaccounted loads arise.

The type of fuel the unit run on will usually come down to a choice between petrol or diesel.  Diesel is the most commonly used fuel for gensets, particularly once they go above a certain size. Petrol-powered units will typically be small, more portable machines.

Consult with a Specialist

Generator hire for commercial and industrial entities requires specialist knowledge, Real expertise is vital to ensure that the appropriate unit is supplied. PacB Power Solutions is a manufacturer of superior quality and large three-phase diesel generators and has a long-standing track record of technical excellence and industry-leading service. We offer generator hire that includes the best technical solutions, with superior service, at a competitive cost. The larger the genset required, the more complex the engineering demands become. PacB has experience in a large install base of commercial and industrial gensets, including large multi-unit sites, which allows us to provide the type of genset best suited to a customer’s specific environment. This includes a thorough assessment of the existing electrical installation to ensure that the unit is correctly sized and configured for the site-specific requirements. In our hands, you don’t need to understand peak demand, voltage, frequency, harmonics and total power required. All PacB generator hire units include three- and single-phase plugs, automatic changeover panels and the required safety gear and signage. They are all equipped with silent-run enclosures. Units can also be trailer-mounted if required. Our technical team is always available for on-site assistance to support our units. Contact PacB today for anything related to gensets.