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Generating Units | Alternative Power Provision

What Are Generating Units?

In very broad terms, a generating unit can be seen as any device or process that produces electrical energy as an output. Examples of how electrical energy output may be generated include electrical energy generated from heat (thermal) conversions such as the combustion of fossil fuels or the by-products of biological decay processes (bio-digesters), solar thermal energy, geothermal energy, photovoltaic energy, and nuclear fission.

Generating units can also use potential energy from falling water in a hydroelectric facility, such as those built into dams to produce electricity, while wind energy turns wind turbines to produce electricity. Photovoltaic electrical energy can be produced from solar (photovoltaic) panels, and chemical energy provides electricity from fuel cells and batteries.

 

Generating Units Using Induction

One of the most common methods of producing electricity is the conversion of mechanical energy obtained from an external source into electrical energy as the output by using magnetic induction. These generating units are electromechanical devices that convert rotational kinetic energy into electrical power in accordance with the laws of electromagnetic induction described by Michael Faraday.

Faraday discovered that a flow of electric charges could be induced by moving an electrical conductor, such as a wire, in a magnetic field. The movement creates a voltage differential between the two ends of the wire, which, in turn, causes electric charge to flow, and electric current is generated.

It should be understood that generating units do not actually create electrical energy. They use the mechanical energy input provided to force the movement of electric charges already present in the wire windings into an external electric circuit. The forced flow of electric charge constitutes the output of electric current supplied by the generator.

The generating unit acts in the same way as a water pump does. The water pump causes the flow of water but does not create the water flowing through it.

 

Steam Power for Generating Units

Wind power, water (hydro) power, nuclear power, and the burning of fossil fuels (typically coal) are also used to power induction-based generating units. Wind and hydropower are used to turn the alternator directly, but steam power is still used extensively for the production of electricity. Some of the power sources listed are used to produce heat to convert water into steam, and the steam is then used to rotate the alternator.

Utility-scale electrical power generating units rotate turbines with the use of steam to produce electricity. Coal and nuclear generating units are examples.

 

Diesel-Powered Generating Units

Diesel generators, for instance, convert the chemical energy contained in diesel fuel to rotational mechanical energy through combustion. An internal combustion engine powered with diesel is used to rotate an armature made up of copper wire coils wound around an iron core in a magnetic field. The magnetic field is produced by a series of magnets. Although many generators are diesel-powered, especially the larger industrial-capacity units, petrol, natural gas, or steam could be used to provide the energy required to turn the alternator.

Diesel-powered generators are the most ubiquitous generating units in use. A diesel generator consists of two primary components and is also referred to as a genset. These components are the diesel engine and an alternator. Most large diesel generators produce voltage in three sequential sine waves with an offset of 120° between them, in other words, they output three-phase current. The three waves produce AC voltage in each single revolution of the armature, producing continuous, stable voltage if the engine runs at a constant revolutions per minute (RPM). Three-phase diesel generators are electrically superior to single-phase machines. They are more efficient, have higher energy density, have a smaller footprint, and weigh less than a single-phase unit of the same capacity. They usually also cost less than single-phase units of similar output power.

The power density and efficiency of three-phase diesel generators are key where high power output is required at constant demand, such as primary power provision at remote sites where grid power is unavailable.

The popularity of diesel generators as power-generating units lies in their flexibility. For instance, one of the phases of a three-phase diesel generator may be used to supply single-phase loads. They may also be de-rated by converting them from three- to single-phase output, reducing the power output of the unit by around 30%.

Multiple diesel generators can be connected in parallel to increase system capacity or provide system redundancy. Where two or more gensets are electrically joined to combine their power output, it is better, and simpler, to parallel identical generators from the same manufacturer than units of different capacities or makes.

 

Renewable Energy Power Generation

Renewable energy solutions have become increasingly popular as the technologies have developed and mass production has brought the cost of key components, such as solar panels and batteries, down. Solar installations in the sub-utility capacity market are booming, and many new entrepreneurs have entered the solar business, particularly in the smaller-capacity section of the market.

While even a residential-sized solar system must be properly designed and safely installed, solar power systems become increasingly complex the larger they are in scale. Large solar systems typically need to be integrated into electrical systems that may employ several different sources of electrical power, such as diesel generators, utility-scale grid power, and wind turbines. Hybrid industrial and commercial systems are technically challenging and require engineering expertise and experience to design, commission, and optimise.

We at PacB are renowned in the industry as a manufacturer of superior-quality, large, three-phase diesel generators. Our competent and experienced engineers and technicians will provide the best outcome with regards to cost, reliability, and durability of your power-generation needs. We have years of experience in the industry and will provide expert advice on anything to do with gensets, UPS units, and renewable energy generation. The larger the installation, the more complex the engineering demands become. We bring a level of experience that allows us to help customers make fully informed decisions on the type of system and combination of technologies that will be optimum for their specific environment.

With us, you are guaranteed electrical power that is safe, reliable, and provided at the best possible cost. We have a portfolio of successful, large-scale, complex power provision projects that clearly demonstrate our abilities, including genset integration with renewable energy solutions.

We offer utility-scale, industrial, commercial, and residential solar solutions, as well as technical expertise in solar power system design suitable for any scale of the project. We can successfully create integrated power solutions using disparate generating units. Call us today for any type of electrical energy solution.