In any country racked by power outages, people tend to make other plans. In South Africa, that has meant installing a generator in most cases. While renewable energy technology is now on the map, business particularly needed a guaranteed solution to address Eskom’s slide into being a national shame. Although generators are costly, fairly hi-tech machinery, their sure performance for the purpose sold most companies on generators as the solution. With Eskom’s current charges for electricity, most could absorb the diesel cost too, and what you will find today in South Africa is a preponderance of 3-phase generators backing up businesses large and small.
The reality for both SA homeowners and businesses is that one in fact needs a generator that can run indefinitely, and on a regular basis too. Apart from regular loadshedding, power outages are sometimes the result of breaks caused by damage or theft, and we all know by now that power can be out for a few days under those circumstances.
That is why a small standby will not hack it. We also know that Eskom is unlikely to abandon its loadshedding schedules anytime soon, hence the need for regular use. Both homeowners and businesses have been through the mill on generator solutions since Eskom started its decline, although we are finally on firm ground now.
Homeowners initially often bought undersized single-phase generators, which could not live up to the tasks demanded of them. Homeowners slowly gravitated towards the understanding that it is far better to over-specify slightly than hope a small standby unit can power a house for a few days without tremendous fatigue, and abnormally short life as a result. Likewise, businesses often bought single-phase generators when the troubles started, only to realise the shortcomings of single-phase supply. Businesses more rapidly came to the realisation that single-phase supply could not hope to match the seamless delivery of 3-phase power.
Single-Phase Versus Three-Phase Generators
Single-phase versus 3-phase – what is the difference? There are a host of technical details that define the value and nature of single-phase and 3-phase electricity supply, but for pretty much everyone’s purposes, there is only one real consideration: consistency. Because voltage has peaks and dips, surges, and slumps, which the average homeowner on single-phase supply might not notice (beyond the occasional dip in brightness of house lights). 3-phase power is more suitable for commercial purposes.
Single-phase voltage is in fact erratic at the micro level, and 3-phase supply irons out these blips by providing a far more consistent and level supply. Single-phase electricity could never hope to produce the same performance as 3-phase, hence the predominance of 3-phase generators in commercial application in the country.
When production counts, only 3-phase generators will equate the usual Eskom or City Power supply. Delivering power at a steady, constant rate is crucial when it comes to bigger business. When demand is high (think of a mining operation), the shortfalls of single-phase power are exposed, and running anything but 3-phase generators under those circumstances will surely lead to a string of frustrations in operation. Of course, single-phase and 3-phase generators are closely aligned in the power generation fraternity, but it is one of the most critical decisions commercial managers can make – choosing between the two at times. Single-phase generators might be better suited to electrifying a single domicile or activating a single function on larger premises, but for the premises as a whole, it is unlikely single-phase generators will be up to the task.
A 3-Phase Generator Should Be a Considered Decision
On a commercial scale, no one wants to be making the mistake of opting for the wrong kind of power supply, whatever the application. When premises are large, it is a safe bet that 3-phase generators are going to be your solution, however. When it comes to replicating conventional power supply for diverse commercial and industrial applications, 3-phase supply performs best, and 3-phase generators will electrify your premises with seamless performance in comparison to a single-phase supply.
As surely as homeowners have gone through a learning curve that started with undersized generators and ended up with something far more suited to regularly electrifying a home, so too did many commercial interests initially burn their fingers with single-phase generators that ended up being a big bank of nothing.
There are also beneficial financial implications when opting for 3-phase supply. For one thing, while transmitting three times as much power as a single-phase generator, 3-phase generators are more efficient. When excess demands are placed on a single-phase generator, power costs skyrocket. A 3-phase generator runs “smoother” – more consistent supply and more consistent costs.
Getting a bit more technical, a 3-phase generator is “patterned” to 120-degree offsets in its cycle. This means that as one power source is at its lowest, another is at its highest, hence the far steadier and more consistent power 3-phase generators supply. Moreover, 3-phase generators barely flinch when sudden, more intense demands are made of them.
We Build the 3-Phase Generators That Power the Nation’s Industry
At PacB, we do not just install and service 3-phase generators, we build them! We are generator experts, and our unique offer to you is the whole of our years of experience and internationally rated expertise into the bargain. You trust us, and we equip you the first time around with no hassles, no half-jobs, just perfect power supply for your purposes. Moreover, we have the skills to get your generators running at optimum, at the top end of efficiency, something that adds up to a huge saving over time. At PacB, we design and install at commercial, industrial, and utility-sized premises. If it is one generator or 100, we are the people who can put it together most cost-effectively, and with the best end results.
More than just the average generator buy-and-sell service, we manufacture components for many leading brands, and our panels too are on a par with global highest standards. We can help you plan, design, and maintain a 3-phase power supply with greater assurance and lower costs than anyone out there, and we enjoy long-term relationships with our clients. Because of the quality components and manufacturing we bring to building our generators, we are always a welcome face at old clients, because they are still running smoothly, and most affordably too. When few of us have any choice but to offset the vagaries of Eskom, that is value hard to beat. Call us or mail us. We are the people best suited to sort your power supply needs.
Our qualified technicians offer support and advice in the selection of the right power solution for your needs by calculating your power requirements.