A diesel generator is essentially the combination of an electrical generator with a diesel engine to produce electrical energy directly from the burning of diesel fuel. This is in fact a very specific category of engine-generators. A standard diesel Generator will generally be engineered to run purely on diesel fuel, while others are also designed to run exclusively on natural gas or other liquid fuels. The latter type however is more fuel-efficient and so is often used for commercial purposes. While the diesel engines used in generators are efficient, they are also noisy, which may prove to be a problem in some areas.
While noise might not be a big issue for most consumers, it can be quite a big issue in certain industrial environments. Therefore, the best diesel generators are the ones that do not have a cooling fan and only operate in a single phase. For example, single phase generators are often found at power stations that require them mainly for emergency use. These types of generators require little maintenance, but they are not very environmentally friendly.
There are some diesel generators that are designed with two or even three phase motors in them. This means that the motor can switch between different electric engine speeds in an effort to provide additional power to a power grid that might be under-served. However, many such power grids do not have sufficient power to support the needs of a diesel generator, so a three phase electric generator will be needed. If you are in an area that has a shortage of electric power, such as an out of service power grid, a diesel generator might be your only option. In such cases you will need to keep one of these generators on hand for emergencies.
As noted earlier, the noise factor can be a problem for some people. For this reason many diesel generators are equipped with what is known as an Eco throttle. The two throttle allows the diesel fuel to slow down as it approaches its burnout point, which in turn cuts back on the noise. In some cases, you might find that the need to use the two throttle is minimal.
There are other advantages to commercial diesel generators as well. You will find that they are much more reliable than a propane gas generator, and they also take up a very small portion of the space that a propane gas generator will occupy. These features make commercial diesel generators popular for industrial and commercial applications where a backup emergency power source is needed. In addition to being used as a backup for emergency power grid purposes, they can also be used in a primary grid emergency as well.
Of course, many large businesses will find that they will have continuous power available all day long, and for them a diesel generator makes a great option. While the size of the generator will be dependent upon the size of your business, you should consider that a 30-foot diesel generator will be able to supply your business with continuous power for one full hour. So, if you were relying upon the backup power company for one hour, you would need a generator that could supply power for one whole hour without ever stopping. Even if you had one jump hour available, that would not give your generator enough time to shut down. With continuous power, you will never be at risk of ever relying on another company for your backup needs.
For those of you who are interested in saving money, there are a number of ways that diesel generators can be powered with alternative fuels. If you happen to be interested in using vegetable oil or soybean oil as fuels, then you will find that your choices are limited. As a matter of fact, if you go the traditional route and fuel these fuels with gasoline, you will find that your cost of operation will rise dramatically over the course of just a few months. On the other hand, if you go with biodiesel, you can expect your costs to be very low as well as the fuel efficiency to increase over time.
The bottom line is that diesel generators help power plants remain viable in a world where natural gas and electricity are becoming increasingly harder to find. Even with the current state of the economy, natural resources such as oil and coal still represent a major part of the economy. The bottom line is that if power plants are going to continue generating power, they will need to rely on other sources of power. Diesel generators are the closest thing that they can get to rely upon solar and wind. It would seem that it would be only a matter of time before most major power plants depended upon diesel generators for all of their power needs.