Peak power shaving with Solar & integrated diesel Genset.
Many corporate companies in South Africa have a diesel genset hiding in a “basement”. A necessary purchase in 2015 as a “load-shedding” saviour. Now, hardly used, these power producing machines mostly “collect dust”.
Integrated Genset for Peak Lopping
Peak power shaving is viable under certain instances. The addition of a PV Solar system inherently reduces power during the day. Ultimate reliance on peak power reduction cannot be placed on PV Solar alone. Poor irradiation, at times, may prove little reduction in power. PV solar also only typically reduces power between the hours of 7am – 5pm (in South Africa). What then about hours before and after PV production, or even poor PV production hours?
Via the addition of a synchronous generator, paralleled with mains, we are able to include a “set-point” which allows the genset to fire up only if and when needed. The runtime and load of the genset are key in validating the impact on apparent power (kVA) reduction and the cost of diesel associated thereto. A power audit of the facility is key in determining the viability of such inclusion.
Real Power Savings
The off-set is a simple calculation. The rate of diesel consumption at reduced load multiplied by the cost of fuel versus the potential load shed multiplied by the rate of power. Typical net savings amount to capital payback of the Genset in under 3-5 years, with minimal runtime.
Speak to a consultant at SolarXgen to find out more about our integrated solutions for peak power shaving with an integrated PV solar system and diesel genset.
