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Commercial Diesel Generators Buying Guide

Table of Contents

Commercial diesel generators are designed for the power needs of commercial buildings, data centers, hospitals, supermarkets, and other large commercial establishments.

They are larger and more powerful than residential generators and can run continuously and uninterruptedly for up to a week or more, providing a stable and reliable supply of primary/standby power in the event of a power outage or emergency.

Walt Power - Commercial Silent Diesel Generator

There are many types of commercial generators on the market today, but diesel is more readily available and not subject to environmental restrictions, so commercial diesel generator sets compared to other energy units have greater stability, can operate efficiently in harsh conditions, and frequent start and stop.

Configuration of remote monitoring and operation functions, cloud monitoring at any time to ensure the smooth and reliable operation of the unit.

What Size Diesel Generator Do I Need For A Commercial Building?

As we know, the commercial diesel generator size mostly depends on the size of the building and the total power capacity of the electrical loads that need to be operated during a power outage.

Usually, commercial buildings will require higher-power diesel generators than residential buildings because commercial buildings will be installed with a variety of different electrical installations, equipment, and systems, the commercial diesel generators will need to provide a larger power supply during a power outage to ensure that the commercial installations and equipment operate properly.

Therefore, it is best to have a professional electrician measure and evaluate the total power capacity, as well as the type and number of electrical devices that need to be powered.

How Are Commercial Generators Powered?

Diesel generators already become the preferred choice for commercial primary/standby power due to their easy availability, safety, reliability, easy storage and transport, durability, and high performance.

Also, the operation of diesel generators is not affected by weather and environmental effects, so diesel generators are more widely used in large commercial buildings or facilities that require stable power output, such as amusement parks, shopping malls, hospitals, data centers, and so on.

Commercial generators on the market now are powered by a variety of fuels, including natural gas, biogas, propane, solar power etc.

Natural gas generators, provide a cleaner power supply and are quieter than diesel generators.

Natural Gas Generator

Usually, countries with higher environmental requirements have a greater demand for natural gas generating units, such as Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries.

But compared with diesel, the storage and transportation of natural gas have higher standards and requirements.

Under the same power, the maintenance cost of natural gas generator sets will be significantly higher than that of diesel generator sets.

Biogas generators, are also an environmentally friendly option, using biogas generated from organic waste such as agricultural residues, food waste, and sewage to generate electricity.

Biogas Generator

This is a sustainable way of generating electricity that also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Suitable for commercial facilities with biogas production facilities.

However, while using biogas generator sets, it is also necessary to build biogas digesters at the same time.

Propane generators, which are similar to natural gas generator, use propane as fuel and are one of the cleaner sources of energy.

It is used more often in remote areas where natural gas is not available or infrastructure is inadequate, has a longer shelf life, and low emissions.

However, the cost of using propane is higher than that of diesel and natural gas, the fuel system is more complex than other types of generator sets, and repair and maintenance costs are higher.

LPG Generator

Propane also requires very careful inspection of the lines connecting the installation to make sure there are no leaks.

Propane is also extremely demanding on storage tanks, and damaged propane tanks can be explosive because of the pressure inside

Solar generators, renewable energy does not cause pollution to the environment, electricity prices are stable, and the long-term return on investment is relatively high.

However, the initial investment cost is huge, and affected by the weather, such as rainy days or nights can not generate electricity.

At the same time, due to the low energy density and conversion efficiency of solar energy, it is necessary to take up a relatively large area to install solar panels to generate enough electricity, and at the same time, it is necessary to prepare sufficient capacity of energy storage equipment to store the electricity generated by solar energy.

Solar Generator

Therefore, in most cases, the commercial diesel generator is still the most preferred choice, low initial investment costs, easy to install, the use of the environment and weather and other factors are not restricted.

How Long Can A Commercial Diesel Generator Run?

Commercial diesel generators are critical for providing primary/standby power during emergency power outages in a commercial environment.

Therefore commercial diesel generators are typically designed for long periods of continuous operation, ranging from a few hours to a few days or even weeks at a time.

Commercial Diesel Generator Working

Depending on the performance configuration of the commercial diesel generator, such as larger fuel tanks and lower fuel consumption, can make commercial diesel generators run for longer periods of time.

But at the same time, regular maintenance, checking fuel levels, and following the manufacturer’s operating instructions are also important to maximize the uptime and reliability of commercial diesel generator sets in emergency situations.

How Loud Is A Commercial Diesel Generator?

The noise level of commercial diesel generator sets varies according to the size and power of the generator set, the design structure of the silent enclosure and the grade of the soundproofing material, the installation environment, and the distance.

Commercial Diesel Generator Loud

Typically, a commercial diesel generator set will produce a noise level of 58 dB to 85 dB when in operation, but because most commercial diesel generator sets will be installed in basements or farther away from the building, the actual noise level produced will be reduced accordingly.

How Much Diesel Consumption Does A Commercial Generator Use?

Fuel consumption of commercial diesel generator sets is also an important factor in the cost of use that buyers need to pay attention to when shopping.

The same power of different brands of engines, a year of continuous use, and fuel consumption can reach a surprising difference, especially important for rental businesses to rent commercial generator set business.

Here are a few reference factors that may affect fuel consumption

  • Load power output per hour
  • Duration of continuous operation
  • Efficiency of the alternator
  • Quality of the diesel engine
  • Ambient temperature
  • Altitude and ambient humidity

For example, one unit 100KW commercial diesel generator powered by CUMMINS engine and Stamford alternator.

Walt Power - Commercial Silent Diesel Generator 100kW Cummins

100% load, the fuel consumption is 30 liters per hour.

75% load, the fuel consumption is 23 liters per hour.

50% load, the fuel consumption is 16 liters per hour.  

Also, the same 100KW commercial diesel generator sets are equipped with different brands of diesel engines, and the final fuel consumption is also different.

Please contact the manufacturer to get help.

Which Manufacturers Supply The Best-Use Commercial Diesel Generators?

Below these companies are producing reliable and high-quality diesel generators that are widely used in commercial applications (to name but a few).

  1. CUMMINS
  2. CAT
  3. Kohler
  4. Generac
  5. MTU
  6. Perkins
  7. WALT Power

The above manufacturers supply a full range of commercial diesel generators to meet your varying commercial power needs.

If you want to get a good performance and low fuel consumption commercial diesel generator, please don’t forget to carefully read the above content to ensure that the chosen commercial diesel generators works well at all times.

Walt Power - Commercial Silent Diesel Generator

Buying And Contact

You can contact us in many ways:

You can go to our website (URL: https://waltpower.com/contact/) and drop us a message.

You can email us: sales@waltpower.com

Our Contact is: +8618717996108 (WhatsApp)

Conclusions

Commercial diesel generators can provide continuous and stable output power for commercial building and equipment.

Before purchasing, calculate the total power capacity and installation costs of the electricity requirements for commercial operations, and whether the maintenance parts are easy to get from the local market.

If you need any help, contact us for professional advice.

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Picture of Ke Wong

Ke Wong

Hey, I’m Ke Wong joined WALT POWER in 2011. I spent a dozen years focused on generator set & load bank technology and solutions for the power & energy industry. WALT Power is a reliable & leading manufacturer & supplier in China, as a business director, I am so proud of our knowledge is more and more popular not only for engineers, and generator distributors but also for end-users. Hope you are enjoying our article, if any questions or comments welcome to send me sales at waltpower.com