If you’re looking for a diesel generator for sale in Australia, it can be an overwhelming experience. A diesel generator can be the beating heart of an infrastructure project, construction site, or any other type of outdoor event. Choosing the best diesel generator for sale can be a challenge, and it’s important to understand your needs before you make a final decision. In this article, we have compiled together four essential tips that will help you to buy the best diesel generator that matches your requirements.

1. What Type of Diesel Generator do I Need?

This is an important question; selecting the right type of diesel generator will have a dramatic impact on the reliability, performance, and serviceability of the unit. Many people don’t spend enough time on evaluating their needs, and this can lead to technical or maintenance problems later. Making a smarter purchase can provide you with a better diesel generator to meet your current and future needs, and it could affect the residual value.

Take some time to think about the role that your generator is going to play and ask yourself the following questions.

• Will it be the primary source of power on the worksite?
• Will it be an emergency back up power supply? (standby)
• Do you need a generator that’s fixed in place for a long time?
• Do you need a portable generator?
• Do you have access to a local dealer that can provide ongoing support?

Answering these questions will help you to narrow your search down to the type of diesel generators you need.

2. What are the Three Types of Diesel Generators

The Portable Diesel Generator

This is a diesel generator that can be used as a primary source of power on your worksite, but it can be easily moved to other sites as needed. This type of generator is typified by a robust build quality,with environmental bunded base to stop any contamination to site if there was a spill from generator coolant,engine oil and diesel and it may have a canopy design to increase the longevity of the unit. The generator brand, size, and fuel efficiency all play a major role in the running costs, so it makes good sense to do your homework. A portable diesel generator has a fixed speed engine spinning the generator (alternator) at 1,500 or 3000 rpm to produce the required power. Easy access to good technical support is essential for a portable generator, and it can significantly increase the useful lifespan of the unit.

The Standby Diesel Generator

This type of generator is needed where there is source of mains power in place, and a backup system is needed for continued operations during a power outage. This unit have a ATS automatic transfer switch that turns the generator on automatically when mains should power is lost. Also, the unit should have a built in trickle battery charger to keep start batteries charged ready to start unit when required. The standby diesel generator is rarely used during a typical year, and its main role is as an insurance policy to reassure clients. That being said, if you’re going to have a standby diesel generator, it’s worth investing in a good quality unit with ready access to a service agent and spare parts.

The Stationary Diesel Generator

When you look for a diesel generator for sale, you may need a unit that’s the primary source of power for a fixed location. This type of generator will stay in one location for the majority of its life, and it often has a cheaper frame and canopy because it isn’t designed to be portable. The major running cost of owning a stationary diesel generator is fuel, and it makes good financial sense to invest in a generator with the best fuel efficiency. It’s also important to have access to high quality servicing and spare parts.

3. What Size Diesel Generator do I need?

When you size your generator, you need to consider the high inrush currents that can occur when you start an electric motor or transformer. This could be six times higher than the load current and a modern high efficiency motor could even double that inrush current. It has become common practice to use motor and transformer start kVA figures as a general yardstick to try and determine the size of generator needed. This approach works, but you can end up with a generator that’s oversized for the motor, and the choice isn’t really related to the needs of the specific application.

Many modern diesel generators have solutions designed to deal with the extra excitation that’s needed in the alternator during start-up; these are auxiliary winding or permanent magnet PMG. These provide the generator with triple the nominal current to counter any inrush peaks for at least ten seconds from a residuary current for excitation. Other advanced systems are available to ensure a safer generation start up and to manage power more effectively. So, it’s not necessary to purchase a larger generator so cope with that initial power surge that you may get when starting up. When you have smarter control over the voltage output, you can achieve better fuel consumption and significantly reduce the maintenance costs.

4. Do I need Load Sharing with my Diesel Generator?

Before you invest in a single larger diesel generator, it’s a good idea to consider a more modular approach. Using a number of smaller generators can make your business more flexible, or you may want to use them in parallel to create a load share power source. This can boost fuel efficiency, some generators can be taken offline during slack periods or to carry out refueling and maintenance. Then during high demand periods, every generator can be brought back online to meet the increased demand for power. Coordinating a system like this would require a network of controllers and some generators cannot be configured together in this way.

There are other benefits to choosing a Load Sharing over a single larger diesel generator. Firstly, the costs and the service interval lengths will be shorter because there is no need to bring the entire power system to a stop when essential maintenance is required. Secondly, the reliability of the equipment is improved because a single generator failure is mitigated by other generators that can have their power output increased to meet the shortfall.