A Comparison of Fuel Choice for Backup Generators

Type: Article
Categories: Distributed Energy Resources, Energy Storage
Date Published: 3/18/2019
Source: Enchanted Rock
Primary Topic: Distributed Energy Resources

With increasing severe weather events and disasters triggering greater numbers of costly power outages, there is a growing interest in generators for reliable backup power.  As businesses consider backup generators and systems, this research, sponsored by Enchanted Rock, discusses the costs and benefits of various configurations.

In order for decision-makers to make informed choices, the report presents the following:

• An analysis of the economics and reliability of natural gas versus diesel as fuels for backup systems; compares the relative merits of grid-connected backup systems that enable financial benefits when the grid is functioning, versus backup-only systems that only generate energy for critical services when the primary grid is down
• A discussion on how to assign value to the reliability of each system and the revenue streams related to backup generators.
• Examples of backup systems at supermarkets located in Houston, Texas; Camden, New Jersey; and Orlando, Florida.

Download the report to explore all aspects of backup generator configurations:

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