Engine-driven Generators and their Criticality in Microgrids

The purpose of the microgrid solution is to provide cleaner, more efficient, and locally-created power when compared to utility-scale distributed power typically based on coal or nuclear. The benefits have been well documented in industry.

Microgrid designs today typically start with a focus on the renewable aspects of the power solution. A recent study by global consulting firm Woods Mackenzie found that although a record number of microgrid systems were installed in recent years, most of these installations relied on power distributed from the burning of fossil fuels.

Engine-driven generators burning a variety of fossil fuels can provide a last-step resiliency for the microgrid that is not and cannot be offered by wind, solar, battery storage, or any other renewable source of power. It is a time proven approach and technology deployed in hundreds of different types of applications in millions of individual installations across the globe. These generators are required to ensure complete resiliency for today’s microgrid, which has become and is further growing dependent on intermittent renewables. 

This new report from Generac contends fossil-fueled, reciprocating  engine-driven generators will continue to be the solution for the foreseeable future and enable ultimate application flexibility to have microgrid operations available whenever they are needed.