The choice between natural gas gensets and diesel gensets for industries, businesses, and emergency services is always a topic of debate. Whether natural gas generators or diesel gensets both have several differences in emissions, fuel sources, and their applications.
When it comes to gas vs. diesel gensets, it is common knowledge that diesel gensets are loud and produce too much emission. On the other hand, gas gensets are expensive and have gas leak problems. But, now, both gensets are reliable sources of power generation that can support various applications.
What is the difference between natural gas and diesel gensets?
The difference between both gensets is the type of fuel source and the working principle behind the energy generation is also different.
Let’s discuss the basic differences between natural gas and diesel gensets:
Natural Gas gensets generally use natural gas or methane to produce fewer emissions compared to traditional fossil fuels. They use a cleaner combustion process which is cleaner and environmentally friendly, which makes gas-based gensets a popular choice for prioritizing sustainable approaches.
1. A natural gas genset utilizes natural or biogas as its primary source of fuel. These gensets consist of a combustion engine and alternator to generate electricity. The engine converts the chemical energy of the gas into mechanical energy.
2. Natural gas gensets are highly efficient, some models achieve an efficiency level of up to 45-50%. A 125 kVA powered gas genset is capable of generating 115 kW power which can be used by various sectors including hotels, restaurants, and office spaces.
Diesel gensets use diesel for power generation. These generators are renowned for their efficiency, durability, and ability to provide reliable power in a variety of use cases. Diesel has a higher energy density compared to natural gas, which leads to increased efficiency in power generation.
1. A diesel genset produces electricity by combining a diesel engine with an alternator. A diesel genset works on the principle of electromagnetic induction. It converts the chemical energy of diesel fuel into mechanical energy through combustion.
2. Typically, a diesel genset can achieve an efficiency of 40% which means every 100 units of energy input generates 40 units of energy output. A range of 8–30 kVA powered diesel gensets are best suited for homes, small shops, and offices.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Natural Gas Gensets
Natural gas gensets use natural gases to produce much cleaner energy with the least amount of carbon emission. Let's discuss more about their advantage and disadvantages:
Advantages
1. Natural gas is a cleaner source of energy, and less expensive than other types of fossil fuels (ethanol).
2. Gas-based gensets produce less amounts of hazardous gases like sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas). Which makes natural gas one of the cleanest fuels to burn.
3. They do not produce a strong odor, which is common among other oil or diesel-based gensets.
4. Natural gas gensets are cost-effective to use in home appliances.
Disadvantages
1. Since natural gas doesn't need any storage facility, it is usually supplied through pipelines directly to a business or company, during disasters, it can be harmful, and a lack of fuel to operate your equipment during an outage.
2. Natural gas can be harmful because it is extremely explosive.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Diesel Gensets
A diesel genset is durable and highly efficient in performing its task, as diesel-based fossil fuels are expensive fossil fuels and produce large amounts of carbon emission. Let's discuss more about their advantage and disadvantages:
Advantages
1. Diesel gensets require less maintenance compared to natural gas generators.
2. Diesel-based gensets are highly energy efficient, one can get large volumes of energy from diesel fuel.
3. They provide a consistent and stable power backup to required sectors. Diesel engines are more heavy-duty and dependable.
4. Diesel-based gensets have a longer life span.
5. As diesel is less flammable than other types of fuels, it is safer to use in a diesel genset because they do not use spark plugs, which eliminates the chance of causing a fire.
Disadvantages
1. A diesel genset can be more expensive to buy and use compared to other types of gensets.
2. Diesel gensets produce too much noise, which is a big issue, but newer models of diesel gensets are getting quieter.
To conclude, both natural gas and diesel gensets are efficient enough to fulfill the user requirements of various sectors like remote locations, military operations, worksites, homes, businesses, and schools. They both have some differences including workings, efficiency, emission, durability, and fuel sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1) What is the importance of gensets?
Gensets are a reliable source of power backup during power outages, they ensure the continuity of business operations and prevent the condition of downtime.
Q2) Which is better, natural gas or diesel genset?
Diesel-based gensets are expensive compared to natural gas gensets, but they are most efficient and have a longer life span.
Q3) Is a natural gas genset better for the environment than a diesel genset?
A natural gas genset is more environment friendly than a diesel genset because they produce less than 30% of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and other dangerous gases.
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