Generators are one of the necessary pieces of equipment found in most off-grid solar installations. These units are also useful for doing emergency power in residential situations where the grid power infrequently fails.

Engine Driven Generators:
If the power failing is a frequent problem then a battery-backup inverter standby power system is a better investment because it will provide uninterruptible power during the outage. Usually any medium to large scale off-grid system cannot make it through the winter on solar alone and requires some form of supplementary power. This is where generators come in handy and some modern inverters will even automatically start the generator if the batteries get too low.

Types
As far as types of generators there are mainly low speed (1850 rpm) and high speed (3700 rpm) units which run on a variety of fuels. The high speed units are noisier and don’t last as long. The low-speed units are more expensive.
The ones that run on gasoline are all high speed units and range from the cheap throw-aways like the Costco models and the Coleman’s ranging up to the Honda units and similar ones that run on either gas or propane/ natural gas.
The next step up are the units that run on strictly propane or natural gas. These are usually also high speed, tend to be clean burning and are available in industrial versions which can sometimes be found in the low speed models.
The most industrial and long-living are the diesel powered units. These are the most durable and expensive of the range of generators. These typically are low speed and are much quieter and have a longer lifespan. They can be either air-cooled or water cooled though the water-cooled units are most common in anything over 5 or 6 KW.

Bio-diesel and straight veggie oil
One advantage to diesel units is their ability to run on bio-diesel which is fuel made from either virgin or recycled vegetable oil. It pollutes less, does a better job of lubricating the motor and is completely renewable. Its even possible to convert the diesel generator to run on straight vegetable oil which can mean free fuel if a person recycles their own oil from the home or from restaurants.
Here at Land and Sea Solar, all our vehicles are fueled by bio-diesel with straight vegetable oil conversion planned for the near future. We support this technology for its sustainability and offer a number of generators that run on bio-diesel. Contact us for more info.

For more information please call 831-336-8650 or email us at [email protected] (please cut and paste this address into your email. We don't hyperlink to reduce spam)