We just went through a power outage during a heat emergency where I live. It understandably has us asking a lot of questions about the best way to shore up our lives with generation when the grid goes down. One of my big questions was what the efficiency curve looks like for generators, and this helped a lot! It sounds like my best bet is to invest in some battery infrastructure so I can run our little generator at full hooch at all times, while I actively manage the storage. Thank you!
10 out of 10 points! Haha it is so nice to hear if people like yourself appreciate and make good use of the information shared in these videos. Thanks for your feedback and goodluck! TIP: Consider getting an inverter/charger which has a configurable charger load, so that you can play around with how many amps you will pull from your generator.
Nice video! I have a champion 9375/7500 gas only generator, using The Reliance 10 line transfer switch for safety. Running to power home, it runs at less then 25% load, only jumping to 40%%when my well pump goes on. It has a 6 gallon tank and I get at least 8 or 9 hours run time. FYI a mouse ate my ignition wire, the generator I 4 years old and out of warranty but Champion sent me a new ignition wire & coil at no charge immediately after contacting them. Great Company & product!
Hello Beni, questions are always welcome! In this video we do indeed discuss the fuel consumption per unit of kWh. Did you watch it through to the end? All the best, Jesse.
@@SolarSolution Thanks for the video. I did watch it to the end. However, constantly on display were units of gallons per kilowatt. I can understand gallons per kilowatt-hour, or even gallons per hour per kilowatt, but I couldn't understand the displayed units.
I'm using JI2300 & RI 3500, Supplier told me not to full load generator up to 8 hours, it will greatly decrease it's parts life span. But half or 75% load will cost me more fuel for the continous right ?
Hello Marcanyin, thank you for your question. This sizing approach is indeed rather common. An important design consideration is whether the load on the generator might fluctuate [such as with a building with varying occupancy] or whether the load is relatively stable [such as with one or only a few large loads].
So how strong of a car alternator would you need if you wanted to have positive charge on a battery bank that powers a power inverter. Then you plug in a 3000w electric motor running at full load?
Hello Mika, thank you for your contribution. This can be informative for other viewers as well: Would you mind sharing which brand of generator you are referring too? Thanks, Jesse.
He did say the normal capacity in the video. My generators have 3 ratings Continuous....Maximum and .....SURGE. Continuous would probably be equal to your 80%.
I have a very simple question I’m surprised the industry can’t give an answer or equation just ifs and bu? Rate? Would be great 👍 I’ll keep watching just in case you say half load half day 12h 3500w x 0.5 ?
From Ireland still use UK gallons MPG miles to figure it out so could save me time if you head up its USA gallons 3.73 litres you use versus UK gallon 4.546 Litres. More interesting is global efficiency eg 9.5 kilowatts power in one litre of gasoline so 25,74 litters for 10 hours making 40 kilowatts means 9.5 kilowatts gasoline x 40 kw= 380 KW power in 40 Kilowatt power out efficiency looks to be roughly 10.5% global efficiency . Yes shaft power from engine is probably 25% efficiency
@@SolarSolution If we talk about really big power generator Probably this guy's can make kilowats much cheaper compared to smaller generator. Long time ago when I've been military We have humanders generator Somebody told me we can make 30 kilo Watts from one gallon ,
Problem is, you have to carry extra capacity for surge loads. I try to carry the minimum but even with my easy starting air conditioning and inverter refrigerator, I have 1000w of wasted capacity on my 2800W inverter generator. Heating elements don't have surges, they are dead shorts. my 2000w electric kettle draws 2000W. My 845W air conditioner draws possibly 3 times it's rated watts because it's not inverter, but is fairly new. An old air conditioner could draw 5000w in surge. It could literally save you money to get a new air conditioner. I got the non inverter air conditioner because it seemed more robust (our mains electric supply is erratic) than the inverter one and also much cheaper to repair and the inverter was only 50W less running. At least my inverter generator can reduce engine RPM at lower loads, saving some fuel. A cheap generator isn't a fuel injected car, a cylinder full of fuel is a cylinder full of fuel and the carb doesn't enrich and lean it out for fuel milage, but the inverter generator can hold the same output under low load at lower RPMs, saving a little fuel.
Size an inverter for max load, then power it with a battery which doesn't suffer from inefficient low loads. Size a charger and generator to run at max load for efficiency to charge up the battery. You can get away with a modified sine wave generator in this application.
@@ctrlaltdebug Except if you aren't going to deal with the trouble and expense of batteries, which I'm not. More the trouble of batteries. I would drop whatever it took for an offgrid system if it didn't have a battery in it anywhere. You might not want to tell people they can get away with a modified sine wave inverter if you don't know everything they have...unless you just want to screw them over.
Thanks for your message and feedback Johannes. I see your point, but I have a different perspective: It is not per kwh, but per hour. Therefore, perhaps it would have been more accurate to use the term G/kW/h, or L/kW/h. Thanks for your feedback, I welcome it! Jesse
Hello! I did some calculations with an old formula I found in the literature for a diesel generator with 4 kW rated power. My result gives me a fuel consumption of 0,33 liters/kWh. From your experience is this possible or is too low?
Could be true, I generate 2.8 kWh for every liter of diesel I burn, that's 0.36 liter per kWh, this on a '80 hatz 1 cylinder diesel that can put out 10hp @3000rpm, but I run it at 1500rpm driving a big 3000watt bicycle hubmotor, charging a li-ion battery at 2000 watts Seems pretty efficient considering how old this engine is with a hubmotor not necessarily build for generation purposes, I bet if you (or me) can optimize our systems, 0.3 liter per kWh could be within grasps.
@@ctrlaltdebug Do you have experience with the Petrol versus diesel. Notice trucks are all Diesel. I have practically experience Diesel twice the torque half the fuel burn Kia Sorento 6 lt per 100 km 2.2 lt 47 mpg per imperial gallon nearly 2 ton vehicle compare Toyota v8 petrol versus v8 diesel again large torque difference V8 petrol drinks like drunk sailor. Love to get petrol car but most to gutless in my price range Actually stuck with getting another diesel. Love a sports car however as I'm getting older need a suv with non flexible body ie not spring chicken any more
He also said 100% of Normal load, not the maximum rating or Surge rating. The continuous rating is the is the maximum load the generator can run at usually at least until the tank runs dry.
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A subject that many people don’t really think about or understand, thanks for the explanation.
I am glad you enjoyed the video, thank you for your feedback. All the best, Jesse.
We just went through a power outage during a heat emergency where I live. It understandably has us asking a lot of questions about the best way to shore up our lives with generation when the grid goes down. One of my big questions was what the efficiency curve looks like for generators, and this helped a lot! It sounds like my best bet is to invest in some battery infrastructure so I can run our little generator at full hooch at all times, while I actively manage the storage.
Thank you!
10 out of 10 points! Haha it is so nice to hear if people like yourself appreciate and make good use of the information shared in these videos. Thanks for your feedback and goodluck! TIP: Consider getting an inverter/charger which has a configurable charger load, so that you can play around with how many amps you will pull from your generator.
Nice video! I have a champion 9375/7500 gas only generator, using The Reliance 10 line transfer switch for safety. Running to power home, it runs at less then 25% load, only jumping to 40%%when my well pump goes on. It has a 6 gallon tank and I get at least 8 or 9 hours run time.
FYI a mouse ate my ignition wire, the generator I 4 years old and out of warranty but Champion sent me a new ignition wire & coil at no charge immediately after contacting them. Great Company & product!
Very nice!
He'll I what to buy gas oil generator to use it 8 hour now I what to know how much oil 5litres wil cost me per month
Did you mean gal per kwh?
Thank you! Exactly what I was looking for. If you decrease the load further I assume the efficiency gets even worse. Is this true?
superb explanation.thanks for sharing this so important knowlege
You are welcome Easyji, I am glad to hear you appreciated the video.
Sorry to question. Should it not read amount of fuel / kwh ? (Rather than kw)
Hello Beni, questions are always welcome! In this video we do indeed discuss the fuel consumption per unit of kWh. Did you watch it through to the end? All the best, Jesse.
@@SolarSolution yes, I did.
@@beniaeschbach2626 Ya Beni, just watch it through to the end 😆 🤣
@@SolarSolution Thanks for the video. I did watch it to the end. However, constantly on display were units of gallons per kilowatt. I can understand gallons per kilowatt-hour, or even gallons per hour per kilowatt, but I couldn't understand the displayed units.
I'm using JI2300 & RI 3500,
Supplier told me not to full load generator up to 8 hours, it will greatly decrease it's parts life span. But half or 75% load will cost me more fuel for the continous right ?
yea I get all this...but can i lower the idle speed and reduce consumption?
If you are idling, shut it off to reduce fuel consumption. You aren't making usable power at idle.
Are there studies on how efficient smaller gasoline generators are (up to 6kw)? Is there a way to rate the motor/carburetor combination of generators?
Brilliant information. Thank you and best regards from Ireland 🇮🇪
It's good to hear from Ireland! Thanks for your message Mark, I am glad to hear you enjoyed the content. All the best, Jesse.
Cool
What about 80% Load? I work around some large standby generators for buildings. They are typically sized to operate at 80% load. Thoughts?
Hello Marcanyin, thank you for your question. This sizing approach is indeed rather common. An important design consideration is whether the load on the generator might fluctuate [such as with a building with varying occupancy] or whether the load is relatively stable [such as with one or only a few large loads].
So how strong of a car alternator would you need if you wanted to have positive charge on a battery bank that powers a power inverter. Then you plug in a 3000w electric motor running at full load?
Is the study of this consumption done in a theoretical way only, or is it a case during real operation?
the seller's advice is not operate it at 100% of capacity or the regulator in generator might breakdown....70 to 80% is advised by the seller.
Hello Mika, thank you for your contribution. This can be informative for other viewers as well: Would you mind sharing which brand of generator you are referring too? Thanks, Jesse.
He did say the normal capacity in the video. My generators have 3 ratings Continuous....Maximum and .....SURGE. Continuous would probably be equal to your 80%.
I have a very simple question I’m surprised the industry can’t give an answer or equation just ifs and bu? Rate? Would be great 👍 I’ll keep watching just in case you say half load half day 12h 3500w x 0.5 ?
Wow I'm truly thankful for this video. Thank you Sir.
You are very welcome, thanks for your message Dinesh!
so if the generator has a 4000 running watts then running at 50% load is 2000 watts?
From Ireland still use UK gallons MPG miles to figure it out so could save me time if you head up its USA gallons 3.73 litres you use versus UK gallon 4.546 Litres.
More interesting is global efficiency eg 9.5 kilowatts power in one litre of gasoline so 25,74 litters for 10 hours making 40 kilowatts means 9.5 kilowatts gasoline x 40 kw= 380 KW power in 40 Kilowatt power out efficiency looks to be roughly 10.5% global efficiency . Yes shaft power from engine is probably 25% efficiency
Thank you very simple And Very easy to understand
I wonder if you take really really big generator All systems be much more official?
That is good to hear Jans. About your question: Can you please rephrase or clarify? Thanks, Jesse.
@@SolarSolution If we talk about really big power generator Probably this guy's can make kilowats much cheaper compared to smaller generator.
Long time ago when I've been military
We have humanders generator
Somebody told me we can make 30 kilo Watts from one gallon ,
Good point
Informative series, thanks for sharing
You are most welcome, thank you for your message. It is good to hear you enjoy these types of videos. All the best, Jesse.
I'd love to know these numbers for an inverter generator.
An excellent suggestion for a new video, thank you Rob!
I agree.
Problem is, you have to carry extra capacity for surge loads. I try to carry the minimum but even with my easy starting air conditioning and inverter refrigerator, I have 1000w of wasted capacity on my 2800W inverter generator. Heating elements don't have surges, they are dead shorts. my 2000w electric kettle draws 2000W. My 845W air conditioner draws possibly 3 times it's rated watts because it's not inverter, but is fairly new. An old air conditioner could draw 5000w in surge. It could literally save you money to get a new air conditioner. I got the non inverter air conditioner because it seemed more robust (our mains electric supply is erratic) than the inverter one and also much cheaper to repair and the inverter was only 50W less running. At least my inverter generator can reduce engine RPM at lower loads, saving some fuel. A cheap generator isn't a fuel injected car, a cylinder full of fuel is a cylinder full of fuel and the carb doesn't enrich and lean it out for fuel milage, but the inverter generator can hold the same output under low load at lower RPMs, saving a little fuel.
Size an inverter for max load, then power it with a battery which doesn't suffer from inefficient low loads. Size a charger and generator to run at max load for efficiency to charge up the battery. You can get away with a modified sine wave generator in this application.
@@ctrlaltdebug Except if you aren't going to deal with the trouble and expense of batteries, which I'm not. More the trouble of batteries. I would drop whatever it took for an offgrid system if it didn't have a battery in it anywhere. You might not want to tell people they can get away with a modified sine wave inverter if you don't know everything they have...unless you just want to screw them over.
Thanks for this video! One remark, your units are wrong. It's G/(kW*hr) and not G/kW
Thanks for your message and feedback Johannes. I see your point, but I have a different perspective: It is not per kwh, but per hour. Therefore, perhaps it would have been more accurate to use the term G/kW/h, or L/kW/h. Thanks for your feedback, I welcome it! Jesse
Thanks that's well stated
Hello! I did some calculations with an old formula I found in the literature for a diesel generator with 4 kW rated power. My result gives me a fuel consumption of 0,33 liters/kWh. From your experience is this possible or is too low?
Could be true, I generate 2.8 kWh for every liter of diesel I burn, that's 0.36 liter per kWh, this on a '80 hatz 1 cylinder diesel that can put out 10hp @3000rpm, but I run it at 1500rpm driving a big 3000watt bicycle hubmotor, charging a li-ion battery at 2000 watts
Seems pretty efficient considering how old this engine is with a hubmotor not necessarily build for generation purposes, I bet if you (or me) can optimize our systems, 0.3 liter per kWh could be within grasps.
Diesel the old rule uses approx half the amount of petrol. Hence heavy trucks are diesel.
Sure, if the generator is DC and you either use DC power or convert it to AC.
@@davidwright1752 but diesel cars don't get twice the MPG of gas versions...
@@ctrlaltdebug Do you have experience with the Petrol versus diesel. Notice trucks are all Diesel. I have practically experience Diesel twice the torque half the fuel burn Kia Sorento 6 lt per 100 km 2.2 lt 47 mpg per imperial gallon nearly 2 ton vehicle compare Toyota v8 petrol versus v8 diesel again large torque difference V8 petrol drinks like drunk sailor. Love to get petrol car but most to gutless in my price range Actually stuck with getting another diesel. Love a sports car however as I'm getting older need a suv with non flexible body ie not spring chicken any more
Nice thanks
Welcome
Please smile wanna see that dimple properly 😂😂😂helpful thank you
Haha thanks Phathu!
Energy in kilowatts does not make sense, since killowatts are a unit of power not of energy
Most generators cannot run at 100% load continuous.
He also said 100% of Normal load, not the maximum rating or Surge rating. The continuous rating is the is the maximum load the generator can run at usually at least until the tank runs dry.
Rotterdam?
Almost! Guess again :)