Diesel generator in a practical setting
Battery bank as part of an off-grid solar system.
Daily concerns when only running diesel generators.
Running your own diesel generator, or for that matter buying electricity from a generator owner, results in a very high kWh price tag.
Generators in warm climates, like SE-Asia, cannot run continuously but are often used in pairs, running in alternating mode. This means at least maintaining and overseeing 2 generators, the depreciation on 2 costly assets, which often have to be replaced at the same time.
With a lifetime expectancy of 3 to 5 years, this is a frequent reoccurring and hefty investment.
Running diesel generators, especially on islands, requires complicated and costly logistics.
Significant cost are involved in transporting heavy barrels containing hundreds of litres of fuel over land, then to be brought by boats on shore, to be finally transported in small truck to the fuel depot.
This requires lots of planning and manpower often multiple times per week. On top of that, fuel costs of generators are high and vary depending on the market fluctuations, causing unpredictable exploitation costs.