EVOLUTION OF GENSETS.

Construction Times takes a look at the journey of gensets in India and how has the product evolved over the period.

Way back in 1830s the world was introduced to the concept of 'generators' when English scientist Michael Faraday and American scientist Joseph Henry, the founding fathers of electricity invented the systems that were based on electromagnet technology.

Faraday's work included a combination of a copper disk or Faraday disk and a horseshoe-shaped magnet, while Henry's work was based on using electricity to create a powerful electromagnet, which induces current in a second electromagnet, and electricity is then created on the other side.

The works published by these scientists became the basis for further inventions and the design of generators improved rapidly. From the heavy generators introduced by scientists Werner Von Siemens and Sabastian Ferranti, among others, the generators have evolved over the centuries and today we have more compact, efficient and portable generators called 'gensets'.

Tracing the Origin

The roots of origin of gensets lie in the need for having 24×7 uninterrupted and reliable power supply especially in areas which cannot be connected to the power grid, or places where power outages are frequent. In simple terms, a genset is a piece of portable equipment that consists of an engine and an alternator or electric generator, which is used to provide energy.

“Greaves has been in the genset business for more than 70 years. One of the most prestigious Greaves Power projects was for the Dakshin Gangotri project - India's Antarctica mission. Greaves genset served as the sole source of power in sub-zero temperatures for continuous operations,” said Sunil Shahi, President Non-Automotive Business, Greaves Cotton.

Dakshin Gangotri was the first scientific base station of India situated in Antarctica, part of the Indian Antarctic Programme and established during the third Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1983-84.

Need of the Hour

The rapid pace of industrial development has led to a rise in demand for uninterrupted power supply to operate equipment and machineries across industries including industrial plants and manufacturing units, as well as in sectors like construction, agriculture and mining, among others. Since the rising demand for power cannot be met through grid power alone, usage of gensets have been imperative.

According to Farooq Cooper, Chairman and Managing Director of Cooper Corporation, over the last decade, the use of diesel powered gensets has proliferated as the primary option for reliable mobile, stationary or temporary on-site electricity.

“The generator sets are required for facilitating uninterrupted power source in the construction sector in order to operate the equipment and jobsite tools. Moreover, unavailability of electricity in remote and off grid locations together with unprecedented storms makes these units as a vital source of emergency power supply,” he said.

Anand Kulkarni, Director- Product Planning and Management - Power Systems at Cummins India, noted that the generator sets are required for facilitating uninterrupted power source in the construction sector in order to operate the equipment and jobsite tools. Moreover, unavailability of electricity in remote and off grid locations together with unprecedented storms makes these units as a vital source of emergency power supply.

With increasing need for continuous operations, non-stop life is the new norm. We are constantly looking for 24×7 availability of digital as well as physical operations. Genset is no longer a mandate purchase; today's ambitious and action-minded customers regard it as a vital investment to always be up and running.

“Critical operations and industries such as hospitals, IT, data centers, manufacturing units, banking and finance, cold storage, railways, airports, etc. have always regarded genset as a necessity for continuous operations. However, today residential buildings and retail stores, among others also are looking for continuous electricity supply. Despite the tough times, there is a significant surge in the number of 24×7 stores. With rising work from home culture the number of amenities in the household which are considered essential to be backed by power sources are increasing significantly,” Shahi said.

Evolution

The gensets in the 80s looked very different than those we see in the market today.

"The gensets used to be assembled at customer sites wherein the various components of the genset would come from different suppliers and a bunch of assemblers would build the gensets at the customer place. The gensets never had emissions regulations and thus used to emit a lot of engine exhaust gases that are harmful to the environment, and noise pollution as well as. Almost negligible use of electronics and controls, hardly any aesthetics," said Kulkarni.

Gensets are, however, required to be smart nowadays. The control systems of the gensets are highly advanced and have features like feather touch controls, auto paralleling, digital master controls, interactions with building management systems, mining control systems etc.

"Customers also want to monitor and manage their gensets through telematics solutions and review the usage and performance through digital solutions with advanced analytics,” Kulkarni added.

According to Shahi, the new-age gensets are IoT enabled with remote monitoring systems. Besides, they are more compact, more fuel efficient, more customer and service friendly and most important, they are silent. The stringent emission norms have also changed the genset industry and they have become more silent.

Then & Now

Cooper: Its first genset was a 30kVA diesel generator developed in October 2010. Its ECOPACK series was India's first Euro IV, US EPA Tier IV Interim and CPCB 2 compliant set of generators, which are powered with an advanced ECU and optimal remote control specially designed ECU module which controls all critical parameters of the engine with optimal remote control facility.

Latest Model Genset is 5 kVA compact genset with the contemporary air cooled engine, which will be very convenient to use. Cooper gensets find utility and takers in commercial and residential establishments. These gensets are low maintenance and fuel efficient.

Greaves Cotton: Its first genset was used for the Dakshin Gangotri project - India's Antarctica mission.

Its latest offering Greaves Genius is available from the 5kVA to 1250kVA range commercially and it is also working on higher kVA requirements for its clients.

Cummins: In late 1960, it started manufacturing N series, 4- and 6-cylinder engines in India at its Kothrud plant. These engines were used for various applications such as constructions equipment, diesel generating sets, fire pumps, marine applications etc.

The latest QSK95 engine is the latest addition to the Cummins product family and this product is specially designed to meet high horse power, commercial industrial and data center customer expectations and demands. Cummins generator sets are fully integrated power generating systems providing optimum performance, fuel economy and versatility for prime, continuous and standby power applications.

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