E+C August 2018

POWER QUALITY, STANDBY + BACK-UP

usually operational for between 50 and 100 hours per year – 500 hours at most. Using the prevailing fuel price as a starting point, Caterpillar has calcu- lated that a standby power station running on nat- ural gas and operated for only 50 hours a year can save more than USD15 000 a year in fuel costs. Therefore, utilising natural gas-powered standby power plants during an extended outage can re- duce operating costs considerably. Another benefit afforded by opting for natu- ral gas standby power plants is reduced exhaust emissions. Studies conducted in different power

plant sites around the world have shown that natu- ral gas power stations can surpass the worldwide NOx emission requirements. Running on a lean mixture of fuel and air, lean-burn natural gas gen- sets release up to five times less NOx and virtually zero particulate matter.

One of the most salient advantages of using natural gas in a standby application is the availability of this reliable fuel supply.

Nalen Alwar is the Business Development Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Altaaqa Global. For more information please visit www.altaaqaglobal.com

round up POWER QUALITY, STANDBY + BACK-UP

Alternative power solutions take the load off

Cummins not only supplies the gensets themselves, but all ancillary components, from air and oil filters and even coolants. “This is integral to our value propo- sition, as it not only allows us to offer the highest-quality products, but also to ensure that they are serviced and main- tained properly,” Kuriakose notes. Cum- mins has a fully-fledged training facility where its own technicians and clients can receive customised training on any engine platform. This training is fully accredited, with certificates presented to all success- ful candidates. Cummins’ technology is particularly suited to dealing with load- shedding due to features such as full load acceptance for critical equipment. In addition, its en-

From mines to factories and even the small business and residential sectors, Cummins offers a full range of alternative power solutions. This is particularly rele- vant as electricity utility Eskom has reinsti- tuted load-shedding, due to a constrained power supply. “Our key differentiator is that we are able to supply a small 17 kVA genset for residential or commercial use, all the way to a 3 750 kVA unit for mining, data centre, and hospital applications, for example,” says Cummins South Africa Sales Lead for Power Generation, Robin Kuriakose. In addition, Cummins can also supply one-stop solutions for multiple back-up power requirements for largescale clients such as mining operations or factories.

ergy-efficient engines not only comply with international emission standards, but also have a high fuel tolerance level, which makes them ideal for arduous African op- erating conditions. In terms of automatic start-up, Cummins gensets have one of the best response times on the market at present. With load-shedding expected to put a dampener on economic growth in the short to medium term, Kuriakose advises mining operations to have efficient alter- native power solutions in place in order to maintain productivity. Enquiries: Deepa Rungasamy. Tel. +27 (0) 11 5898512 or email deepa.rungasamy@cummins.com

Electricity + Control

AUGUST 2018

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