What is a hybrid bio-solar power generator?
The Volta hybrid bio-solar genset is a mobile power supply that can sustainably power your site. Our hybrid generators are 1:1 replacements for conventional diesel generators. They are at least as reliable as an old-fashioned diesel generator and comparable in terms of price. This makes the Volta hybrid generator the sustainable solution for your construction site, event or temporary energy supply!
Why is a hybrid bio-solar generator more sustainable and reliable?
Our Volta Solar generators are more durable and reliable than a conventional diesel generator. And this often for less or similar costs. A hybrid genset handles conditions much more efficiently. How exactly does that work? We explain.
Generating free energy
All the solar energy generated from the hybrid generator is free. Of course, we have invested in solar panels and batteries, but all the energy generated from these is immediately available for free. Especially in the spring and summer months, the Volta hybrid generators meet the customer’s energy demand. In winter or when it is dark, there is less sun, so the solar generators can supply less energy. During these times, the supporting hybrid genset, powered by bio-diesel, is therefore more often used.
Higher efficiency
The big difference from an old-fashioned diesel generator is that the Volta Solar Generator can always generate energy efficiently. A diesel genset delivers its maximum efficiency at 75 to 100 per cent of its maximum power. It must therefore run close to full load to use fuel efficiently. A diesel genset is often loaded between 10 and 25 per cent. With this low load, the efficiency of the diesel genset is also a lot lower. In fact, below 25%, the fuel consumption of an old-fashioned genset hardly decreases. As a result, a diesel genset at 10% power uses almost as much as at 25% power. Only at 50% power does the efficiency of a diesel genset improve. At Volta Energy, we think this is an eternal waste! At a low load, the diesel genset consumes unnecessary fuel and you therefore pay too much for the energy required.
Better at low power
On several construction sites using our hybrid bio-solar generators, the efficiency is higher than a diesel generator. For a 15kVA diesel generator, the consumption at about 80% load is 3 litres of biodiesel per hour. This means 12 kWh is generated in one hour (4 kWh per litre). At 80% load, a 15 kVA diesel generator has a similar efficiency to a hybrid bio-solar generator. Zooming in on the use of a construction site, we see that a genset runs at 20% power on average. The lower the power, the more diesel an old-fashioned genset uses. This makes a diesel genset more expensive when not running at full load.
In practice, we see many situations where a genset’s load drops even below 15%. Most construction sites run 24/7, for example because a camera installation needs to keep working. Often with minimal power. This means that a diesel generator needs to run 168 hours per week. Here, a diesel generator uses more than 200 litres for little electrical energy. We think this is a waste, of course!
With a hybrid bio-solar genset, you don’t have these losses. Efficiency is the biggest reason why the Volta hybrid bio-solar genset is more durable, reliable and, above all, increasingly affordable. Choose your model and get a quote.
For the technicians
Curious about how our gensets are constructed? We take apart the 15 kVA model for you! This hybrid genset consists of:
- Solar panels for 2.6 kWp of power
- 29 kWh battery capacity
- 15 kVA inverters (12 kW)
- bio-diesel
Solar panels typically generate more than they consume. In fact, our data shows that, on average, a genset is used only 15%. This means that, on average, only 1.8 kW is generated from a 15 kVA genset.
The solar panels work even on cloudy or rainy days. Of course, a 15 kVA generator must also be able to peak to, say, 11 kW. The solar panels cannot deliver this one-on-one. At that point, the batteries are used to absorb this peak. In total, there is about 2 hours of battery capacity in our solar generators. That means the batteries can handle 2 hours of peak load. In practice, this usually means 2 working days of power supply without having to recharge via solar panels. *
The back-up genset can be used to charge the batteries or provide power directly when needed. Any capacity that is not taken directly is used to charge the batteries. So our backup genset is always fully deployed, whenever it is needed. This gives it a much higher efficiency than a genset that is not fully used. Our gensets also comply with the latest emission standards (Stage 5/Euro 6 for the 15 kVA solar genset).
*15% of 15 kVA is 1.8 kW. 29 kWh / 1.8 kW is 16.1 hours
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