Lately I have been looking at getting a propane generator that i want to tie to the hydro grid, but all the grid tie inverts i find are for 24v(solar), and all the generators i find are 120/240v, someone mentioned that i was looking for a synchronous generator, but i cant find one small enough that runs on the propane, what is best way to acheive this? Preferably, I want existing product, since I want this to be legal and SAFE!.
I plan for a max of 8-10kw feeding the grid, based on cost effectiveness and eligibility, I have idea to maybe use 3 3500watt generators keeping the budget close to under 2k$ , not including the tie system.
any ideas how i can achieve it?
Present-day generators consist of an engine directly connected to an alternator to produce electricity. One of the most common ways of changing the output frequency of a generator is to change the rotation speed of the engine.
The two factors are related as per the following formula –
Generator Frequency (f) = Number of revolutions per minute of the engine (N) * Number of magnetic poles (P) / 120
Conversely, P = 120*f/N
As per the above formulae, a 2-pole generator producing an output frequency of 60 Hz has an engine speed of 3,600 rpm. To change the output frequency to 60 Hz for the same generator configuration, the engine speed needs to be reduced to 3,000 rpm. Similarly, for a 4-pole generator, an engine speed of 1,800 rpm produces output of 60 Hz. Reducing the engine speed to 1,500 rpm yields an output of 50 Hz.
If you use 3 EA of 3.5 KW units I seriously doubt you will even get them in sync with each other.
what do you mean by this? would this problem correct with larger models?
yes exactly Ron, you see my problem.
you have the very kind of system i want to tie in to grid, instead of using for backup and still a little large for me. (BTW i hear these machines are too noisy to be used in the city 24/7, is that true??) but i will be feeding grid exclusively, so fluctuation wont happen often (unless the grid system feeds back loads)(I think?). Also when gird goes down, i wont be running bkup system. I may get fluctuation when a generator does go down, but thats it , which is why i hear its better to have 2(so i have continous flow) and run them at 50% each most of the time. Would that be simplified enough to address the original sync issue? I was thinking about your plan B, but came to the same conclusion about inefficient and cumbersome.
How would industry go about a system like this when designing their systems, when i first heard about synchronous generator, i though it would be ideal for my application, but again i also have problem finding a small(er) one of these?
(>10kw microFET gets more expensive from hydro)
also:
If you use 3 EA of 3.5 KW units I seriously doubt you will even get them in sync with each other.
what do you mean by this? would this problem correct with larger models?
By the way, all small power generators are synchronous (i.e. the output frequency is directly proportional to the shaft speed).
Energy efficient
The output is produced through Honda’s unique and pioneering Inverter technology. It works with the load-sensing device; which instantly reacts to any fluctuations in load, no matter how heavy, to deliver a stable wave of clean power (above left). This makes these generators ideal for hospitality units, emergency work, sensitive electronic products and lighting.
Actually, that's not been true for a long time - many now use inverters to create accurate frequency AC independent of engine speed, and have for a number of years.
I'm not saying the OP should do this but the Honda generators can be made to grid-tie or more properly used to power up grid-tie solar panel systems when isolated from the grid because they use inverters. It's still tricky as you need a smart panel to detect reverse power and a dump load to maintain stability.
I plan for a max of 8-10kw feeding the grid, based on cost effectiveness and eligibility, I have idea to maybe use 3 3500watt generators keeping the budget close to under 2k$ , not including the tie system.
any ideas how i can achieve it?
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