Efficiency
Diesel generators have a longer life span over other types of fueled generators as well as a low acquisition cost. The maintenance on a diesel generator also happens to be substantially less than the gasoline generator, not to mention, diesel used in a diesel generator is not as flammable as other fuels and is more reliable since it operates by using compression ignition and natural gas generators require spark ignition.
Natural gas and propane are an excellent fuel source for many things like cooking and heating your home, however, when it comes to power generation, they just don’t compare. The majority of energy emitted from gas engines is given off as heat, leaving less than 30% of energy producing power to turn a generator. On the other hand, diesel engines have an efficiency of up to 50%.
New Advances
With the investment in new diesel technology, diesel engines today are 99% cleaner than they were just ten years ago. The new advances in diesel generators have significantly reduced their carbon footprint… it would take nearly 60 generators today to produce the same amount of pollution emitted from just one generator from a few years ago.
Quiet & Compact
In order to keep their small size, gas generators typically turn at about 3600 RPM, where as a diesel generator runs a lot quieter running at 1800 RPM.
Like most things, advances in technology and design have allowed for a much smaller and compact diesel generator then what once was. The availability of smaller units allows for easy installation in a variety of applications.
Maintenance
Those smaller gas/propane generators that run at 3600 RPM are only meant for emergencies, rarely lasting longer than 2000 hours. The excessive wear also mean you must change the oil in a gas/propane generator about every 100 hours. With a diesel generator, you’re looking at changing the oil every 500 hours.
Here’s a breakdown of what a generator costs to run for one day:
- A $5000.00 Propane Generator / 3000 hours life x 24 hours = $40.00 a day
- A $10,000.00 Diesel Generator / 20,000 hours life x 24 hours = $12.00 a day
- Propane at $2.40 per gallon x 4 gallons x 24 hours = $230.40 x 7 days = $1,612.80
Diesel $1.48 per gallon x 1.3 gallons x 24 hours = $46.18 x 7 days = $323.26
If you use your generator for one week, at this rate you will have spent $1,289.54 more for propane fuel over diesel to do the same job that a diesel generator could do.
And remember, you also have five times the oil and filter changes to do with a propane generator.
