Keith Lane, PE, RCDD/NTS Specialist, LEED AP Lane Coburn & Associates LLC, Se

Paralleled Generator System Considerations

Paralleled generator systems provide many advantages, especially for large, power-dense applications. Designing the most efficient and reliable system for a specific application requires a solid understanding of the options available. This article summarizes some of the key points and design criteria involved in designing a paralleled generator system for capacity, redundancy, and reliability in critical operations. It also covers some of the compatibility issues related to critical electrical distribution systems that include both generators and UPS systems. Critical installations can be classified using a tiered system, with Tier 1 being the most basic, offering the least amount of redundancy and uptime, and Tier IV being the most complex and expensive, offering the most uptime and reliability.