In the design and selection process of diesel generators, we often face the problem of choosing between low-voltage and high-voltage diesel generating units.

For gensets with a power of up to 5MW, those below 1kV are called low voltage and those between 1 and 15kV are called high voltage. Of course, within the high and low voltage classes, different voltage classes are matched to the customer's needs, such as 6kV, 10kV, etc.

If the voltage is reduced when the power of the generator set is maintained at a certain level, the current will be increased accordingly. So when the current is higher, more and thicker wires are needed to transport the power from the genset end to the consumer end, which accordingly means higher costs. In addition, as the physical distance between the generating plant and the consumer increases, so does the length of the wire. On the other hand, however, low-voltage generator sets can be less expensive than high-voltage ones, mainly because the manufacturing process and procedures are slightly simpler and the lead time may also be shorter. Whether you look at the advantages or disadvantages of low voltage units, these are some very practical factors to consider in your project design.

Low-voltage diesel-fired units are more suitable for our projects with guaranteed power supply at the end, where the capacity is not large and the reliability of the power supply at the end is all that is needed, without the need for multiple diesel-fired units to be connected. If you need to parallel low-voltage diesel engines, you must also strictly control the number of parallel units, otherwise when multiple low-voltage diesel engines are parallel, it will lead to excessive load capacity of the parallel bus, which will increase the overall investment of the project. Low-voltage diesel generator is especially suitable for use in the expansion of small rooms, when the expansion capacity matches the diesel generator, it can make the original electrical architecture of the room without major adjustments, just increase the low-voltage diesel generator can realize the expansion of the room, reduce costs and construction is simple.

Overall, the choice of high and low voltage units is more a matter of having a clear knowledge and grasp of the whole project. In some cases, it may be possible to focus too much on each piece of equipment and ignore the layout and limitations of the system, which may make a less than reasonable choice. Designing for how far away the generator set is from the load location, whether a parallel design is required, and what the end load is and what the distribution logic is will help you to make the best design for your project needs.

Tide Power is a professional power solutions provider with products and services covering more than 80 countries and regions around the world. With a professional technical team and efficient service response mechanism, we can deal with customers' needs in a timely and effective manner and meet their customised requirements.