GE’s Zenith Energy Commander Parallleling Switchgear(PSG) has become the leader in supplying solutions to simple and very complex systems due to its design flexibility and reliability.Energy Commander has been providing customer facilities with reliable power switching systems since 1981. Since the inception of paralleling switchgear, many successful Energy Commander installations have been supplied with a focus on providing reliability.Energy Commander has evolved and adapted to the changing technologies in engine generator design, switchgear controls and monitoring systems. It reflects GE’s continuing commitment to reliable solutions for critical power applications.
Reliability
Systems in which part of the load is very critical may be best served by paralleling one or more generator sets. Under parallel operation all the generator sets are started at once. The first set to reach the proper parameters will assume the most critical portion of the load, with the remaining sets picking up lower priority loads. In addition, by using a load shedding application, the failure of one generator set will not interrupt power to the critical loads, as less important loads can be dropped off the line.
Flexibility
Paralleling power sources allows for a wide variety of choices in the generation, distribution and utilization of the system’s power.
Uninterruptible Maintenance
When one engine – generator set is out of service for maintenance or repair, having others synchronized on the same bus can provide the needed back-up power, should an outage occur.
Cost Savings
Savings can be realized on the application when a number of smaller sets would be less expensive than one large set or when the load makes it impractical to divide into several sections, each with it’s own generator. Savings can also occur on the operation side when generator set life is extended from being used only when needed to support the load. Also, when it is anticipated that the load will grow significantly in the future, the capital investment can be reduced by starting with small sets and paralleling additional units as load increases dictate.