Power Backup Generator

[Ara Kistner]

HiI am planning to buy a Dell Workstation that draws 750 watts of power. The place where I stay has a power problem and there are regular power outages that can sometime last up to 4-5 hours. Fortunately, my apartment building has a diesel generator that provides power backup for as long as there is a power outage. The only problem is that there is limit to which you can draw electricity when the backup generator in running. The cut-off limit is 400 watts. If the consumption in a household crosses 400 watts then the power supply trips and it can only be resumed by going all the way downstairs and flipping up a MCB switch.

Now, I need to keep running my workstation even during power outages. But since the workstation draws 750 watts, it will trip the backup power supply when the backup generator is running. So I am thinking of getting myself the ACP BR1500G-IN 1.5 KVA UPS to solve this problem.

My question is: How much power will this UPS draw? I need to know this, because, if it draws more than 400 watts then it will trip the power supply and my problem will remain unresolved. If this model will not help me, then is there any other model that draws less than 400 watts but gives an output of 750watts?

Look forward to all your replies.

Thank you in advance

Nik

Thank you for clearing this up.

This would mean that I cannot run the workstation on an UPS. Though the actually power consumption may be less than 750w, it certainly cannot go below 400w.

Thanks again for your help

Thank you *'I picked a winna'* and *'voidstar'*.

Now I know that the UPS would need only about 30w to keep charging. So it means that it can keep charging on the generator power and at the same time also run the workstation.

Also, perhaps I wasn't clear in my explanation, but I 'do not' want the UPS to run on the battery at all. I want it to run on the main supply and during outages I want it to run on the generator power.

So, to restate my question: Will the ACP BR1500G-IN 1.5 KVA UPS keep drawing 30 watts of power from the generator and continue charging, while it is being loaded by a workstation drawing 750 watts of power?

Thanks again for all your support.

Note: The backup generator is actually an industrial scale generator generating enough power to provide 400 watts of power to 240 apartments (400x250=100kW). Plus it can also run about 6 escalators. The only problem is that one apartment cannot draw more than 400w, during outages.

no, it definitely does not. the most that it should be using would be an extra 30W while it is charging the battery. beyond that, we'd just need to account for the efficiency of this UPS which seems to be almost 100% (85%) meaning there is not much power coming into the UPS that does not leave to support the load.

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...is there any other model that draws less than 400 watts but gives an output of 750watts?

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I think there are a lot of people who would love a UPS that exceeds 100% efficiency

Maybe another way to think about it is you want a UPS that runs on battery when the generator is operational. Our line-interactive UPSes may do this if you set the UPS to high sensitivity and your generator produces dirty power (typically the case). But we can't guarantee it; we prefer that our UPSes accept generator power rather than going to battery.

I think getting a generator that can produce more power is a safer option.

Batteries and generators both provide the same basic service but are considerably different devices. We'll sort through the pros and cons of each. Here's what you need to know to decide between the two.

Offering the full suite of Generac's gas powered generators and rechargeable backup batteries, Canter Power Systems has been providing back-up power options for 70 years and is now the largest full-service generator installer in the nation. These products or services have not been evaluated by CNET's editorial staff. If you get an estimate or make a purchase through this link, we may receive a commission.

Home battery backup systems, like the Tesla Powerwall or the LGES 10H and 16H Prime, store energy, which you can use to power your house during an outage. Batteries get that electricity from your home solar system or the electrical grid. As a result, they're much better for the environment than fuel-powered generators. They also might be better for your wallet.

Separately, if you have a time-of-use utility plan, you can use a battery backup system to save money on your electricity bill. Instead of paying high electricity rates during peak usage hours, you can use energy from your battery backup to power your home. In off-peak hours, you can use your electricity as normal -- but at a cheaper rate -- and recharge your battery when it costs less.

If you have solar panels, you'll be able to store any excess electricity generated by your solar panels. This stored electricity can be used to power your home during the nighttime and periods of panel inefficiency.

Virtual power plants, where you give up a bit of control over your battery's charge to your utility or another third party, are increasingly available. By giving up some access to the energy stored in your battery, you can earn a bit of money.

On the other hand, standby generators connect to your home's electrical panel and kick on automatically when the power goes out. Generators run on fuel to keep your electricity on during an outage -- typically natural gas, liquid propane or diesel. Other generators have a "dual fuel" feature, meaning that they can run on either natural gas or liquid propane.

Certain natural gas and propane generators can connect to your home's gas line or propane tank, so there's no need to refill them manually. Diesel generators, however, will need to be topped up in order to keep running.

With battery backups, you'll need to pay for the backup battery system upfront, as well as installation costs (each of which are in the thousands). Exact pricing will vary based on which battery model you choose and how many of them you need to power your home. However, it's common for an average-size home battery backup system to run between $10,000 and $20,000.

For generators, the upfront costs are slightly lower. On average, the price of purchasing and installing a standby generator can range from $7,000 to $15,000. However, remember that generators require fuel to run, which will increase your operating expenses. The specific costs will depend on a few factors, including the size of your generator, which type of fuel it uses and the amount of fuel used to run it.

Battery backups earn a slight edge in this category since they can be mounted to the wall or floor, whereas generator installations require a bit of additional work. Regardless, you'll need to hire a professional for either type of installation, both of which will require a full day of work and may cost several thousand dollars.

On the other hand, generators can be quite noisy and disruptive when they're in use. They also emit exhaust or fumes, depending on which type of fuel they use to run -- which may irritate you or your neighbors.

As far as how long they can keep your home powered, standby generators easily outperform battery backups. As long as you have enough fuel, generators can run continuously for up to three weeks at a time (if necessary).

That's simply not the case with battery backups. Let's use the Tesla Powerwall as an example. It has 13.5 kilowatt-hours of storage capacity, which can provide power for a few hours on its own. You can get extra power out of them if they're part of a solar panel system or if you use multiple batteries in a single system.

Over time, battery backup systems lose the ability to hold a charge, much like phones and laptops. For that reason, battery backups include an end-of-warranty capacity rating, which measures how effective a battery will hold a charge by the end of its warranty period. In Tesla's case, the company guarantees that the Powerwall battery should retain 70% of its capacity by the end of its 10-year warranty.

With standby generators, it's easier to estimate lifespan. Good-quality generators can run for 3,000 hours, as long as they're well maintained. Therefore, if you run your generator for 150 hours per year, it should last about 20 years.

Across most categories, battery backup systems come out on top. In short, they're better for the environment, easier to install and cheaper to run long-term. Plus, they have longer warranties than standby generators.

With that said, portable generators can be a good option in some cases. Unlike battery backups, you only need a single generator to restore power in an outage, which brings down the upfront costs. Plus, standby generators can last longer than battery backup systems in a single session. As a result, they'll be a safer bet if the power is out for days at a time.

Of course, you might not need that big of a solution if you're only planning to back up a few things for short periods of time. You can also consider less-permanent solutions like portable generators and portable power stations if your needs aren't as intensive.

Many solar batteries are warrantied for 10 or even 15 years. Batteries lose some of their capacity over the course of their lifetime. Tesla Powerwalls, for example, are guaranteed to have at least 70% of their capacity at the end of their 10 year warranty.

This depends entirely on how much you're trying to power during an outage. A Tesla Powerwall has a capacity of 13.5 kilowatt-hours. If you want to keep the lights on and you have one 100-watt light bulbs, you could theoretically keep it burning for 135 hours. If you want to add a refrigerator that requires 500 watts, it would reduce your run time to 22.5 hours. If you want to have a power-outage movie marathon on your 500-watt tv, your charge would last for a bit over 12 hours. When a backup battery is installed, you might be able to designate critical loads and send battery power only to those circuits during a blackout.

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