Centralised control of diesel gen-sets for peak shaving and system support

Diesel generator sets (gen-sets) have traditionally been used for stand-by power generation. They are now often required to operate in parallel with the utility (peak shaving) or alone (peak lopping) to meet the peak demand at the consumer site. These peak shaving/lopping operations can reduce the system peak demand. As these operations are carried out only for a few hundred hours in a year, the gen-set capacity is unused during the remaining periods of the year. Developments in microcomputers and communication technology have enabled the customer-owned gen-sets to be remotely monitored and controlled from a central location. The central control of MW-size gen-sets can enhance their use in supporting the utility generation at critical times. It will be shown that central control provides an opportunity for more effective peak shaving. The paper also investigates the use of diesel gen-sets as stand-by reserve for isolated systems and presents a demonstration of central control in which a 100-kVA diesel gen-set is operated from a utility control centre.