ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS OF NATURAL GAS ENGINES
It can be difficult to grasp the role natural gas engines play when it comes to reducing gen-sets emissions and making the generators industry more sustainable. Natural gas is a fossil fuel, just like diesel and gasoline, so there are some misconceptions about the environmental benefits it can provide, particularly when compared to emerging alternative generators options like hydrogen fuel. Both hydrogen fuel and natural gas are often referred to as “zero emission” options. While it’s true they don’t produce any tail pipe emissions, that only tells part of the sustainability story.
As the name suggests, a natural gas generator is a piece of equipment that utilizes natural gas to create a backup or primary power supply. They are sold in sizes ranging from small and portable to industrial and used for a variety of different applications. In fact, they are very close to traditional diesel generators and come in options ranging from tiny enough to fit in a closet to large enough to power an entire hospital. Although a bit harder to find, there are some hybrid generators on the market that utilize both natural gas and traditional fuel, giving you the option of flexibility during a disaster. Natural gas generators are commonly used as standby power sources for residential and commercial applications. Because they can be hooked up to existing municipal gas lines, there’s no need to store or transport fuel. There’s a reliable and steady supply of natural gas running through the pipes whenever the standby generator is called into action.
WHAT MAKES NATURAL GAS AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FUEL?
Like diesel engines, natural gas engines are internal combustion engines. They all release some level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but for the same number of miles driven, a natural gas gen-sets usually results in a lower overall amount of GHGs and particulate matter like carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), while delivering similar power and performance. One way to compare the overall greenhouse gas and carbon intensity of fuels such as natural gas, renewable natural gas, and diesel.
The environmental difference between natural gas generators and diesel generators is the type of emissions they give off while in use.
Natural gas itself is a type of greenhouse gas—called methane—before it is burned. While this does emit some emissions, burning natural gas for energy still results in a much lower level of pollutants than methods that burn diesel – a big deal for individuals and companies concerned about the environment and with emission targets to meet. The most common type of emissions released during the burning of natural gas include:
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
Mercury (Hg)
Particulates
How Do Natural Gas Generators Work?
Most natural gas generators work in a similar capacity to a diesel generator. From a purely mechanical standpoint, the biggest difference between the two types of engines is how they operate. Natural gas generators require a carburetor that’s specially designed to manage the use of pressurized gas. Since the gas is in liquid form, it is either stored or piped in from another source.
Like diesel, natural gas generators have their benefits and drawbacks. They are cost-effective, efficient to operate, and can make operating within strict emission regulations easier. This is because natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel.
From an environmental standpoint, compressed natural gas has one additional advantage over petroleum fuels. Unlike oil and oil distillates such as diesel and gasoline, natural gas is, well, a gas. This means that if a leak occurs, any natural gas that escapes will almost instantly dissipate in the atmosphere. Leaking natural gas into the air is not without environmental impact. But it is always preferable to spilling liquid hydrocarbons, which can lead to ground and water contamination. Countless gas stations all over the world, leaky underground gasoline tanks at countless gas stations have caused significant soil contamination. With natural gas, this is not a problem.
The battery chargers offer multiple features including: wide AC input voltage / constant current / constant voltage / manual boost adjustment / auto recovery on removal of a fault condition / cell charge & equalizing / battery voltage measurement / battery charger thermal de-rate facility, plus much more.
NATURAL GAS ENGINES LOWER GHG EMISSIONS
When looking at the total gen-sets impact of compressed natural gas (CNG) and diesel, CNG delivers GHG reductions somewhere in the range of 13% – 17%. The CO2 numbers are even better, with an average reduction of 25% or more.
Natural gas, in summary, may not be the only solution to man-made pollution in the gen-sets sector, but it has a role to play when it comes to reducing emissions now without major disrupts to current business models.
Natural gas generators are an environmentally-friendly choice due to lower carbon dioxide emissions and other harmful pollutants. Lower levels of sound pollution and odor are other benefits that may be critical factors, depending on location. The real deciding factor simply comes down to the type of need you have and the ability to hook up your generator to a natural gas source where required.
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