Power stations are those little brick buildings with steel doors you see at the entrance to any suburb in South Africa. They are connected to the national power grid, and help to distribute electricity to the houses in each neighbourhood. Portable power stations, however, are different things entirely. In this article we compare portable power stations and portable generators, and discuss three reasons a generator is basically a power station:
Portable power station vs. portable generator
A portable power station is also called a battery-powered inverter or gasless generator. The fundamental difference between a portable power station and a portable generator is the fuel. Portable generators need diesel, petrol or gas. Portable power stations feature large battery packs. These are used commonly in places like the United States of America to power mobile homes or camping vans.
A portable generator is powered using a fuel, like diesel or gas. Like portable power stations, they can be used as emergency electricity supply when the grid goes down. However, where portable power stations can store electricity in their on-board batteries, portable generators have no such energy-storing potential. Portable generators are also louder on average than battery-powered inverters.
3 reasons a generator is basically a power station
- A generator uses fossil fuel to operate
Eskom relies heavily on coal and diesel stores to supply South Africans with electricity. These fossil fuels are converted into electrical supply, which is sent to the grids and then to the power stations and then to homes, offices, shops, and all other buildings in society. Likewise, portable generators rely of fuel like petrol, diesel or natural gas to do their jobs. - A generator supplies electricity
Like portable and fixed power stations, generators are able to supply electricity. This is their fundamental purpose, and the reason people invest in them is to have power supplied when their electricity supply is interrupted for whatever reason. Also similarly to power stations, generators definitely need to be connected up correctly, and steering well clear of a generator’s cables is just as important as when confronted with exposed power station cabling. - A generator requires maintenance
Like power stations from time to time, generators are going to need some TLC to keep going when you need them to. Planned maintenance can keep power stations operational for longer, and planned maintenance can also keep backup generators in action. Planned generator maintenance is especially important for generators at hospitals and other critical infrastructure.
Partner with KwaZulu-Natal’s generator people
S&A Generators offers around the clock, 24-hour generator services and support. We are the generator people in KZN, and our generator expertise are brought to bear on projects and for clients across the length and breadth of South Africa. Contact us to discuss your generator requirements. We can assist with new generator installs, generator relocations, generator refills, and of course expert generator maintenance and generator repairs.
