Twenty-first century diesel engines are clean, quiet and easy to maintain. They also deliver superior fuel economy
– typically 20% to 40% better than a comparable gas engines
– without requiring owners to sacrifice the power and performance many people demand.
More generator operators have identified diesel as the primary and most viable fuel option. Even when it comes to automobiles, annual registration of diesel passenger vehicles has grown by 80%, from just over 300,000 in 2000 to nearly 550,000 in 2005. And most analysts expect this trend to continue.For instance, researchers at J.D. Power and Associates predict that diesel sales will triple in the next 10 years, growing to more than 10% of U.S. vehicle sales by 2015 - up from 3.6% in 2005.Greater use of diesel technology would help the U.S. reduce petroleum consumption and improve energy security.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that America could save up to 1.4 million barrels of oil per day
– an amount equivalent to the oil we currently import from Saudi Arabia
– if one-third of U.S. cars, pickup trucks and SUVs were diesel-powered.
These facts have been known and implemented by power plant owners and operators in the distributed generation market for many years. Want Even More Petroleum Reduction?
In addition to its inherent fuel efficiency, diesel can help reduce petroleum consumption even further through:Biodiesel
– Diesel drivers have the option to fill up with blends of biodiesel
– a domestically produced, renewable fuel. Most engine and vehicle manufacturers have agreed to provide warranty coverage on the use of B5 (meaning a mixture of petroleum-based diesel fuel and 5% biodiesel) and are actively working with biodiesel representatives to resolve outstanding concerns on the quality and performance of higher blends.Diesel hybrid technology
– Diesel hybrids hold the promise of significantefficiency gains for commercial vehicles.
By combining a smaller, fuel-efficient clean diesel engine with an advanced electric or hydraulic system, hybrid buses and delivery vehicles have demonstrated significantly improved fuel economy, along with reduced exhaust emissions and enhanced performance.
EGSA is a focuses specifically on "on-site electric power generation," which can be defined as:"Any method of producing power that will be used on or near the site at which it is generated. This includes a great many non-utility applications, from peak shaving, to emergency standby, to cogeneration, to industrial power, to large-scale uninterruptible power, and many others. It even encompasses alternative power sources such as wind, solar, and fuel cells." Whereas Wind, Solar and Fuel Cell technology is obviously cleaner on the environment than diesel engines, we believe that in the years to come combinations of diesel and "green energy" will be leveraged to maximize energy efficiencies, optimize useful equipment life and minimize ongoing machine maintenance.