Generators
2000 kVA generator
A 2000 kVA generator delivers 1,600 kWe at a power factor of 0.8 and 2,887 A at 400 V. At this size the choice between one set and two in parallel comes before the choice of make.
- Real power
- 1,600 kWeat power factor 0.8
- Full load current at 400 V
- 2,887 Acalculated
- Current at 11 kV
- 105 Afor a medium voltage set
- Rated thermal input
- about 4 MWmodelled at 38 to 42 % efficiency; inside Directive (EU) 2015/2193
What 2000 kVA carries
A 1,600 kW load at a power factor of 0.8 fills a 2000 kVA set, and the engine holds real power there whatever the power factor. Where the load is picked up in steps, UPS systems first and chillers after them, give the size of each step as well as the total.
At 400 V the current approaches 2,900 A, carried to the switchboard by busbar trunking or by many parallel cables. At 11 kV the same set delivers about 105 A, one reason medium voltage sets exist at this size.
Ratings either side of 2000 kVA
| Rating | Real power at power factor 0.8 | Full load current at 400 V | Full load current at 415 V | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 kVA | 1200 kWe | 2165 A | 2087 A | Request a quote |
| 2000 kVA | 1600 kWe | 2887 A | 2782 A | Request a quote |
| 2500 kVA | 2000 kWe | 3608 A | 3478 A | Request a quote |
Two 1000 kVA sets in parallel give the same 1,600 kWe as the 2000 kVA row, with half of it left when one is out.
One set or two in parallel
2000 kVA can be one set or two 1000 kVA sets synchronised on a common busbar. One set means one engine to maintain and a simpler room. Two sets keep half the capacity when one fails or is serviced, and a third of the same size takes the plant to N+1.
Paralleling adds synchronising controls and a switchboard section, and the transfer then happens at the busbar rather than in one large switch. Name the arrangement in the request; offers compare only for the same one.
The combustion plant permit
At 38 to 42 percent electrical efficiency a 2000 kVA set burns fuel at about 3.8 to 4.2 MW, well inside the 1 to 50 MW range of Directive (EU) 2015/2193. A stationary set of this size needs a permit or registration before it runs, and two or more new sets whose exhaust shares a stack count as one plant, their inputs added.
In England and Wales a set of this size is medium combustion plant and needs its permit before it is commissioned. Unless it is an emergency backup tested 50 hours a year or less, it is also a specified generator, held to a NOx limit of 190 mg/Nm³ and monitored at least every three years.
The expected running hours belong in the request, because Member States may waive the emission limits for plants that run 500 hours a year or less. Mounted on a trailer and moved between sites, the same set would come under the non road engine rules of Regulation (EU) 2016/1628, in category NRG above 560 kW.
What we need to quote a 2000 kVA generator
- The duty, standby, prime or continuous, or the load in kW with the size of each step
- One set, or two or more in parallel, and the redundancy required
- Voltage: 400/230 V, or a medium voltage set at 10.5 or 11 kV
- Fuel, tank size and the hours it must run unattended
- Where it stands, a plant room or a container, with the noise limit at the boundary
- Expected running hours a year, and whether a stack is shared
- Access for heavy transport to the plinth
Questions buyers ask
How many amps does a 2000 kVA generator supply?
2,887 A per phase at 400 V and 2,782 A at 415 V, at full rating. At 11 kV it is about 105 A.
Is a 2000 kVA generator a medium combustion plant?
As a stationary set, yes on its own: about 4 MW of thermal input at typical efficiencies, inside the Directive's range of 1 to 50 MW. The engine data sheet states the exact input.
One 2000 kVA set or two 1000 kVA sets?
One set is simpler to house and maintain. Two sets keep half the supply through a failure or a service, and three give N+1. State which you want, so the offers compare.
Building or expanding a facility?
Send the whole equipment schedule as one project, each item with its own requirements.