North American Mid-sized Generator Set Market

Recent Grid Failures Increase Awareness and Ignite Sale of Gensets

The recent power-related events in North America-the blackout of August 2003, and the extensive power failures from hurricane Isabel-have reminded businesses about the benefits of back-up power. These grid failures are proving to be the necessary purchase incentive for many businesses that have delayed getting on-site power generation due to financial considerations. As economic conditions improve and awareness of distributed generation increases among businesses, the genset market, especially the mid-size output range, is expected to see dynamic growth in terms of new end users.

This research service analyzes the North American mid-sized generator sets market. The study highlights the revenue and unit forecasts for the mid-sized output range of 50 to 250 kW. It also elaborates fuel trends, applications, and end-user groups for this range of generator sets.

Increased Awareness of Benefits Draws Investment from Manufacturing and Commercial Sectors

"Many projects for on-site power in the medium range, generally used by smaller industrial and some commercial facilities, were either put on hold or cancelled once the economy began to decline in 2001-a trend that mirrored larger utility power plant spending," says the author. "However, on-site power is experiencing a notable recovery from its end users, reviving generation plans."

There has been an increase in capital spending on gensets from the manufacturing sector despite the slow rate of economic recovery. While part of this investment stems from the increased revenue being made by the end-user industries, much of it is a preventative measure against further business loss from power loss or spiking energy prices.

Focus on Back-up Advantages Rather than Cogen Savings

End-user preferences dictate the major applications for generator sets and influence the fuels used. "After recent blackouts and destructive weather, the growing commercial end-user group has shown more interest in the advantages of emergency power capabilities and less interest in cost savings from combined heat and power," notes the author.

The market remains dominated by back-up applications even though some genset OEMs and packagers are promoting their product's natural gas fuelled cogeneration capabilities. The emphasis on generators as back-up coupled with low awareness of gensets' peaking and base-load potential is expected to boost market growth in these times of grid uncertainty.