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Although fuel powered generators are not the most desireable primary method of providing electricity to your home, due to dependence on fuel, they are still a viable secondary method. While a battery system powers your house through an inverter, there might be times when so much electrical demand is placed on your system that it simply cannot supply it. This is generally avoided by using efficient appliances and not running too many energy eating devices at the same time. But sometimes it is unavoidable (the most common time is running your washing machine, dryer, water pump, lights, etc. while diong laundary). This is where a fuel powered generator fits in. If sized appropriately, they are capable of yielding a large amount of power when needed. To minimize the number of hours the generator is running, as many of your large electrical users as possible should be operated at the same time (for instance, every two or three days washing and drying clothes, watering the garden-if using an electrical pump, and any other large users).
With solar systems, there may be times when the weather is dark for extended periods; or with hydro systems, a dry summer may drain your creek and limit your power production. This is another use of fuel powered generators. To charge your batteries when your primary method (solar or hydro) is not functioning at its peak due to weather conditions.
If your budget will not permit a complete solar or hydro system, a fuel powered generator could be used as the primary method to charge your batteries (you would need to have one anyway for backup). Depending on how your AE system is sized, you should only need to run your generator several hours every few days, which means a large tank of stabilized fuel should last quite a while even if you cannot buy fuel. The beauty of this basic system is that every componant you buy for it can be used in a complete solar or hydro system when you are able to upgrade. Nothing is wasted.
So as you can see, fuel powered generators are an important piece of equipment. Great care should be given to choosing the proper one for your needs and budget.
The articles above, we believe, will help you to make a wise decision in purchasing and operating a generator and in storing an adequate supply of fuel.
Here are some articles you might find helpful regarding generators:
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