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Fossil fuel power generation is typically used to provide backup power generation in the event of a period of protracted cloudy weather or a period of greater than normal usage.  Generators are also helpful to exceed the rated capacity of the system for the periodic use of power tools that have a large power draw.   Since 220-volt power supply requires a dramatic additional capital investment to provide from solar power, some users use generators to operate conventional clothes dryers, which may be the only appliance in 220-volt.  Lastly, though it is not the environmentally friendly alternative, fossil fuel power generation can be the de facto charging source.  In such a system, it may replace panels, hydroelectric, and/or wind turbines and recharge batteries with a couple or three hours of operation daily.

Fossil fuel generators come in a variety of capacities, ranging from small 3000 watt gasoline units to diesel and propane generators of 25 kilowatts and more.  For remote installations that depend exclusively on generator power for facility electrification, a large unit may be required to be able to sustain a large number of simultaneous facility power demands.  In such a case a 15-kilowatt generator might not be unreasonable for a large well-anointed, American style household, perhaps a 25-kilowatt unit if central air conditioning is planned.  For backup power, a much smaller generator will suffice.

Barring secondary duties specific to the facility being powered, a good rule-of-thumb for sizing of a backup fossil fuel generator is one with at least two times the capacity of the inverter.  Wired into the power system, a generator will first satisfy all the existing current demands, and the power generated over and above the demands will be diverted for recharging batteries.  Contemporary generators with automatic settings can be connected to the inverter through the use of a transfer device that sends instructions to the generator to self-start according to circumstances defined in the programming setup.  Typical programming calls for the generator to turn on when batteries are discharged to a defined level, to turn off when batteries reach a defined level, and to turn the generator on periodically if not otherwise used to simply run the generator for awhile so that it does not stand still without being used for extended periods of time.

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