HiPower Systems, a manufacturer of power-generation and power distribution equipment in the U.S. and Canada, has introduced a new line of generator connection cabinets. These power distribution devices enable organizations to connect a temporary or towable generator to a building’s automatic transfer switch (ATS, an electrical device that switches a load between two sources).
The manufacturer is positioning the product for businesses that cannot tolerate power outtages. They cite the example of a data center with primary power backed up by a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) and a standby generator. Should power fail, most UPS systems will provide four hours of backup power. After that, the standby generator is supposed to kick in. However, should that generator be offline for service or maintenance, or should it experience a failure, the data center must find another power supply before the fourth hour elapses. With a generator connection cabinet in place, the center would be able to have a generator towed to its site for fast connection.
Other possible applications include convenience stores and gas stations that wish to stay open after a storm but do not want the expense of a standby generator at every store. The company posits a scenario in which a generator connection cabinet installed at each location allows the operator to tow a generator from one site to the next, running the power until fuel and other supplies have been sold out. Then the generator could be towed to the next store down the line, and so on.
The company says in an emergency the cabinet could also negate the need to replace a failed standby generator on the rooftop of a high rise. With one of these units permanently connected to the building’s ATS, a company can tow a generator into an adjacent parking lot or alley and connect it via cabling straight to the cabinet, avoiding the need to lay long runs of heavy cable assemblies through hallways.
