ABSTRACT
The selection of different modularity in Distributed generators (DG) at a site can change the availability characteristics of its power supply. The change in availability characteristics may or may not be viewed as an improvement, but modularity gives the DG buyer a chance to choose what is best for each particular situation. The reliability of supply computations were based on the expectation of outage time annually. Such computations are a reasonably accurate way to compare reliability of DG options. Although in general, higher levels of power availability cost more, note that due to the way modular unit reliability “adds up,” there are rare cases where lower cost alternatives provide more reliability. For any situation where actual load duration curve characteristics are known, a more detailed analysis should be done on an hour-by-hour basis. When the actual load curve, rather than just the load duration curve, is known, an even more detailed evaluation of economy, and operating cost can be done.
