Did you know that the Caribbean islands and Latin America contribute 11% of the world’s food production value, and together they represent 24% of all arable land? This level of food cultivation and production requires a stable and powerful power grid to sustain. Unfortunately, as the ongoing power outages in Puerto Rico have shown, the energy infrastructure in Latin America is not always the most reliable.
Whether you are a homeowner or a farmer that contributes to the world’s food supply, having a contingency plan in place for potential power outages can be a good idea.
Electric Generators for Agricultural Producers
If you want a reliable backup to the power grid, no matter where you live, a generator is the best answer. These essential pieces of equipment work by converting motion into electricity. There are a few different types of generators to consider:
- Hand Powered
This is probably not what you’re looking for, but since generators convert motive energy into electricity, any source of fuel can work. Human-powered hand generators are not going to work for powering your house, of course. However, they can be quite a handy tool when attached to small items. A flashlight, for example, requires sufficiently low power that you can easily incorporate and utilize this electric generation technology.
- Gas Generators
Good old fashioned gas generators are certainly the most common power backup in use today. They work roughly the same way as any engine, except instead of the fuel powering an engine to turn the wheels on your car or the chain on your chainsaw, it converts motive energy into electricity that can power any number of tools and machines.
This fuel is similar to gasoline in many ways, but a few things set it apart. Diesel is much less flammable than gas, the generators can be started at lower temperatures, and can be a bit less expensive and more efficient than gas. That means you can run your generator for much longer. That said, the emissions are fairly bad. Diesel can also be difficult to acquire during power outages.
If you need a cleaner fuel that can be stored for a long time on site, then propane is your go to. Propane generators are excellent in the cold and are fairly inexpensive. On top of that, propane tanks can almost always be accessed regardless of the power grid status. The problem is that propane tanks and generators can be flammable, and so they might require professional installation.
If you are looking for an electric generator for sale, take a measure of what you intend to power and how many energy units it will take to do so. If you have plants, animals, or workers that depend on you, then it’s always good to have a backup plan. To limit downtime during power outages, consider purchasing a generator today.