Commercial generators are a type of power generator and can be run using different fuels. Common commercial applications are to provide standby power in the healthcare and data center sectors.
Hospitals require reliable back-up power generation as any loss of power could mean loss of human life, as life support systems and operating theaters need continuous power.
Data centers also need a reliable power supply as a power outage could endanger important government and business data. There are many other commercial sectors that choose to install generators as standby power, from hotels to schools to commercial office blocks.
Generators are also used to supply continuous power in commercial and institutional settings, for example in combined heat and power schemes—for cogeneration. Where a large building or campus needs heat as well as electricity, it makes sense to use a generator. This is because when fuel energy is converted to electricity in a generator, or, indeed, in a power station, around half of it is lost as heat. Instead of wasting that heat, cogeneration schemes use it to keep the building warm, alongside producing electricity.