'Green' portable generators.

[Pizzaiolo]

Hi everyone.

Can anyone tell me anything about portable generators that run on a 'green' source of energy?, bio-fuel, solar etc? Basically any kind of portable generator that's greener than the average kind.
Are there companies that can supply these? I would need one for a mobile catering unit.

I've had a good look around the internet and have emailed a few smallish-looking outfits but have had no reply in a couple of days.

They would be needed to power four, possibly five smallish appliances (mini fridges, food display units, small commercial oven etc).

Cheers.

 

[Psl]

Hi everyone.

Can anyone tell me anything about portable generators that run on a 'green' source of energy?, bio-fuel, solar etc? Basically any kind of portable generator that's greener than the average kind.
Are there companies that can supply these? I would need one for a mobile catering unit.

I've had a good look around the internet and have emailed a few smallish-looking outfits but have had no reply in a couple of days.

They would be needed to power four, possibly five smallish appliances (mini fridges, food display units, small commercial oven etc).

Cheers.

There are very few units on the market.Unfortunately what you class as portable and what the industry class as portable are two very different things.

A portable biofuel unit based on what you want it for would not feasible in my opinion. I would go for the solar option but only as a backup.

 

[Pizzaiolo]

There are very few units on the market.Unfortunately what you class as portable and what the industry class as portable are two very different things.

A portable biofuel unit based on what you want it for would not feasible in my opinion. I would go for the solar option but only as a backup.

Hi, PSL. Thanks for your reply.

Yes, from my basic research i've also found that there are very few units on the market.

When you say a bio fuel unit wouldn't be feasible, is that because it'd be too big? I see from your homepage that this is your 'area', if you like, so I apologise if my next question sounds completely ignorant (I know next to nothing about green energy), but if people use solar power to provide energy to their whole houses, would it not be possible for it to power 4/5 small electrical units? (The actual mobile catering unit itself will be powered using either a 50cc or a 210cc engine).

Cheers.

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Does your mobile catering unit use oil for cooking any items?

 

[Pizzaiolo]

Does your mobile catering unit use oil for cooking any items?

No it wouldn't, but (I think) I can see where you're going, I hadn't thought of that. There actually used to be a bus in my town that ran on biodiesel refined from waste cooking oil.

This is definitely something i'll look into. Do you know anymore about it?, like could a generator run on it etc?

Thanks, vvaannmmaann.

 

[Psl]

Hi, PSL. Thanks for your reply.

Yes, from my basic research i've also found that there are very few units on the market.

When you say a bio fuel unit wouldn't be feasible, is that because it'd be too big? I see from your homepage that this is your 'area', if you like, so I apologise if my next question sounds completely ignorant (I know next to nothing about green energy), but if people use solar power to provide energy to their whole houses, would it not be possible for it to power 4/5 small electrical units? (The actual mobile catering unit itself will be powered using either a 50cc or a 210cc engine).

Cheers.

As vaaaa..... says, use recycled cooking oil as a fuel for generating the electricity needed. How your customers would react to the smell is another matter.

You could have solar panels fitted to the roof of the mobile catering unit but how much electricity it would generate i don't know.You're best asking a solar specialist.

 

Hope this helps.

I would forget solar panels unless you only need power for 1 light bulb.

http://www.dieselveg.com/generators.htm

 

[Pizzaiolo]

As vaaaa..... says, use recycled cooking oil as a fuel for generating the electricity needed. How your customers would react to the smell is another matter.

You could have solar panels fitted to the roof of the mobile catering unit but how much electricity it would generate i don't know.You're best asking a solar specialist.

I contacted the people that run the bus service that I mentioned in my reply to Vvaannmmaann above, and they've told me that they also run a generator but have been advised not to use biodiesel in it as it's a different kind of engine to that of a car, or a bus. I hadn't thought of the smell it would produce, this is also something i'll have to find out about.

Ideally i'd like the main source of power to come from a 'green' supply so i'll have a look at solar panels. I'm just worried that they won't be able to generate enough power for what I need to run from them...

Cheers for your reply.

 

[Pizzaiolo]

Hope this helps.

I would forget solar panels unless you only need power for 1 light bulb.

[UR.dieselveg.com/generators.htm[/URL]

Thanks for the link, Sirearl.

This is exactly the type of thing i'm looking for, unfortunately this one would just be too big. As I want to trade on council-owned land space is an important factor.

Given that the council I want to rent space from is very pro 'green', this is the angle I want to go for when approaching them and i'd like the unit to be as 'green' as possible.
The only thing i've come up with so far is compostable food containers and the green ran generator idea. I didn't think it would be so hard to find a green source of power these days as i'll only need to power 4/5 items that could be ran from a regular household socket.

Cheers.