Many machines and tools that we use every day work with electricity. Electricity has got such a place in our lives that we can no longer tolerate even several hours of power outages. The low tolerance of power cuts increases the use of generators and uninterrupted power supplies (UPS) used to meet the need for electricity during these cuts. Even though both devices are used for electrical energy, there are differences between the two.

 

To see the differences between generators and uninterruptible power supplies, let's first look at the information about these two energy sources.

 

generators

Generators are electromechanical devices that generate electricity. In fact, they are energy conversion machines that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Generators used as energy sources during power cuts are generally diesel or gasoline generators. The mechanical energy produced by a diesel or gasoline engine is converted into electrical energy and the electricity need is met.

 

Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS)

Uninterruptible power supplies are used to keep the electrical device running without interruption during any power outage. They are often used where instantaneous power outages can cause enormous damage and cause losses.

 

Uninterruptible power supplies provide energy source by converting the energy stored in batteries with DC voltage source to AC voltage with the help of an inverter. Since the energy stored in the batteries has a certain capacity, the UPS can supply energy for a certain period of time.

 

Since these two energy sources designed for the same purpose operate on different principles, their usage areas and applications are different from each other. We can list these differences as follows.

 

Generators can provide energy for a long time because they work with diesel or gasoline engines. UPS, on the other hand, can provide energy for a certain period of time as they use the energy supplied by the batteries.

Generators are available in different sizes and in different powers for the desired application and there are small generators that can meet the energy of a house as well as large generators that can meet the energy of large production facilities. There is no UPS large enough to meet the energy of a production facility. Only UPSs that are large enough to operate certain devices can be found for a short time.

It takes a few seconds or even minutes for the generators to start up in case of power failure. This period is zero in uninterruptible power supplies. Uninterruptible power supplies take immediate effect with no interruptions.

The main purpose of generators is to provide electrical energy. The main purpose of uninterruptible power supplies is not to de-energize the system during a power outage.

Generator and UPS are generally used together. When power failure occurs, UPS feeds sensitive devices without interruption and prevents losses. However, after a while, the generator comes into play and meets the energy need for a long time.