Parallel Generator Operation Solutions
Generators in modern industrial plants no longer operate in isolation: they must coordinate with the EVN grid during power transfers, share loads with other generator units, and operate seamlessly alongside rooftop solar PV systems.
Challenges facing your business
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Solar Reverse Power Flow – Generators Bear the Risk
When a plant operates generators while rooftop solar generation remains high and facility load drops, excess power tends to flow back toward the generators—a condition these machines are not designed to handle, leading to potential severe damage to the generators and the entire internal electrical system.
Lacking real-time monitoring and active power curtailment mechanisms, plants are forced to choose a safe but wasteful compromise: completely shutting down solar generation whenever generators are running.
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Isolated Control Panels Per Source, No Unified Overview
Generators rely on proprietary OEM controllers, solar inverters utilize separate monitoring platforms, and automatic transfer switches (ATS) operate under independent logic—leaving each system blind to the real-time status of the others.
Operators are forced to piece together the operational picture from multiple disjointed screens. During rapid transition events—such as grid outages, grid restoration, or sudden cloud cover—manual human intervention is simply too slow. Furthermore, once an incident occurs, the lack of timestamp-synchronized data makes root-cause analysis virtually impossible.
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Wasted Fuel, Abandoned Clean Energy
Running generators at low loads for extended periods increases fuel consumption per kWh while accelerating mechanical wear—escalating operating expenses on both fronts. Conversely, curtailing solar generation while running generators means burning diesel to replace virtually free energy available right on the rooftop.
Compounded by rough power transfers that trigger line shutdowns, the total losses incurred by an uncoordinated multi-source system far outweigh the investment cost of an integrated control and coordination layer.
Technology-Driven Solutions from Hino Systech Systems
Our approach
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1
Mapping Sources, Loads, and Transition Scenarios
Hino engineers perform a comprehensive survey of the plant's electrical architecture: evaluating individual generator capacities and characteristics, solar PV system scale, time-of-day load curves, and real-world operational scenarios—including grid loss, grid restoration, peak-hour generator operation, and hybrid mode. From this data, we define the necessary coordination logic: identifying source priorities under specific scenarios and establishing safety power thresholds for real-time monitoring and curtailment.
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2
Visualizing Generators, Inverters, and Grid on a Single Platform
Data from generator controllers, solar inverters, and internal grid metering points—originating across various manufacturers and protocols—is gathered via IIoT data acquisition boxes and a protocol conversion gateway layer (Modbus TCP/IP, IEC 60870-5-104) into a unified, timestamp-synchronized data foundation. For the first time, the operational status of all power sources and facility loads is visualized on a single screen in real time.
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3
Automated Coordination Executed via Designed Scenarios
The SCADA/OCC system provides continuous monitoring and executes coordinated control logic: dynamic solar power curtailment based on real-time load levels and generator status to prevent reverse power flow, real-time alerts when generators operate outside recommended load bands, and comprehensive event logging during power transitions. Operating control panels engineered, fabricated, and factory-tested by Hino execute these sequences—embedding operational logic within the system hardware and software rather than relying on individual shift experience.
New Operating System
Hino Systech Data Collection & Control Architecture
Hino Systech system solution details
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Proven Hybrid Field Experience Built on Japanese Engineering Discipline
Hino Systech Vietnam is a 100% Japanese-owned entity, inheriting over 70 years of engineering expertise from Hino Systech Group in Japan (established in 1950) and over 10 years of operational history in Vietnam, featuring a team of more than 20 engineers trained directly in Japan.
Hino's multi-source coordination capability is proven in the field: the solar PV – generator – grid hybrid system at Sapporo Long An (~706 kWp) stands as an active, real-world deployment where three distinct power sources operate harmoniously under a unified monitoring and control system.
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Single-Source Accountability: From Control Panel to Operational Screen
The complete engineering chain—signal acquisition from generators and inverters, protocol conversion centered on the Hino Gateway 378 device, control panel fabrication, and SCADA/OCC deployment—is designed, built, and supported by a single entity.
In parallel power systems, this single-source accountability is critical: when anomalies occur at power boundaries (such as power transfer moments or sharp solar power swings), timestamp-synchronized data on a single platform allows precise root-cause event tracing, avoiding uncoordinated log files from three different vendors.
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Optimized Source Roles, Reduced Overall Energy Costs
When multi-source power systems are actively coordinated, value is realized across multiple operational dimensions: rooftop solar generation continues to be harvested safely even during generator operation, fuel is consumed strictly for necessary demand, and generators operate within optimal load windows—extending equipment service life and lowering maintenance costs.
Power transfers occur through controlled, monitored sequences, significantly mitigating the risk of production line shutdowns. All operational metrics are continuously archived, providing a quantitative baseline for refining control scenarios and validating performance gains through empirical data.
Get a Power-Quality Survey & Switchboard Design Quote
Optimize your plant's energy costs today with a smart power-factor correction system. Hino Systech's expert engineers will run an on-site measurement survey and propose the optimal technical plan — completely free.
- Head office: Unit 1 & 2, 13th Floor, PV Oil Building, 148 Hoang Quoc Viet Street, Nghia Do Ward, Hanoi City
- Project support: hsv-sales@hino-systech.com
