The Impact of Generators on Observatories

The observatory is crucial for experiments and data collection projects in the scientific community. A power outage will interrupt this precise task and waste investment. Like a farm, observation stations require enormous energy. Most observation stations have various computers, lighting, communication systems, and internal IT servers. Some also provide accommodation facilities for staff and visiting astronomers, as well as administrative and technical offices.

They also have several powerful telescopes in operation, occupying the vast majority of electricity. The European Southern Observatory is located in Chile (ESO). A study showed that the main telescope area used 67% of all energy, and another 9% used another telescope. The main power demand for telescopes is to cool the cooling and pumping systems of the telescope. They also use high-intensity air conditioning equipment to stay cool in hot weather. Like data centers, observation stations also have uninterrupted power supply (UPS), and in the event of a power outage, telescopes will remain in uninterrupted operation.

It is necessary to keep the observatory away from densely populated areas, which can cause light pollution. Therefore, most of them are far away from the power grid. Most observatories only have the option of on-site power generation. In ESO, the facility uses a multi fuel turbine that generates electricity using diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). They use three backup diesel generators to maintain power operation during turbine maintenance.

Why does the observatory require constant power? Firstly, power outages may occur frequently as the main generator of the facility requires regular maintenance. Power outages, even brief ones, can cause many consequences.

The observatory requires continuous electricity to ensure the following:

Maintaining basic services: The observatory serves various purposes, one of which is to monitor asteroids. For example, NASA funds observatories primarily to protect the United States and other parts of the world from these potential deadly threats, and to conduct early monitoring of unsafe asteroids. They require constant power to ensure detection as early as possible.

Saving data and experimental integrity: The main problem for most astronomers is that it is impossible to know what was missed when the telescope is turned off. The interruption of observation time may interrupt large-scale or long-term experiments and create unfilled gaps in the data.

Provide powerful remote viewing capabilities for clients: Many observatories offer remote observation capabilities. They use a contract service business model that allows scientists to book viewing times and receive live broadcasts and recorded videos. The operation using this model requires providing uninterrupted data to customers, as this is the purpose for which they pay.

Avoid wasting investment: The construction, equipment, and maintenance of observatories and their equipment cost millions of dollars. They are usually funded by government funding and private investors. Facilities are responsible for wisely utilizing these investments and continuing to generate new knowledge and scientific research at a reasonable pace. Generators make it easier to avoid power outages, which makes them crucial for protecting investments.

Reducing the impact of downtime: The observatory has already suffered a significant amount of downtime. Clouds can make the entire night or week useless. If the observation target is too close to the moon, it may not be visible due to the interference of light. Maintaining equipment according to published specifications is also crucial. Observation equipment has precise resolution, sensitivity, or throughput that less expensive equipment cannot achieve. Therefore, regular maintenance is crucial for protecting investments. All these accidents may lead to shutdowns, and power outages can bring unnecessary pressure to the factory.

Entering a narrow observation window: Consider solar eclipses or other spatial events that can only be seen from a specific location within a limited time. From asteroids to comets, the opportunity to see anything is very limited. Inappropriate interruptions may delay critical research until the next window appears, which could be years from now.

Any business interruption will consume the funds of observation stations and weaken their competitiveness. These facilities use UPS to ensure data consistency. However, most uninterruptible power supplies can only provide power for a short period of time, such as half an hour. They are designed to provide power instantly or when the generator starts. Therefore, generators are crucial for alleviating long-term power outages.

As a professional diesel generator manufacturer, we always insist on using first-class talents to build a first-class enterprise, create first-class products, create first-class services, and strive to build a first-class domestic enterprise. If you would like to get more information welcome to contact us via sales@dieselgeneratortech.com.