Cummins C25G genset and more: 100 years of power generation

The new Cummins C25G genset was, of course, the main attraction at Middle East Energy 2020 in Dubai, as we already told our readers. However, at the company’s booth there was more to find out. There, we had a chat with Tejaskumar Amin, Genset Chief Engineer, and Yasir Bhatty,Power Generation Segments Leader, Africa and Middle East.

Cummins C25G genset had its official launch at MEE 2020. What are the company expectations about this product?

The C25G gas generator series is expected to fill a gap that Cummins has in its portfolio for the generator power range below the 1 MW category. The genset is capable of working in a range of applications like grid parallel applications, with customers that need performance in that power node using a variety of fuels in a variety of different environments and natural conditions.

We are getting inquiries from a broad range of customers, from telecommunications and small to medium business enterprises to oil & gas, for example. So far, we have received really positive feedback.

How do you consider the gas market in the Middle East? Is it a bet, due to the cost of fuel, which is not very high?

Although the diesel has been a prominent market, the customers are looking for a variety of different solutions and fuels. Diesel is traditionally a primary source for internal combustion engines, but the infrastructure implies the availability of a whole range of fuels. Also, we see the matter of CO2 emissions and the awareness of the pollution that is happening.

We’re expecting that this genset will be very well welcomed by customers who are looking for higher efficiency and the possibility to rely on more than one source of power.

About this region, several customers work in oil & gas, with a good availability of gas, then. So far, they haven’t had the right product for the wide availability of gas sources. Also, in the last 2 years we have tried to enhance our product portfolio. If you look at our range, we have a complete range from 11 kVa to 3 MW: we are picking up the right segmentation. So, of course, looking from an EMEA perspective, oil & gas is a huge market indeed.

What about some other products on display here in Dubai?

We have the QSG12 Coolpac engine, also powered by Cummins G-drive, on display and we are launching more G-drive products as well. Then, we have a rugged mobile power unit designed for military applications.

We have also two new Digital Master Controls (DMCs), the DMC2000 and DMC6000, capable of working with all the products that are on display at MEE. In other words, one single controller can manage a whole site from an energy perspective. At the same time, we are displaying a low-kVa enclosed genset specifically designed for this particular region, by keeping the needs of our local customers.

It is important to mention that this year we are celebrating our 100^thanniversary for our power generation business, so we have also brought one of our 100^thold product the 10-lite generator on the stand to prove our long history and tradition in power generation.

How crucial is the matter of control for integrating all the different products and applications?

Control is one of the main factors when it comes to integration, of course. Within the continuously evolving power generation market, a big factor that we have to take into consideration is how we can make customers’ life easier. Control plays a very key role in that.

A very clear example: can this genset, the C25G, operate remotely? Absolutely yes. It may sound as a very simple thing to do, but in order to make it happen we need to take care of elements such as integration and safety.

Another challenge deals with how we can provide more grid power. We want the grids to remain stable even in case of a failure. We don’t want any of those gensets to get disconnected. All this also requires quite a unique technology in terms of reliability and ease of integration.