Analysis of Environmental Effects of the Major Stand-alone Power Generators Used in Nigeria and Sub-saharan Africa

Abstract

Private individuals, Businesses and Industries have long resulted in the use of stand-alone generators as an alternative source to a public utility. These sources burn fossil fuels to power the loads connected to them. The environmental effects of using the common fuel sources; petrol and propane gas for the generators were however investigated in this article.  easurement, observation and analysis of the carbon-monoxide emission, ambient temperature, and sound level of the two sources were independently carried out at various loading conditions. Observations however depicted the two sources raising ambient temperature of the environment they are put in by close to 15%. The carbon monoxide emission for propane fired generator was maximum at 240W load with 204ppm while that of petrol fired generator was maximum at no load with 733ppm. The carbon monoxide emissions were constant for the propane-fired generator but reduces as the load increases for the petrol fired generator. The emission for both sources was above the WHO standard exposure limits of 87ppm for 15minutes. The sound level of approximately 90dB for both sources, when compared with EPAstandards, should not be exposed to in proximity for more than 90minutes. Running these generators far away from living rooms will have a little direct effect on people's health but a lot on the depletion of the ozone layer thereby causing global warming. They will however be more directly harmful when they are run close to our living rooms, and offices causing several diseases/impairments which may ultimately lead to death.

Keywords: Carbon-monoxide, Emissions, Environmental Effect, Generators, Sound