BUY New & Used Commercial Backup Generators 1500kW-1699kW GENERATORS FOR SALE

Industries That Use 1500 kW to 1699 kW Generators

Buyers in this band usually have a load study that lands a little above 1.5 MW, a runtime figure handed to them by code or permit, and a pad that has to take one machine rather than a paralleled pair.

• Hospitals: Mid-size and regional hospitals where the essential electrical system has grown past one megawatt but still fits on a single standby set with room for the next wing.
• Data centers: Enterprise and colocation halls, where 1.5 MW sets are often paralleled for the redundancy their service commitments require.
• Cold storage and food processing: Refrigeration compressors restart on their own schedule, so the set has to absorb repeated starting surges rather than one planned start.
• Manufacturing: Compressed air, chilled water, and production lines that have to come back in sequence after an outage.
• Water districts: Treatment plants and high-lift pump stations, where pump motors dominate the load list and the permit sets the hours.
• Colleges and school districts: Central plants and district operations centers that back research space, IT, and shelter areas from one machine.
• Oil and gas: Processing sites and compressor stations where a 1.5 MW set is often one leg of a larger arrangement.

We keep sizing notes for each sector on our industries served pages.

1500 kW to 1699 kW Generators at a Glance

• Apparent power: 1,875 to 2,124 kVA at 0.8 power factor.
• Current at 1500 kW: 2,260 A at 480V, 1,805 A at 600V, and 261 A at 4160V on our amperage chart.
• Diesel burn at 1500 kW: 77.8 gal/hr at three-quarter load and 106.5 gal/hr at full load on our chart; Kohler prints 105.9 gal/hr for the KD1500 at full standby.
• Crane weight: 28,443 lb wet for an open KD1500 on a 228.3 x 84.7 inch skid, before enclosure or sub-base tank.
• Most common format: a diesel standby set at exactly 1500 kW, EPA Tier 2 for emergency use.
• What drives the schedule: fuel storage sized for the required runtime, and a crane and pad planned from the drawing of the exact configuration.

This band sits at the bottom of our 1500kW – 1999kW generators category. Single-size detail is on our 1500 kW generators page, with 1000 kW and 2000 kW on either side.

1.5 MW Sets on Our Listings Right Now

Eight used diesel standby units are listed in this band, and only one of them is rated above 1500 kW:

Across all eight the average is about 390 hours, and four of them sit between 187 and 232. That is the profile of a standby frame that ran its weekly exercise and a few outages, so the hour meter matters less here than the maintenance records and a load bank result. The Taylor TD1600 is the one option if your study lands closer to 1.6 MW. The live listings at the top of this page show what is available today.

How the KD1500 Compares With the Sizes on Either Side

Manufacturer figures for the diesel frames bracketing this band, plus the nearest natural gas engine inside it:

Per kilowatt-hour, the three diesels are nearly identical at full load: about 0.071 gallons per kWh for the SD1000 and DS2000 and 0.0706 for the KD1500. At half load the KD1500 rises to about 0.078 gallons per kWh, roughly 10% more fuel for each unit of energy. A 1.5 MW set that spends its life lightly loaded costs more to run than its nameplate suggests, which is one more reason to size against the study rather than round up. The Caterpillar G3516C is the only natural gas reference inside the band; its sheet gives no supply pressure we can read, so get pressure and flow figures from the data sheet for the specific engine.

Inside the Kohler KD1500 Package

The KD1500 is the 1.5 MW spec sheet we reference most, and its options cover most of the choices a buyer at this size has to make:

Sound Level 2 is the step to price if neighbors or a property line are close: it adds up to 2 inches of acoustic insulation, intake sound baffles, and vertical air discharge. That vertical discharge sends the heat straight up, so overhead clearance and the 5 °C loss in radiator capability both belong in the layout before the enclosure is ordered.

Diesel Burn at 1500 kW and the 1750 kW Bracket

Our diesel fuel consumption chart has one row inside this band; the 1750 kW row sits just above it:

Kohler’s KD1500 figures sit on either side of the 1500 kW row: 4.3 gal/hr above the chart at half load and 0.6 below it at full load. Plan fuel deliveries from the manufacturer sheet for the exact unit and use the chart for early budgeting. Moving from 1500 kW to 1750 kW adds 17.7 gal/hr at full load, or about 425 gallons a day.

How Long a KD1500 Sub-Base Tank Lasts

Runtime from Kohler’s smallest and largest sub-base tanks at its two published load points:

The smallest tank does not carry a full-load day. If your plan assumes the set may see full load during an outage, start from the larger tank options.

Full-Load Fuel Planning for 24, 48, and 72 Hours

At Kohler’s 105.9 gal/hr, a KD1500 at full standby load needs about 2,540 gallons for 24 hours, 5,080 for 48, and 7,625 for 72.

The largest sub-base tank, at 5,808 gallons, covers 48 hours at full load with about 725 gallons to spare but falls about 1,800 gallons short of 72. That leaves three ways to reach a 72-hour requirement: a supplemental day tank or bulk tank, a contracted refueling plan, or a documented load profile below full load. On our chart, 72 hours at three-quarter load is about 5,600 gallons, just inside the largest tank. Whichever route you take, work backward from the hours your code or continuity plan demands, and put the fill point where a delivery truck can reach it during a storm.

What Does a 1.5 MW Set Need From the Crane and the Pad?

Plan the pick and the pad around the drawing for the exact configuration, starting from 28,443 lb wet for the open KD1500 and adding the enclosure and tank you choose.

• The pick: The open skid is about 19 ft long, 7 ft wide, and 8 ft tall. A 2000 kW mtu DS2000 weighs 47,523 lb, about two-thirds more, so a crane booked for a 1.5 MW set is not automatically good for the next size up. Confirm reach and capacity against the shipping weight on the drawing.
• The pad: With a sub-base tank, the fuel sits directly under the skid, and the foundation has to carry generator and fuel as one load. The KD1500 has integral vibration isolation as standard.
• The route: Check road access for the delivered dimensions, which grow with an enclosure or tank, and leave room on site for the crane to set up.
• Medium voltage: On a 4160V unit the generator heater and thermocouple I/O come standard, and MV cable terminations and switchgear clearances need space in the pad layout from the start.

Our shipping and returns policy covers freight terms, and we arrange delivery logistics with every sale.

Prime Duty Makes a 1500 kW Set a 1350 kW Machine

If the set will carry load for long hours, compare it at its prime rating, which on the KD1500 is 1350 kW at 480V and 1340 kW at 4160V.

That is about 90% of the standby figure, so a facility that expects prime duty from a 1.5 MW frame has about 150 kW less to work with. The emissions certification matters for the same reason: the KD1500 is Tier 2 for stationary emergency use, and five of the eight units on our listings are listed as Tier 2, with two more that don’t state a tier. The 2005 MTU 1500DSEB is Tier 1, so confirm with your permit authority what it may run for before you plan anything beyond emergency service.

Why So Many Specs Land on 1500 kW

Because it is a common manufacturer rating, which makes parts, technicians, and replacement frames easier to find over a service life of decades.

If a set fails in year twelve, a dealer can match a 1500 kW frame; an odd rating like 1580 kW is far harder. That same popularity is why used supply clusters at exactly 1500 kW. The risk is the opposite one: 1500 kW gets written into specs because it is familiar, not because a load study produced it. Run the study first with our power calculators, and check current at your voltage on our generator amperage chart.

Current at 1500 kW and 1750 kW

Three-phase current at 0.8 power factor from our amperage chart:

1500 kW is the last chart row that still lists 208V, and 5,205 A is not a practical service; 480V is the working choice, with 600V trimming current by about 455 A. Kohler’s 2,256 A at 480V matches the chart within 4 amps. At 4160V the same set carries 261 A, which shrinks conductors but brings form-wound alternators and MV switchgear into the budget.

Neighboring Ranges Above and Below 1500 kW to 1699 kW

A diesel set run well below its rating for long stretches develops wet stacking, so picking the band that fits matters as much as picking the brand.

Every size we stock is laid out on shop by kW.

Inspected, Load Tested, and Backed After the Sale

Each unit we ship has passed a 22-point inspection and load bank testing first, which on a low-hour 1.5 MW standby frame is the only real proof of what it does under load. We’ve been in the industrial generator business for over a decade. Each purchase comes with our 30-day IronClad warranty, and our team handles preventative maintenance, industrial generator repair, and emergency service once the set is in place.

Ready to Buy a 1500kW – 1699kW Generator?

Send us the load study, the runtime you have to meet, and a photo or drawing of the pad location, and we’ll match a 1.5 MW set and a tank to it, then walk you through the units we have. Compare our used industrial generators with our new industrial generators, or contact us to work the fuel and rigging plan with us.