BUY New & Used Commercial Backup Generators 1700kW-1899kW GENERATORS FOR SALE

What Can a 1700kW – 1899kW Generator Power?

A 1700kW – 1899kW generator covers facilities where large rotating equipment, not total connected load, sets the requirement. Manufacturing plants with big compressed air or chilled water systems, cold storage and food processing running substantial refrigeration, wastewater treatment with large pump stations, and healthcare campuses where fire pump and chiller starts govern the specification all land in this band. Most buyers here did not plan to be. Steady-state demand often sat comfortably in the 1,400 to 1,600 kW range until someone ran the starting calculation on the largest motor on site and the number moved. A generator that handles 1,600 kW all day may stall on a start that a 1,800 kW machine absorbs without a voltage dip, and for facilities with heavy motor content that margin is the entire purchase justification.

Why Starting Current Sets the Number

Steady-state load is the easy calculation and rarely the binding one. Motors are the reason. An induction motor drawing 200 kW while running can demand several times that during the first seconds of startup, and the generator has to supply it without the voltage or frequency sagging enough to drop connected equipment. Across-the-line starting produces the largest transient. Soft starters and variable frequency drives reduce it considerably, which is why the same facility can require very different generator capacity depending on how its motors are started. Three points worth settling before you size anything:

• Which motor is largest, and how is it started? A single across-the-line start on a large chiller can define the whole specification.
• Can starts be sequenced? Staggering large loads rather than starting them simultaneously frequently drops the required capacity by a full band.
• What voltage dip can your equipment tolerate? Sensitive electronics and control systems set tighter limits than motors do, and that tolerance determines how much margin the generator needs.

Answering those three often saves more money than shopping for a better price on the wrong size machine. Our amperage chart is a useful starting point if you are working from motor nameplates.

Sizing a Generator in This Band

Beyond starting current, two factors carry real weight at this output. Derating reduces available capacity at elevation and in sustained heat, and the loss is measured in real kilowatts rather than percentages you can wave off. A machine rated 1,800 kW at standard conditions delivers less at 4,000 feet on a hot afternoon, and if your starting calculation used the nameplate figure, the margin you thought you bought is not there. Redundancy strategy determines whether you are sizing one unit to carry everything or multiple units to share it. Facilities with strict uptime obligations often find that two smaller machines serve better than one at this size, since each runs in a healthier load band and a single failure degrades capacity rather than eliminating it. Our team runs load studies at no cost, including starting-transient analysis against your equipment list. Equipment in this class comes mainly from Cummins and Caterpillar, with Broadcrown generators appearing on the used side. See the full lineup on our shop by brand page.

Do You Need This Much Headroom?

If your starting calculation comes back comfortably under 1,700 kW, 1500kW – 1699kW generators will serve at lower capital cost and better load factor. Buying margin you never use is not free, since an engine held well below its designed load accumulates unburned fuel in the exhaust system. If the transient pushes past 1,900 kW, or if derating at your site erodes the margin, look at 1900kW – 1999kW generators or move above two megawatts into the 2000kW – 2299kW range. To see everything available below two megawatts at once, the 1500kW – 1999kW category covers the full span.

Should You Rent Instead of Buying?

For a defined window, renting can be the right call. Plant turnarounds, temporary generation while a permanent unit is rebuilt, and emergency coverage after a failure all suit a rental better than a purchase. Our rental division, Stag Power Rentals, handles those projects. For permanent standby the case is weaker. A facility backup generator runs a small number of hours annually and stands ready the rest of the year, and rental rates do not survive that arithmetic across decades. The site work reinforces it, since the pad, switchgear, and fuel system are permanent investments regardless of whether the machine is owned. If capital availability rather than the decision itself is the sticking point, our generator financing options bridge it.

Why Buy From Turnkey Industries

Every generator we sell clears a 22-point inspection and load bank testing before shipment. Testing matters particularly for buyers in this band, since it verifies performance under applied load rather than confirming the machine idles cleanly. We have supplied industrial power equipment for more than a decade. Every purchase is backed by our 30-day IronClad warranty, and our service team covers scheduled testing, electrical repair, and preventive work after commissioning.

Ready to Buy a 1700kW – 1899kW Generator?

Send us your motor list along with the starting methods and we will tell you what the transient really requires before you shop by kilowatt. See what is available in our full inventory of industrial generators, review the sectors we serve on our industries served page, or contact us to talk through your specification.