Thanks for the correction!

Reliability, ease and cost of repair, and cost of the generator itself is an important factor with generators, maybe even more so than efficiency.

The universal “run an engine well below its maximum power output allows it to last much longer” mentality is at work here

Just got home from an 8h shift in a Zetor tractor (Zetor, a cheap brand from the Czech republic) running a "forage harvester" (i hope that is the correct translation..) at full power for 8h strait... A cheap farmers tractor from the eastern block is of higher quality than a GM V8? Well, i guess i already knew the answer to that one...

It’s a design from the 1950’s that’s been proven over decades of service in every application from marine to automotive. even at best these later 350’s are only around 250hp (186ish KW ish I think) it’s also running on natural gas. I don’t think natural gas is as energy dense as gasoline so there’s some of that disparity right there. That and the gen set isn’t running at the rpm these Sbc’s make peak hp. They’re simple, easy to work on, and designed to make low end power. Perfect for a genset like this. A small turbo diesel would be more efficient and just as reliable. But this 5.7 liter Chevy v8 is going to be a lot cleaner as it’s burning natural gas. And if you’re not working it to death constantly the fuel consumption should be pretty reasonable.

100KW at 1800rpm is going to require about 450ftlbs of torque. That's not going to be efficiently accomplished with a small engine.

Probably running a little under its max designed load for efficiency or maintenance reasons.

⁠longevity.

Its also not running at peak power 4500 rpm. At 1800 rpm that its running it may only make 100 kw. Also may be derated due to running natural gas instead of gasoline.

You're not going to build a hotrod engine, for something that is meant for emergency scenarios, and needs to "just work" for hours and hours on end.

At full load... that engine is eating a very hot supper. It requires 540nm (400ft/lb) to spin it at 1800 rpm. That engine never produced that kind of power NA, and certainly not on natural gas. So they added forced induction. I can see it hammering the mains if run above 80% load for any amount of time. It should be a compression ignition engine all day long.

..... because the overall cost of purchase, running and maintaining... is Far less for the Series 149, even the 20 cyl, which also takes up far less room for the package, as setup.. in this video. For equivalent power (hp) output from EMD, you're looking at the 16 cyl. 645E3B at 3,000 hp. Lots more fuel, Oil, Coolant, etc, etc.... and "IF" you ever had to re-manufacture it..... I would hope that you have "DEEP Pockets", in comparison to re-manning, even a 20 - 149Ti Detroit.. not to mention all that beautiful Series 149 "music" regardless of how many cylinders, that you can enjoy when they're running.

The 20-149Ti is FAR too big (and heavy!) for J. Williams' Big Bud.