Is there any money saved by using an electric unit instead of a diesel driven unit?
Yes. When a refrigeration unit is driven by a diesel engine, the engine has to produce enough horsepower at all times to provide the maximum horsepower needed by the refrigeration under the most demanding conditions. In addition to a required excess of horsepower being available at all times, the diesel must also operate at a horsepower and RPM rating 20% above anything needed just to insure its continued operation. In the case of electric power, a generator would be mounted on the engine. The engine provides more than enough horsepower to drive another 10 to 20 horsepower without affecting its operation. In addition, it usually provides an added power consumption that actually increases the overall efficiency of the tractor engine. Under most conditions, the added diesel fuel consumed cannot be easily calculated because of the added efficiency factor of the driving engine. In tests, the extra amount of fuel used was minimal and hard to calculate.
