Diesel generator retrofits, judged by the meter
We fit the Plasmoid Power Thunderstorm Generator retrofit to working diesel generators in Queensland and meter fuel in and kilowatt-hours out, before and after, at a load we agree with you. If the meter doesn't show the result we agreed, you don't pay the performance fee.
Diesel generator fuel calculator
Work out how many litres of diesel your generator burns an hour and a year, and what any reduction would be worth. This is arithmetic, not a prediction: on a pilot, the meters on your generator decide the real number.
The calculator needs JavaScript. Send us your generator details and we will work the numbers through with you.
Today
- Fuel an hour, each generator (estimated)
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- Fuel a year
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- Fuel bill a year
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At the reduction you set
- Fuel you would no longer buy
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- Worth a year
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- CO₂ from that fuel
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How it works: fuel use is estimated from typical diesel generator consumption charts (about 0.29 litres per kilowatt-hour at 75% load, more per kilowatt-hour at light load), with kilowatts taken as kVA × 0.8. CO₂ counts only the fuel that would no longer be burned, in CO₂-equivalent at a combustion factor close to the Australian Government's National Greenhouse Accounts Factors (about 2.7 kg per litre of diesel). Figures exclude GST and the cost of the retrofit and pilot. The ATO publishes the current fuel tax credit rates.
How a pilot works
A pilot is one working generator, measured before and after with the same fuel meter and kilowatt-hour meter. The meters are separate from the retrofit and from the generator's own gauges, and your staff can read them during every test run. Nothing else counts.
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Tell us about the generator
Make, model and kVA rating, roughly how many hours a year it runs, and at what load.
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Meter it as it is
We arrange a fuel meter and a kilowatt-hour meter. A licensed electrician fits them where the work needs one. We record a baseline at the agreed load before anything else changes.
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Fit the retrofit
The manufacturer supplies the unit for your site. Once it arrives, we install it at a time agreed with you.
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Meter it again
Same meters, same agreed load. Fuel in, kilowatt-hours out. We also check the generator still carries the load your site needs.
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Read the test report
You get the before and after numbers in writing. After the first report, either of us can stop.
What's in your test report
Every pilot ends with a written report you can hand to your engineers, auditors or finance team. It sets out:
- The generator: make, model, rating, hours run and its condition at the start.
- The meters: which fuel meter and kilowatt-hour meter were used, where they were fitted, and any calibration certificates they came with.
- How fuel was measured, including the return line on engines that send fuel back to the tank.
- The agreed load, and the load actually recorded during each test run.
- Before: litres of fuel in, kilowatt-hours out, and litres per kilowatt-hour.
- After: the same three numbers, measured the same way.
- The difference, in litres and as a percentage, set against the result agreed before the pilot started.
- A check that the generator still carries the load your site needs after the retrofit.
- Anything that could affect the comparison, such as a change in load, fuel or air temperature, noted when it happened.
How you pay
The install
A fixed fee for fitting and metering, quoted for your site before any work starts.
The performance fee
A share of the fuel the meter shows you saved, and only if it reaches the result we agree before we start. If it doesn't, there is no performance fee.
The retrofit unit
Any charge for the unit itself is set out in your quote, before you agree to anything.
Who stands behind what
- Any warranty on the retrofit unit is the manufacturer's, and you get its terms in writing before you agree to a pilot.
- We stand behind our workmanship. Nothing on this page limits your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
- One generator first. After the report, either of us can stop, and any further generators are agreed separately.
The retrofit: Plasmoid Power's Thunderstorm Generator
The Thunderstorm Generator is made by Plasmoid Power. The manufacturer says it brings plasmoid technology into combustion so fuel burns more completely, keeping the engine as it is.
The manufacturer says its retrofits suit diesel generators up to 500 kVA, and that it makes custom units above that. We confirm a retrofit suits your generator before anything is booked.
Why we only quote the meter
Plasmoid Power publishes its own performance figures. We don't repeat them. On your site, the only numbers that count are the ones the meters on your generator record, and they are the only performance numbers we will put to you.
Who we are
An independent installer based in Brisbane. We don't sell kits: we fit and meter retrofits on working generators. We are a separate business from Plasmoid Power and its Australian company.
Who it suits
Sites where a diesel generator (genset) runs long hours and the fuel bill is worth measuring:
- Remote and off-grid operations
- Mining, quarrying and processing sites
- Farms, irrigation and cold storage
- Construction camps
- Resorts and remote communities
- Councils running diesel generators
- Businesses that report fuel use and emissions, where every litre is counted
Questions
Which diesel generators can you retrofit?
Working diesel generators at Queensland sites. The manufacturer says its retrofits suit diesel generators up to 500 kVA, and that it makes custom units above that. Send the make, model and kVA rating from the rating plate and, before anything is booked, we ask the manufacturer to confirm a retrofit suits it.
What about my engine warranty?
Fitting any add-on can affect an engine warranty, so check with your engine supplier before a pilot. We will give you a written description of the retrofit and how we fit it to send them. Any warranty on the retrofit unit itself is the manufacturer's. That does not limit your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
What does a pilot cost?
Each pilot is quoted for the site before any work starts. The quote sets out the fixed fee for the install and metering, any charge for the retrofit unit, and the performance fee, which is payable only if the meter shows the result we agree up front.
How do you measure a generator's fuel use?
With a fuel meter and a kilowatt-hour meter that are separate from the retrofit and from the generator's own gauges, fitted by a licensed electrician where the work needs one. We record litres in and kilowatt-hours out at the load we agree with you, before and after the retrofit, and your staff can read the meters during every test run.
Many diesel engines send unburned fuel back to the tank through a return line, so a single meter on the supply line counts fuel the engine never burned. On those engines we meter the supply and the return and take the difference, or weigh the fuel drawn from a day tank. The report says which method was used.
You arrange the meters, and your performance fee depends on what they show. Why trust the readings?
You don't have to take our word for them. The test plan, including the agreed load and the agreed result, is set in writing before the baseline. The meters are separate from the retrofit and from the generator's own gauges, and the same meters are used before and after. Your staff can read them during every test run. The report lists each meter, who fitted it and any calibration certificate it came with, and it records who read the meters on each run. It has a sign-off for you as well as for us.
Why don't you publish fuel figures?
Because results depend on the engine, its condition, the load and the fuel. A number from someone else's generator tells you little about yours. The meter on your own generator does.
Is the test method a recognised one?
It is built on the retrofit isolation approach in the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP Option B), used for energy-efficiency projects worldwide. The boundary is the generator, and both quantities that decide the result, fuel in and energy out, are metered rather than estimated. We agree the plan with you in writing before the baseline starts.
I've read sceptical articles about this technology. Why test it?
You don't need to accept anyone's explanation of how it works, the manufacturer's or its critics'. A pilot answers one narrow question: after the retrofit, does your generator burn fewer litres for each kilowatt-hour at the same load? The meters decide, your staff can read them, and if the agreed result isn't met there is no performance fee.
Where in Queensland do you work?
We are based in Brisbane and take on sites in Queensland only, including remote and off-grid sites. Tell us where your site is.
Register a generator
Or contact us directly:
matrix@msaart.online
0410 248 153
Registering is an enquiry, not an order. Nothing is booked until you accept a written quote.
- We reply by email, or by phone if you leave a number.
- We ask the manufacturer to confirm a retrofit suits your generator. For that check we give it the make, model and rating, not your name or contact details.
- You get a written quote: the fixed fee for fitting and metering, any charge for the unit, and the performance fee with the result it depends on.
- Before the baseline, we agree the test plan with you in writing: the load, how it is held, and the number and length of test runs.
When we reply, it helps to have a photo of the rating plate and your fuel records ready, and to know whether the engine has a fuel return line.