30 kW to 2200 kW · Open skid

Open Skid Diesel Generators (30 kW to 2200 kW)

An open set is the generator without a box around it. The engine and alternator sit on a common steel base frame, the radiator is exposed, and the control panel is mounted on the frame. It is the cheapest form per kW, the easiest to work on, and it cools itself with nothing in the way - which is why it is still the default for a plant room, a workshop or a yard where nobody minds the noise.

Almost every set we build starts life as an open skid and is then either left as it is or fitted with a canopy, a container shell or a trailer. That means the open set is also the honest baseline for a price comparison: whatever a canopy adds, you can see it on the quotation as a separate line rather than hidden inside a package price.

What this form includes

• ›Engine and alternator on a common base frame with an integrated anti-vibration mount set.
• ›Exposed tropical radiator and pusher fan - the most efficient cooling of any form, and no derating risk from restricted airflow.
• ›Control panel on the frame, with the option of a wall-mounted or remote panel for a plant room.
• ›Open sets are normally installed indoors: they need a ventilated room, a hot-air discharge duct and an exhaust run out of the building.

Catalogue models normally built in this form

These are the sizes we quote most often as open skid sets, 30 kW to 2200 kW prime. Outside that band we build to the same specification on request - send the load and the site conditions and an engineer will size it. Each card opens the full datasheet with the fuel curve and dimensions.

Browse all 27 generator sets →

Power ratings follow ISO 8528-1:2018 (Prime PRP / Standby ESP), and the fuel figures are stated at ISO 3046-1:2002 standard reference conditions. Both are confirmed unit by unit on our load bank, and the test record ships with the set. Standby figures are the engine's factory standby rating from the model spectrum table — never a computed 110% of the rated output. Noise figures are typical open-type reference values, not a guaranteed sound-power level.

Where this form fits best

• ›Factory and warehouse sites that already have a machine room and an exhaust route.
• ›Standby sets where the noise is contained by the building, not by the enclosure.
• ›Anyone who wants the lowest cost per kW and is happy to build the room around the set.
• ›Large sets above roughly 800 kW, where a canopy becomes a very large and heavy steel structure.

What you give up

Every form trades something. These are the drawbacks of the open skid option as we build it - worth reading before the quotation, not after.

• ›Noise: an open set is loud enough that hearing protection is needed at close range.
• ›No weather protection. Outdoors it needs a separate weatherproof room or a purpose-built housing.
• ›No fuel tank as standard beyond a small day tank, so a remote site needs a bulk tank and a transfer system.
• ›Security: the control panel and the fuel system are exposed unless the room is locked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other generator types

Silent vs open: the full comparison →