On Oct. 18, Huntington Power Equipment, the Generac Industrial Power dealer for the New York City metro area, hosted an event for global engineering firms in Times Square. At the center of the event was Generac’s Experience the Power demonstration semi-trailer—a 53-ft mobile classroom that showcases Generac Industrial Power technology.
When planning for this event started in August, authorities told Huntington Power that it would take about two weeks to secure the necessary permits required to park the demo trailer for the day on Broadway in Times Square. After working with agencies that included the New York City Department of Transportation, the NYPD, and the office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Huntington Power found itself two months past its original target date.
“The trailer has two fully operational diesel generators that demonstrate Generac’s MPS [Modular Power System] technology,” Happ added, “so we even had to get permits from the New York City fire department in order to run the generators.”
When Huntington Power received confirmation that the permits would be issued, they ended up having only about six days to plan and invite attendees. Nonetheless, at 9 a.m. on Oct. 18, staff from Huntington Power and Generac began educating the first of what would be about half a dozen global engineering firms to pass through the Experience the Power trailer that day.
Then, at about 1 p.m., the NYPD told Huntington Power that the demo trailer needed to be moved. President Obama’s motorcade would be passing by the area.
An hour later, the team began the long, slow move up Broadway, in reverse. The NYPD halted the flow of traffic during the process, which took about 20 minutes and required driver Dan Vine to navigate the trailer between rows of stopped vehicles until it reached 52nd Street.
For the rest of the afternoon, the presentations continued on schedule. The engineering team for a large bank saw the trailer and explained that they were in the process of selecting a paralleling backup power system. The team was able to give them a live demonstration of Generac’s MPS solutions.
Huntington Power is planning another visit to New York City with the demo trailer.
“It was a lot of work, but totally worth it,” said Happ.
In addition to the two diesel generators configured in parallel to demonstrate the MPS system, the Experience the Power demo trailer contains a three-dimensional likeness of a Generac Bi-Fuel generator to educate engineers about the advantages of such a system. The company’s Power Design Pro and GENlink software are also available for demonstration, as are several different transfer switches. A 16-seat theater allows for additional presentations and training sessions, as well as a demonstration of the remote monitoring capabilities.
The Experience the Power trailer visits hundreds of cities throughout the U.S. and Canada every year, hosted by Generac Industrial Power dealers as part of their local promotional and educational efforts.
Source: Generac
