Kohler Energy's Power Systems business, the generator maker now trading as Rehlko, redesigned the two engines under its large KD Series generators: the KD62V12A and the KD83V16A, which sit in the KD2000 to KD3750 models aimed at data centers and other mission-critical sites. The announcement, reported by Power Progress in July 2024, is older than the stories we usually carry, but the sets it concerns are the ones being specified for data-center backup today, so it is worth a look.
The company listed three results: better transient performance, lower NOx and a weight reduction of about 2,000 lb, roughly 900 kg. No figures were given for the first two. The engine control unit moved from the front of the engine to the side for access, and the redundant starter arrangement was reworked. Both changes are described as easing service and lowering lifecycle cost.
Which Engine Sits Under Which Set
The KD62V12A powers the KD2000 to KD2800 generators; production of the redesigned engine had started in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and in the United States at the time of the announcement. The KD83V16A covers the KD3000 to KD3750. Kohler also said a V20 derivative was in development for launch in 2026. Nicole Dierksheide, director for large engines at Power Systems, said the changes improve generator performance, reduce complexity and support customers moving to lower-emission operation.
The engines are described as prepared for future alternative fuels, green hydrogen and ammonia being the two named. What that preparation consists of is not spelled out, and a buyer should ask, since the answer decides whether a set bought now can be converted later or only replaced.
Reading the Weight and the NOx Line
Two of the three headline items land directly on the package. A tonne less engine mass changes the base frame, the lifting plan and the floor loading of an enclosure or container, which is good news on a roof or a mezzanine and irrelevant on a slab. Lower engine-out NOx changes how much the exhaust aftertreatment has to do to reach a local limit, but it does not remove the need for it where the permit sets the number; the engine certification and the site permit are two different documents.
The transient claim is the one to test rather than read. Ask for the load-acceptance record of the actual set, with the alternator and governor it will ship with, against the step your UPS and chillers will put on it. That number, not the engine brochure, is what the commissioning engineer signs off.
Sources: Power Progress