Why generators are connected in parallel and not in series?

Why generators are connected in parallel and not in series?

Answer

Generators are connected in parallel because it increases the power capacity, eases maintenance, provides control in load management, provides redundancy and distributes the load of the electrical device equally between them, which is known as load sharing of the generator.

Connecting generators in series would not increase the power capacity but would increase the voltage.

When generators are connected in parallel, they require synchronization of their outputs. This means that their frequency, phase relationship and voltage must be matched before they can be connected together.

The voltage must be initially set to prevent the added generator from supplying any current.

Once the connection is made, the voltage can be increased so that it supplies the desired percentage of the load.