Written By Matthew McVitty, Head of Business Performance, CATAGEN Green Emissions Testing
GENSET manufacturers are facing rising demand, changing fuels, more complex operating cycles and greater pressure to demonstrate long-term emissions performance.
These developments are expanding the number of aftertreatment configurations that engineering teams must evaluate. At the same time, manufacturers are being asked to shorten development programmes and reduce their reliance on limited engine and dynamometer capacity.
Five connected trends are shaping GENSET development in 2026.
1. Data-centre growth is increasing demand for standby generation
Artificial intelligence, cloud services and digital infrastructure are contributing to continued growth in data centre electricity consumption. The International Energy Agency identifies AI and data centres as important drivers of rising global power demand.
Mission-critical data centres typically require resilient backup power systems, often incorporating multiple high output GENSETs alongside batteries and uninterruptible power supplies.
This creates a difficult balance. Operators need dependable standby capacity, while local authorities and surrounding communities are paying closer attention to air quality, permitted operating hours and site emissions.
Although standby GENSETs may operate for relatively few hours, they must still deliver reliable emissions performance during testing and emergency operation. Manufacturers therefore need to consider cold starts, low-load operation and intermittent duty cycles when developing their aftertreatment systems.
2. Emissions scrutiny is moving beyond initial certification
Applicable emissions requirements depend on the market, engine power, fuel and whether the GENSET is mobile, stationary, emergency-only or used for prime power.
Relevant engines may be covered by requirements such as EU Stage V, US EPA non-road standards or separate regulations for stationary compression ignition engines and generating plant.
Initial certification is only part of the challenge. Engineering teams must also understand how emissions performance may change throughout the system’s useful life.
Catalysts can deteriorate through thermal ageing, sulphur exposure, lubricant-derived contamination and changing operating conditions. An aftertreatment system that performs effectively when new may not maintain the same conversion efficiency after prolonged use.
Understanding these deterioration mechanisms can support durability validation, service strategy development and evidence based component replacement decisions.
3. Alternative fuels are changing emissions profiles
HVO, biodiesel blends, biomethane, hydrogen and other lower-carbon fuels are becoming part of the GENSET decarbonisation conversation.
These fuels may reduce lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions, but lower carbon does not automatically mean the removal of regulated pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide or particulate matter.
Changing fuel can affect combustion, exhaust temperature, engine-out emissions, catalyst light off, soot formation and regeneration behaviour. The outcome will depend on the engine, calibration, operating cycle and aftertreatment architecture.
Alternative-fuel validation should therefore consider the complete engine and emissions-control system. Testing engine-out emissions alone may not show how the aftertreatment system will perform after prolonged thermal and chemical exposure.
4. Hybridisation is changing how GENSETs operate
Batteries, renewable generation and intelligent energy management systems are changing when GENSETs start, how quickly their load changes and how long they remain in operation.
In a hybrid system, a GENSET may operate less frequently, start and stop more often or spend more time within a narrow load range. These strategies can reduce fuel consumption, but they can also create different conditions for the aftertreatment system.
Short operating periods, repeated cold starts and lower exhaust temperatures can affect catalyst activation, soot accumulation and regeneration behaviour.
Fewer operating hours do not necessarily mean less aftertreatment risk. Catalyst durability must be assessed against representative duty cycles rather than engine hours alone.
5. The industry is under pressure to reduce testing time
Traditional catalyst ageing programmes can require extensive engine operation, fuel consumption and test-cell capacity.
As the number of fuels, duty cycles and aftertreatment configurations increases, testing every combination conventionally becomes increasingly costly and time consuming. Manufacturers may also have limited access to prototype engines or face competing demand for dynamometer capacity.
The industry therefore needs faster ways to generate meaningful catalyst ageing data without compromising confidence in the results.
Accelerated ageing and targeted catalyst evaluation can help manufacturers investigate deterioration, compare different configurations and produce aged hardware for subsequent verification.
The objective is not simply to age a catalyst quickly. It is to reproduce the thermal and chemical degradation mechanisms that matter to the intended GENSET application.
Preparing for a more complex GENSET market
These five trends are closely connected.
Data-centre growth is increasing demand for reliable standby generation and attracting greater attention to emissions. Alternative fuels and hybrid power systems may help address carbon and efficiency objectives, but they also introduce new exhaust conditions and operating cycles.
The result is a growing test matrix at precisely the moment manufacturers are being asked to shorten development programmes.
CATAGEN Green Emissions Testing helps engineering teams reproduce representative exhaust temperatures, gas compositions, mass flows and contaminant exposure without relying entirely on a complete engine programme.
Using OMEGA reactor technology and application-specific accelerated-ageing cycles, manufacturers can investigate catalyst deterioration and produce representative aged hardware for later verification.
Is your GENSET programme being affected by alternative fuels, changing duty cycles or limited testing capacity?
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