[yoshiman]

I am looking to start up a nursery and will be seeking investors to acquire initial capital. To pitch my plan to investors, I will need accurate and detailed cost analysis' of essentially everything. Im not an electrician, so I am here.

Lighting and most proprietary equipment will be mostly 120/240v. However, my large commercial chillers will be 480v three phase. Will I need separate amp panels for this application; one for the 120/240 and another for 480? I am trying to find a suitable facility that already has three phase installed to save thousands of dollars on initial start-up cost.

I will also need a standby generator in case of power failure. I MUST have power at ALL times. If I get a large 480v standby which generates enough power to operate all of the equipment with a 20% cushion to make sure the generator isn't being overtaxed, will that also power my 120/240v equipment or will I need separate generators?

Thank you for your time :)

[tkrussell]

Any facility you find with 480 volt three phase will have small transformers and panelboards for 120/208 or 120/240 for the 120 volt receptacles, and other misc loads.

Only one 480 volt 3 phase generator will be needed.

What you need to do is inventory all of the loads needed and arrive at the total load in amps, KW and/or KVA to insure the 480 volt service and 120/240 volt panels are of sufficient size to handle the loads.

As part of this startup, you need to include in your budget design and engineering costs to design your electrical system.