{"id":872,"date":"2023-04-18T21:24:40","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T01:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesolaraddict.com\/?p=872"},"modified":"2023-04-19T01:27:32","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T05:27:32","slug":"what-is-portable-solar-generator-power-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesolaraddict.com\/what-is-portable-solar-generator-power-station\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is A Solar Generator\/Power Station & How Do They Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Portable power stations have become popular in the past couple of years. They’re popular not only among campers and travelers but homeowners buy them as well to have an emergency solution in case the power goes out.<\/p>\n
One popular misconception when it comes to power stations\/solar generators is that they can recharge themselves with the help of the sun.<\/p>\n
This is not true. To recharge a solar generator you need to connect solar panels to it, unless it has solar panels built-in like the Renogy Phoenix (click to view on Amazon)<\/a>.<\/p>\n My wife and I travel full-time and use an EcoFlow Delta Max<\/a>. We plug our RV into it with a 15A to 30A adapter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Two 100W panels on the roof recharges the EcoFlow when the sun is out. With this setup, we can run everything in our RV except the air conditioner, no matter where we go camping.<\/p>\n It’s rare to find a solar generator with solar panels built-in, and unless you can see that the power station obviously has solar panels on it like on the Renogy power station above, you should assume that it doesn’t.<\/p>\n And while you can find kits that include both power stations and solar panels, don’t expect it to include panels if it’s not clear in the title.<\/p>\n Related Post: Do Solar Generators Come With Solar Panels?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n A portable power station, also known as a solar generator is a portable box with three main components.<\/p>\n The first component is the battery, the second component is the inverter, and the third is the solar charge controller.<\/p>\n Each component is important in its own way, so let’s talk about their roles and how they work.<\/p>\n Note that there is no difference between a portable solar generator and a portable power station, and I will be using both words down below.<\/p>\n\n The battery consists of one or more cells that store power. Newer solar generators are usually equipped with lithium batteries, which are more lightweight than the typical deep cycle lead-acid battery often found in cars and RVs.<\/p>\n Lithium batteries are also safe to discharge to a lower voltage without permanently damaging the battery.<\/p>\n Modern electronics like phones, tablets, and laptops use lithium batteries. There are different kinds of lithium chemistries, and if you’re interested in learning more about lithium-ion batteries, I recommend reading this post over at the Battery University<\/a>.<\/p>\n Being lightweight and able to discharge to low voltages are two main benefits of a lithium battery in a portable power station.<\/p>\n The battery size or capacity is often talked about in amp-hours or watt-hours. The more watt-hours, the more battery capacity.<\/p>\n What to look for –\u00a0<\/strong>Make sure it’s a lithium battery and not a lead-acid battery. If you’re looking for the one with the most battery capacity, look at the number of Watt-hours (Wh). The more watt-hours, the more battery capacity.<\/p>\n A common feature on a solar generator is AC outlets. These outlets look like the wall outlets found in a home and can power 120V electronics.<\/p>\n Since the battery is often wired in a 12V configuration, the power station needs a way to change that 12V DC battery power to 110\/120V AC power. This is what the inverter does. It can be turned on and off with a button on the power station.<\/p>\n There are three kinds of inverters, but the most commonly used ones in solar generators are the pure sine wave inverter and the modified sine wave inverter.<\/p>\n The pure sine wave inverter produces a cleaner current for sensitive electronics, which is why it’s the kind I recommend.<\/p>\n An inverter is not 100% efficient when converting the 12V DC power to 120V AC power, but about 80-90%. So it’s a better idea to use the USB or DC ports on the power station when possible, instead of powering the AC outlet with the inverter.<\/p>\n Related Post: Can A Solar Generator Run An Air Conditioner?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The inverter has a rating of how many watts it can output, in other words, how much the maximum amount of watts you can plug into AC outlet on the power station is.<\/p>\n Most companies advertise the inverter rating together with a surge watt rating, for example, “500W\/1000W peak watts”.<\/p>\n A power station with this inverter rating is capable of outputting 500W in total continuously through its AC outlet(s), and up to 1000W for a short amount of time, often less than 30 seconds.<\/p>\n So the inverter will run a device that uses more than 500W, but not for long.<\/p>\n What to look for –<\/strong>\u00a0Pure sine wave inverter is better for sensitive electronics than modified sine wave inverters. The higher the inverter rating, the more total watts the AC outlet can power.<\/p>\n The solar charge controller is the reason that the power station is often called a solar generator. It’s a component between the input port on the power station and the battery.<\/p>\n It protects the battery from overcharging when you plug in a solar panel.<\/p>\n There will be either a PWM charge controller or MPPT charge controller in the power station. MPPT is the better option because it’s more efficient. The difference is especially noticeable when the sun is weaker, like in the morning, evening, cloudy days, and during the winter months.<\/p>\n Most solar generators can not produce electricity on their own, because that would require solar panels to be placed on the box itself.<\/p>\n There are products like that, like the Renogy Phoenix (click to view on Amazon)<\/a>, but I recommend connecting separate solar panels to the power station and storing the battery in the shade, not in the sun with the solar panel.<\/p>\n The solar charge controller has a maximum input amperage rating, a voltage rating, and sometimes a maximum watt input rating. These ratings are important to know about when you decide what solar panel(s) to pair with your power station.<\/p>\n Related Post: Honda By Jackery HLS 290 Vs Rockpals 300W<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Some charge controllers can only handle 50W, while some can handle 500W. Even though a power station can only handle 50W input, it’s ok to use a 100W panel as long as the VOC rating is within the limits.<\/p>\n With portable power stations, a common rating that companies use when it comes to how many solar panels you can use with a certain charge controller is the open-circuit voltage, also known as the VOC rating.<\/p>\n If the company advertises that the power station can handle 14-24V solar panels, you need to make sure the VOC rating of the panel you pair it with has a VOC spec above 14 but below 24V.<\/p>\n What to look for –<\/strong>\u00a0The charging time is important, so look for how many input watts the charge controller can handle.<\/p>\n Consider how long it would take to recharge the battery if you max the solar input, it shouldn’t take more than ten hours of sun, in my opinion. If you already have a solar panel, check its VOC rating and make sure you choose a solar generator that supports it.<\/p>\n Also, if possible, choose a power station with an MPPT charge controller and not a PWM charge controller.<\/p>\n Other common features are USB ports, DC outputs, built-in handles, and safety features.<\/p>\n There is often a safety feature that protects the inverter and disables the AC outlets in case the devices plugged in are drawing too much electricity.<\/p>\n Another common safety feature protects the battery from discharging to a dangerously low voltage.<\/p>\n Due to these safety features, it’s hard to damage a power station.<\/p>\n The worst damage you can do is plugging in a solar panel with a VOC rating too high for the charge controller. This can burn the charge controller and render it useless.<\/p>\n There are a ton of solar generators on the market, but here are a couple, from small to large, that I recommend.<\/p>\n\nThe Battery<\/h3>\n
The Inverter<\/h3>\n
The Solar Charge Controller<\/h3>\n
Other Features<\/h3>\n
Solar Generator\/Power Station Recommendations – From Small To Large<\/h2>\n