Portable Jackery solar generator

Solar power Generator for home

Camping has evolved like everything else, in the context of a little bit more facilities and comfort at hand. Everyone today wants some of the comforts of their home in their tents and RV’s. It is almost unimaginable to consider camping without a generator to charge and power our electronics with. Camping, being every bit as adventurous, can be an opportunity to stay in the wild with the comforts of home powered by a solar power generator.

Working from home has become a familiar phrase in the modern world, more prominently after the pandemic. Although an even better alternative could be to literally work from anywhere and not just your home.

The article highlights the most important aspects required to consider before buying a solar generator for home or off grid living. But before that we have chosen the best solar power generators for home and outdoors in all capacities and aspects. Our team of researchers have carefully scrutinized the market with a very learned and keen eye. Being a camping enthusiast myself, out of sheer first hand experience using some of the finest products in the market, I can recommend the generators listed below without a second thought. 

Solar power generators for camping

Your work should never hold you from spending some quality time out in the suburbs, with friends and family.  Now you can have your laptops and mobiles charged all around the clock, with your mini fridge in the back of your RV.  Without ever fretting off being out of fuel or power. 

Jackery Solar Generator Interfaced with jackery solar panels. Facilitate your camping endeavors with a portable solar power station.
Pic Courtesy: Jackery

To someone who really enjoys time out camping investing in a solar powered generator would be a no brainer. You can have your equipment set up out in the woods, in public parks and in your camps far away from the city lights. The power of solar integrated with the recent revolution of the lithium ion batteries can keep you charged virtually forever.

Best Solar Generator for off grid living

Pic Credits: GroWatt portable power station

Imagine a cabin out in the woods, a home based office where you can enjoy the countryside, nature reserves, away from the hassle of the big cities. Sounds like a platonian utopia, doesn’t it?

You don’t need a diesel generator anymore, avoiding the frustration of running out of gas. The automated solar power generator interfaced with solar panels will be harnessing solar energy quietly in the backyard or just outside of your camp.

We have for decades relied on heavy machinery, fuel powered generators and power plants to meet our energy needs. The whole idea of a quiet, renewable and a sustainable source of energy seems so unreal, but it’s not. Solar powered generators are specially designed for individual use. These machines have reengineered the whole process of producing power that can be used to power electronics in a noise free and pollution less environment.

Solar power generators on a Construction site

Construction sites use an overwhelming amount of energy that needs to be available without an interruption. Gas powered generators have been in use over many decades, only adding to the cost and negative environmental impact. 

Pic credit: Amazon

A great alternative that is way cheaper after the initial costs, and a lot more sustainable is a no brainer for the investors. Although installation costs can be high for solar panels, including the battery setup. There’s no denying that a solar generator can cost more than your average gas generator, however it is just a one time payment. Solar generators are already integrated with solar inverters. They can easily be interfaced with solar panels and store the surplus energy in solar batteries. 

The complete integrated system is merely a plug and play portable setup, with no carbon footprint creating an excellent opportunity to get rid of the toxic fumes from the gas generators. As there are no fuel requirements for a solar generator, the Return on Investment is huge.

Once installed solar batteries can go for as long as at least a decade before there is a need for replacement. Imagine the amount of fuel and atmosphere you can save in that time. On top of that , solar power can power at least 99% of the electronic equipment and rechargeable batteries. Even heavy machinery is required at these construction sites. 

What to look for in a Solar powered generator for home

Battery Capacity

The amount of power your battery can store in Watt Hour(Wh) is essentially one of the key features to look for when deciding on a solar generator for home use or otherwise. The larger the cells and the more a battery has reflects the amount of energy it can store. 

Battery Type

There is an array of different technologies in the solar battery industry. The two main categories leading the industry are Lithium ion and Lead acid. Lithium ion batteries are superior to lead acid in every way. It can store more energy content and for longer periods of time, that is they have a lower discharge rate. At the same time Lithium ion batteries require low maintenance as well.

However there is a third category which is on the verge to possibly replace the other technologies. Because of the efficiency and advanced CATL ultra-durable battery cells providing an ultra fast charging option. The lithium iron phosphate(LiFePo4) batteries have the most advanced technology in the market at present. With the best charge and discharge rates and the ratio of energy content the cells can store. 

Inverter

DC to AC conversion is required before the batteries can store the power coming from the solar panels. DC current typically powers 12 Volt devices, while the rest of the heavy duty electronics operate on AC and a rating of 120 or 240 Volts. A high efficiency sine-wave inverter, creates cleaner power with less energy loss in the DC/AC inversion process. So it is a smart thing to always check the inverter technology and conversion efficiency in the specs of a solar generator. 

Power Output

An important salient feature to look for is the power output. That is the amount of wattage the device can put out without triggering the breaker and shutting down. The more the output is of a device the more devices you can power either simultaneously or otherwise. 

Charging time

Faster charging is a very smart and feasible feature to look for. You don’t want to wait around the whole day to charge up your batteries before you can use them. Ecoflow has one of the best charging times in the industry. However a fast charging rate also usually means a faster depletion time or discharge rate, but not in the case of Ecoflow.

Solar charge controller

Solar charge controller provides an automated charging mechanism telling the inverters exactly when to cut off charging the batteries. A solar charge controller or an MPPT(Maximum power point tracking) is important to look for in a solar generator. Solar batteries are one of the most expensive parts of a solar power station, and preventing any damage to it is crucial. 

Over charging can be a problem and cause serious damage to battery cells, MPPT limits the flow of current flowing. The sensors are integrated into a closed loop framework that stops the flow of current when the battery is fully charged.  MPPT is a new technology and addition to the solar generators making them more efficient and secure. 

The size of solar generator completely depends on your use. In case of small devices such as mobile phones, small lights and fans you might consider a solar generator with a capacity of 500-1000 Wh. Although a complete power solution that covers all electronic equipment’s from you laptops to refrigerators and air conditioners, you would have to look into larger capacities of 1000-5000Wh.

Look for the power ratings of your devices such as mobile phones, laptops, mini fridge and all others that you might want to need on your camping trip. Multiply the power rating in Watts by the least number of hours you have to power your devices for. You will have the complete sum of all your devices Wh and you’ll know the minimum capacity that you should consider having in a solar generator. Say you have a laptop with a power rating of a 100Watts, and you want to use it for 10 hours each day. You would need a 1000Wh for that kind of a usage.

Solar generators come in the range of 1000-4000$ all depending on the capacity that is the power output and other features. However on average, you might consider a 1500$ budget to cover the cost of a solar generator sufficient for an average use.

Companies like Bluetti and Jackery have an amazing warranty of 3-5 years varying on different products. However these companies also including Ecoflow provide a lifetime support to their customers. As to the life of solar generators, solar companies claim them to last at least 20 years with at least a 10 years of battery life without a need of replacement.

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