Best Portable Solar Power Generator

Can A Solar Generator Run A Refrigerator

Yes, some solar generators can power a refrigerator and some cannot. It depends on their capacities. Remember, a refrigerator is one of the appliances that consume power. Based on our experience, a solar generator that can power a refrigerator should generate at least 3,000 watts. That means if youre buying a generator because of your refrigerator, aim for at least 3,000 watts capacity.

Ask About Companys Reputation

This one is fairly easy just look for the companys website. If the presentation is full of information, downloadable manuals and tech sheets, instructional videos, youre probably at the right place.

Reputable companies have issued a number of products over time, improving the capabilities and design in every next generation.

These companies usually offer their proprietary solar panels, extra batteries, inverters, and other pieces of solar equipment that are most likely compatible with their solar generators.

Stay away from products you can buy only on e-commerce sites. These are most likely made with substandard components and sold under different obscure brand names.

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Best Solar Generator Inergy Flex 1500

The Inergy Flex 1500 solar generator is a very unique and cool unit. It is essentially a mini-Titan. It has half the inverter size, half the battery capacity, and one quarter the solar input and is about half the price.

The Flex solar generator battery is 1,069wh as well as each expandable battery. They are lithium nmc and are rated to 2,000 cycles just like the Titan batteries. However, the Flex solar generator batteries are only capable of running 1,500w continuously for 80% of their total capacity.

The Inergy Flex has a pure sine wave inverter that is rated to 1,500w continuous output and 3,000w surge. One of the biggest issues Ive had with Inergy systems like the Apex and Kodiak has been the battery to inverter capacity. Essentially, the battery is not capable of running 1,500w for very long.

Inergy has said that with the Flex solar generator, it will not be limited like the Apex and Kodiak was in the past. The Apex, which was the model before the Flex, was only capable of running 1,500w for about 4 minutes before it would shut off. I hope that the Flex doesnt have the same issue especially since they are claiming it can do more than the Apex and Kodiak.

It has a solar charge controller that Inergy says will allow 600 watts of solar power to go into it. The charge parameters are 14-90v at 30a. This means you can supposedly use either a series or parallel solar panel configuration to get the 600w, but is that true?

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Are There Other Types Of Generators

Yes. Some generators use electricity or gas for power. However, some people prefer solar generators for the following reasons:

• Theyre more eco-friendly because they use energy from the sun as opposed to fossil fuels.
• Theyre cheaper to operate because you dont have to buy fuel refills.
• Theyre better in emergency situations where you might not have access to fuel.
• Theyre quieter.
• Theyre more portable because theyre smaller and lighter.

How To Shop The Best Solar Generators

Shopping for electronics can be intimidating, especially if youre not a techie. Battery technology can be especially complicated, sometimes making you feel as though you need an advanced degree just to compare products. Under the hood, solar generators are complicated little devices. But, finding the right model doesnt have to be impossible. Here are the most important things to consider when shopping for the best solar generator :

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Delivers Free And Clean Energy

Once you pay for the solar power generator and the panels to go with it, everything else is pretty much free. You have an unlimited supply of energy from dawn to dusk, no matter how far from the nearest outlet.

With a solar generator, I dont have to think about fuel price fluctuations. Solar all the way, baby!

How Do Portable Solar Generators Work

A portable solar generator is essentially a miniature version of a full-size solar system thats installed in homes.

Instead of large panels on the roof and a high-capacity battery bank in the house, a portable solar generator captures power using smaller solar panels.

You can get a generator with the panel’s built-in, but most come without solar panels. You have to buy your own and connect them to the solar generator.

Power from solar panels is stored in a built-in battery usually, a lithium-ion battery through lead acid battery solar generators are common too.

Most solar generators have a built-in charge controller to monitor and control current from the solar panels. This ensures the battery charges efficiently and safely.

When you plug an appliance into the solar generators AC outlet, an inverter converts DC power from the battery into usable AC output.

Most portable solar generators also have multiple USB ports for charging smartphones and other devices as well as a 12V DC port for things like lighting, CPAP machines, and power tools.

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Other Portable Power Stations We’ve Tested

Energizer PPS700 : OK performance and features overall, but one of the lowest tested capacities, making the usable capacity closer to 477Wh.

Anker PowerHouse 533 : Fast charging speeds , and I’m also a fan of the extra wide display screen and rear-mounted light bar. Most expensive small portable power station.

EcoFlow River MAX : Blazing fast charging and a low cost per watt-hour make this a reasonable pick, however this unit did test lowest in measured vs expected capacity, putting it at 425 usable watt-hours. Where’d those extra 151 watt-hours go?

RockSolar NOMAD RS650 : This is a basic, no-frills unit. If you just need power, period, this will work assuming it fits your capacity needs. Slow to charge and lower than average capacity rating at a probably-too-high price.

Speedwatt : Just kind of OK. Capacity is good, but we tested two separate units and both seemed to have some disconnect between the actual performance of the unit and the information displayed on the user screen. Currently listed as unavailable.

GoSun PowerBank 1100 : I really wanted to like this unit more, partially because of GoSun’s extended offerings of solar-friendly devices, and as far as capacity goes, this runs in the middle of the pack, but man is it slow to charge. It took nearly 12 hours — over twice as long as our largest power station that offers nearly twice the capacity. At $1,499, I’d like to see a faster charging option and maybe more outputs or at least wireless charging.

Best Solar Generator Bluetti Ac200p

The Bluetti AC200P is rather new but has had quite the following due to their successful launch on IndieGoGo. Originally, they started with the AC200 which had lithium nmc battery cells in it. Then they switched to the LiFePo4 batteries because they had more power, lasted longer, and were available.

The Bluetti AC200P is not expandable with batteries or more solar panels, so what you see is what you get. It has a good-sized battery at 2,000wh which meets the minimum recommended amount. Because the Bluetti AC200P solar generator uses LiFePo4 batteries, it has an incredible lifecycle rating of 3,500 cycles!

The pure sine wave inverter is also a very good size at 2,000w which means its capable of running all the things necessary during an emergency such as a fridge, freezer, coffee machine, microwave, toaster, small a/c unit, and so on.

The solar charge controller is rated to 700w solar input at a rate of 35-150v and 12a. This means that this system, like the Titan, can be over-paneled, allowing up to 1,400w of solar panels to be connected. It will still only let in 700w max input, but this allows nearly twice as much power to be made in a single day.

and is at a fair price of $1,998 which puts its Unit Wattage price at $1.63/unit wattage. 2nd place unit also has the 2nd place pricing.

Complete Bluetti AC200P Kit:

2x 15 PV Connector Solar Cable .

1x PV Connector Branch Connector .

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Bluetti Ac200p Portable Power Station

Battery Capacity: 2000Wh | Rated Output: 2000W | Charging Time: 3-4 hours | Weight: 60 lbs.

If I could pick only one of the bunch, it would have to be the Bluetti AC200P, a power station that packs a lot of punch for its size.

In a well-rounded package, you get a total of 17 output ports to power your gadgets, including the two ultra-handy wireless charging pads.

With a power capacity of 2000W, this power station can run almost any appliance, including my fridge, microwave, toaster, and in a pinch even a room heater.

Thanks to the surge power of 4800 watts, the AC200P has no trouble firing up power tools and machines with AC motors.

The new lithium-iron technology gives you an insane battery life of more than 3,500 charge cycles. This means you wont have to think about getting one for the next 10 years, even with heavy use.

This is hands-down the best solar generators to get in 2022 as it ticks all the boxes.

Sinkeu Portable Power Station 27000mah/99wh Solar By Sinkeuuk

• COMPACT & PORTABLE: This compact power station generator adopt handle design, and very little weight, which make it easy to carry. 99Wh power station for camping, off grid adventures, RV trips, overnight fishing trips. We can run outdoor electronic devices such as laptop, smartphone, drones, mini refrigerators, LED bulbs, SLR camera on this power station with solar panels connected to it to top up during the day. In addition, during power outages, it is the best backup battery.
• VERSATILE & FAST CHARGE: 27000mAh/99Wh large battery capacity, support 10A max DC output and 150W max AC output. The LCD smart display shows the remaining power, the rated power during charging, self-check indicator, which is convenient for you to know the situation of this device and make a charging plan. Our generator offers 3 lighting modes: Steady, SOS, Strobes. It can meet our various needs when going out camping.
• VARIOUS OUTPUTS & INPUTS: 6 output ports, 1*230V/50Hz AC power socket, 2*12~16V/10A maximum DC output port, 2*5V/2.4A USB port,1* USB C port 3 input methods, support solar panel , wall socket , car charger.

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High Solar Input And Charging Speed

The solar input wattage tells you how much power the generator can receive from solar panels.

For example, the Bluetti AC200P has a solar input of 700 watts. This means that you can hook it up to 7x100W or 3x200W solar panels and its 2000Wh battery will recharge in 3-4 hours.

Such efficient solar charging wouldn’t be possible without the MPPT controllers.

This device evens out the voltage difference between an undercharged battery and solar panels. As a result, almost all the solar energy they produce is used to charge the generator.

The MPPT controller is a standard feature of many modern solar generators, but please go through the specs sheet before you buy.

So to conclude, if fast solar charging is your priority, look for solar generators that offer plenty of solar input.

On the other hand, if you want to fully use the enormous 1200W solar input of the Bluetti EP500 and fill up its 5100Wh battery, youll have to deploy 12x100W or 6x200W solar panels.

Theres no magic to it. Having high solar input is always good, but youll definitely need more than 2 solar panels to reach it.

This is why its important to prioritize your needs and buy the solar generator you can make the most use of.

Always ask two questions:

• How much power do I really need?
• How many solar panels can I really deploy?

Geneverse Homepower One Pro

$1,499 generator only at , $2,699 with 2 200W panels at

Previously known as Generark, and like Oupes and numerous others, Geneverse is also making LFP-based Jackery lookalikes, which includes selling panels that are spitting images of the SolarSaga 200W, except that they are grey. Otherwise the cabling and dongle setup is identical to what Jackery sells currently for its 1000 Pro and 2000 Pro line.

Their HomePower One Pro eschews the orange and black color palette of the Jackery 1000 Pro, opting for a dark plastic grey casing and a blue and black display with a data layout similar to its competitors. It has a 1,210 Wh battery, a 1,200W inverter and an 800W DC input, giving it a slight edge over the Jackery 1000 Pro in power output.

Geneverses other advantages over the Jackery 1000 Pro include Wi-Fi-based app management, but we thought the app wasnt nearly sophisticated or as well-designed as what we saw from EcoFlow, Goal Zero or even Bluetti. Its functionality is pretty basic, and felt its connectivity was not particularly reliable.

Geneverse provides a five-year warranty if you buy directly from the company.

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Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team

This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.

We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at .

How We Tested The Best Portable Power Stations

Factors such as volume, weight, battery chemistry, and novelty have been considered in this guide to be more objective. Testing includes running the mobile app for stations equipped with Wi-Fi and upgrading the firmware when required. On top of the charge and discharge cycles, we went beyond the maximum power allowed on each generator and observed successful recovery from the over-power protection.

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Aeiusny Portable Solar Power Station 288wh/500w

One thing you need to evaluate is the size of the portable power station youre purchasing. Consider the weight, too why? Thats because these are the primary factors that can determine the comfort of the prospective users.

So, in cases whereby you already know youd be hoarding loads, youd need this, which weighs 20 pounds only. Howbeit, it has impressive futuristic too. Apart from the handle at its top, this has appealing looks.

The colors that its made of are dual DC ports with four USB ports. Furthermore, the power capacity for this is 1000W.

There is an AC power outlet also. Users can use this to charge nine or more devices at a time.

The pure sine wave enhances the steady distribution of power across the solar power generator. In addition, you can remain assured of your purchase because this product is backed with a 1-year warranty.

Indeed, this also is a rechargeable solar power generator. However, what distinguishes this from several others is the number of charging options it has. Its rechargeable via an AC wall outlet, car, and solar panel.

Notwithstanding, it comes with the full accessories that youd need to have immediate use of the unit. Its a unit that charges very fast, too.

Features:

Budget Pick: Jackery Explorer 300

If your main priority is portabilityfollowed closely by plentiful power and port optionstheres no better option than the Jackery Explorer 300. Its light enough for the average person to tote around without breaking a sweat. It has a great capacity and maximum output for the price, and nearly as many input/output ports as our larger picks. And, since its essentially a miniature version of the Explorer 1000, it has the same rugged and streamlined design.

In our testing, the Explorer 300 was able to run our tabletop fan for 6 hours, which is as long as any other lightweight contender. The Anker PowerHouse II 400 had the same run time, the Aukey PowerTitan 300 lasted 5 hours, and the Jackery Explorer 160 lasted 2 hours with the same fan. In our max-output test, the Explorer 300 produced an impressive peak of 384 Wwell over its 300 W output rating, and slightly higher than what we measured from the other lightweight options we considered.

Like its bulkier sibling, the Explorer 300 has a hard-plastic shell, four rubber feet on the bottom, and a sturdy handle on top. At the same time, it weighs just 7 pounds, or about as much as a newborn babyour top and runner-up picks weigh 22 and 18 pounds, respectively, or about as much as a 1-year-oldso its much less strenuous to carry around. Plus, it takes up less space in a car trunk or closet.

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Best Portable Solar Generator For Long Trips: Jackery Explorer 1000

The Jackery Explorer 1000s extra-large capacity makes it perfect for extended trips. Its also a great choice if you need to power appliances.

Pros

Our Review

Features

1002Wh Li-ion battery: This is much bigger than the capacity of the other solar generators weve picked.

While it does make the Jackery Explorer 1000 bigger and heavier, its perfect for long trips. You can charge devices and run small appliances for days.

1000W pure sine wave inverter: The high-output inverter in the Explorer 1000 matches the large capacity of the battery.

It can power appliances with a draw of up to 1000W via one of the three AC outlets. You can plug in larger appliances like a kitchen refrigerator, a small heater, or a mini coffee maker.

Four USB ports: For your gadgets and devices, theres a 5V/2.4A USB-A port, a quick charge 3.0 USB-A port, and two USB-C ports with power delivery.

These ports cover all kinds of gadgets including smartphones, drones, cameras, and USB-C powered laptops.

DC output: The Jackery Explorer 1000 also includes a single 12V DC car port.

Three recharge options: You can recharge the Explorer 1000 from your vehicle, via a wall outlet, or using solar panels.

The solar panels are not included. You only get an AC adapter and a car charger.