How Many Years Do Portable Power Stations Last
How many years a portable power station will last depends on three key factors — how well the product is maintained, how often it’s used and the battery type.
We have researched and spoken with several manufacturers and most units boast a 500-cycle lifespan. In some cases, such as the Anker 757, a unit may use LiFePO4 batteries compared to the more common Li-ion battery and offer up to 3,000 cycles or beyond.
One cycle means using the product from fully charged to zero charge . Therefore, if you use your portable power station several times a week, it might only last a year or two. But if you use it less frequently, it could last for much longer.
Is It Worth Getting A Solar Generator
A solar generator may be worth it depending on how you use it. The cost of the generator easily pays for itself if you live somewhere that receives ample sunlight and you utilize the energy from the generator as a home backup. Alternatively, if you frequently go on road trips, a solar generator is also worth it.
What Is Solar Generator
This portable solar generator offers many features and comes with a durable carrying handle. It provides enough power to power a few devices at a time and has a battery that lasts about four hours. In addition, it is quiet and easy to carry. The power station also comes with a USB port for charging your devices. It has many positive reviews from customers. In addition to providing sufficient power, it is easy to use and has long battery life.
This solar generator is portable, weighs just 12 pounds and is very affordable. It has a capacity of around 1200Wh, a peak of 2000W, and three standard pure sine wave AC outlets. The Jackery is ideal for users who need ample power for home use or camping. In addition, it comes with a 2.1 A USB port and a 12V port.
The best solar generators should have multiple output plugs. They should include AC outlets, USB-A and USB-C ports, and 12-volt DC outlets. This will allow you to charge multiple devices at the same time. The number of ports depends on the number of devices you need to power. Usually, a solar generator with at least a few USB-A ports will be more efficient than one with no ports.
A portable solar generator that offers USB ports is another good option. This model is easy to transport, lightweight, and features a large battery for charging your electronics.
Don’t Miss: Disadvantages And Advantages Of Solar Energy
Most Powerful: Point Zero Energy Titan Solar Generator
pointzeroenergy.com
Point Zero Energy is one of the foremost names in disaster preparedness, and when you take a look at their product specs, youll see why. Their Titan model solar generator offers almost twice the storage of similarly priced units with a high-capacity 2,000-watt-hour battery capacity and 3,000 watt high-efficiency inverter.
Why buy: On a purely technical level, this is the beefiest generator on our list, though of course, its also one of the priciest. The unit is made with high-efficiency components, meaning it doesnt waste a lot of energy running the system instead, it just supplies you with plenty of functional electricity when you need it the most.
Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro
$1,099 generator only at and Jackery $1,499 with 2 SolarSaga 100W Panels at Jackery $3,999 with 4 SolarSaga 200W Panel at and Jackery
The Jackery 1000 Pro is the popular battery brands newest portable power station, but as with its smaller sibling, its a bit behind the competition at this point. It uses a Lithium-Ion NMC, and with its larger battery pack, it needs more cooling than similarly sized LFP-based devices. Jackery claims 1,000 charge cycles, however, perhaps enabled by the units dual onboard fans. Wed expect these to run quite a bit at higher loads. That said, given that NMC batteries are lighter and more energy-dense, the 1000 Pro packs a solid amount of capacity into a lightweight case. Its got more contemporary USB-C PD ports on board as well, making it more useful all around with todays mobile devices and laptops.
For fast charging you can use a lot of panels. Large proprietary dongles connect to two Jackery panel cables, which attach to twin barrel-shaped solar connector jacks, letting you use up to four 200W panels on the 1000 Pro, which can get you a full charge in under two hours. The dongles arent used in simple two-panel or single-panel configurations.
You May Like: Ring Cam With Solar Panel
Sustainability And Portable Power Stations
In the event of a household power outage, any of the picks in this guide is a more sustainable option than firing up a gas-powered generator or car engine to keep your phone and other essential devices powered for an hour or more. They can also enable you to replace camping gear thats powered by fossil fuels, such as some lanterns or stoves, with their battery-powered counterparts.
Like with most products, one of the most sustainable things you can do with a portable power station is to treat it well so you dont have to replace it as frequently. To maximize its lifespan, store it in a cool, dry place. Most are rated to operate in temperatures ranging from 10 °F to 100 °F, but long periods in extreme temps can cause permanent damage to the battery. And while our picks are relatively rugged, you should still try to keep them from getting drenched in a downpour or flood, or damaged in a dust storm or fire.
Never use a portable power station to run high-drain devices for long periods of time, or any devices that exceed its output rating . Large power tools or appliances that generate heat can damage the internal components and void the warranty.
To ensure your portable power station is charged up and ready to go when you need it, you can store it plugged into a wall outlet. If theres no outlet nearby, its also fine to store it unpluggedall batteries lose their charge over time, but healthy lithium-ion batteries lose only a small percentage each month.
Top 10 Solar Generators
Prices taken at time of publishing.
This solar generator is lightweight at under five pounds and has a textured handle that makes it easy to carry from location to location. Another unique feature of this generator is that it can charge devices while its been recharged, and it can be recharged through a wall or car outlet.
Courtesy Amazon
Has the most affordable price point out of the models in this review
Can charge and recharge at the same time
Has a built-in textured handle for easy carrying
Criticized by some customers for dying quickly
Has the lowest power output in this review at 200 watts
What Customers Are Saying
Many customers praised this portable power station for producing minimal noise, having a long-lasting battery, and being easy to carry. Others said that they had positive customer service experiences. Unhappy customers noted that this model died quickly and lacked power.
Also Check: Does Sola Salon Take Walk Ins
Rockpals Solar Generator For Off
ROCKPALS is also a well-renowned brand name for electrical appliances, especially portable power stations and generators. Therefore, our next option is coming from ROCKPALS on this list.
In the 2nd position, we are putting one more budget option for a solar generator which is the ROCKPALS Portable Generator. Similar to our last option, this option also offers a built-in battery capacity of 64800 mAh with an output wattage rating of 250 watts. Therefore, you can use the dual AC output of the ROCKPALS Portable Generator for various smaller as well as medium-grade applications like charging your laptop or operating a TV or fan in your RV. Once fully charged, the ROCKPALS Portable Generator is capable of charging a standard laptop 3 to 5 times whereas your smartphone can be charged about 25 times.
The ROCKPALS Portable Generator is compatible with 60 and 100 watts solar panels if you want to use solar power to charge this unit. And for a faster-charging performance, you can simply plug it into an AC wall outlet and get the unit fully charged within 8 hours. The ROCKPALS Portable Generator is a pure sine wave inverter, making it a safer choice for all your electronic items. Along with the generator, you will also find a 6.5 ft long power cord with an AC adapter, 1-meter long car charging cable, and a DC to cigarette socket adapter to make it ready to use out of the box.
Best Feature:
Pros:
Portable Power Station Pricing
If you can find a portable power station for less than $300, you are getting an excellent value purchase. Its rare to find reliable, well-built options for just $100 to $200 total. Spend $300 to $500, and youll find products that can charge multiple electronics and devices at once. These power stations often come with a solar-power option. And for more than $500, portable power stations in this price range are extremely durable and long-lasting. They are often of the gas-powered variety.
Don’t Miss: Do Solar Panels Ruin Your Roof
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.
How Many Solar Panels Will Your System Need
There are times when the number of solar panels is more important than their quality, and other times when the opposite is true.
Panels with 30W of power can have the same footprint as panels with 120W, but the 30W panels will charge far more slowly. First and foremost, you should choose solar panels that give off much power. Only after that should you think about buying more solar panels.
Recommended Reading: Reviews Of Sun Run Solar
$499 Generator Only At Amazon And Jackery $799 With 100w Panel At Amazon And Jackery
Founded in 2012, Jackery is one of the oldest companies in the portable power station industry, and was key in popularizing these types of products. Its 500 series power station has been on the market since 2019 and is one of the most popular small solar generators. With its friendly industrial design and bright orange-and-black utilitarian look with monochrome LCD, it has spawned many clones.
The Explorer 500s battery chemistry also puts it behind the times. It uses a Lithium-Ion NMC battery, which runs hotter, charges more slowly and offers shorter lifespans with fewer charge cycles. That said, NMC batteries are lighter and more energy-dense, and the Explorer 500 is a solid, affordable performer, though it lacks up-to-date features like USB-C PD outputs for faster charging of modern portable electronics, still offering only USB-A ports. In addition to an external AC adapter that connects to its barrel-style DC power port, it uses a proprietary Jackery-to-barrel cable for its solar connection.
Can A Power Station Run A Refrigerator
Possibly, depending on the fridge and the portable power station.
For example, this standard LG refrigerator has an estimated annual energy consumption of 608 kilowatt-hours. That works out to 1.67 kilowatt-hours per day, or 1,670 watt-hours per day.
1,670 watt-hours per day works out to just under 70 watt-hours per hour. If you have a short-term power outage and only need to power your fridge, a 200-watt-hour power station could keep it running for nearly three hours. You’d need a power station with higher estimated watt-hours to run your fridge for longer. A mini fridge would last much longer than a larger model.
Always confirm the electrical requirements for your specific fridge and portable power station before trying this, especially your refrigerator’s peak and startup watts.
Read Also: How To Keep Sole Custody Of Your Child
How To Determine The Size Of Solar Generator That You Need *important
The size of a solar powered generator means two things:
- Battery capacity
Determines how long you can power your appliances without having to charge the generator.
This value is measured in watt-hours .
For example, if a generator has 3000Wh, it can power a 100W TV for 25 hours, a 60W laptop for 50 hours, or a 1250W electric grill for 2.4 hours.
To find the right generator capacity for your needs, you need to add up all power ratings you want to use at the same time and multiply with the number of hours..
Lets say you need to power:
fridge + TV + electric blanket + lighting = 420 W
For seven hours each day
420W x 7 h = 2940Wh that you need.
A quick scroll to the comparison table above and the generator you need is the Goal Zero Yeti 3000X.
Of course, if you need less power, you dont need to splurge with such a big battery.
How To Choose Solar Generator
When deciding which solar generator to buy, consider which features are important to you. Output ports are just as important as input ports, as they will determine what types of devices can be powered by the solar generator. Many solar generators feature multiple output ports. Some include a standard 110 volt AC port, while others have 12 volt DC ports, USB Type-A ports, and even USB Type-C ports. These ports are useful for charging smartphones and other devices.
The size of the battery is also important, as larger batteries will store more energy and last longer. Another thing to consider is the watt-hour rating. If you plan on charging a 100-watt device, a 150Wh solar generator will only be able to do so for 30 minutes. It is best to choose a solar generator with a higher battery capacity.
In addition to size, look at weight and portability. You dont want to be burdened with a heavy solar generator if you plan to use it outdoors for many days a year. Similarly, if you plan to use the solar generator for camping purposes, you wont want one with a high output. Additionally, a solar generator should be lightweight enough to be easily carried and house its parts in a sturdy box.
Choosing the right solar generator is crucial for your lifestyle. Portable models are convenient and can meet your needs when youre away from power outlets. You can even use a solar generator in a van.
Recommended Reading: How Many Solar Panels For 2000 Kwh
How Is A Portable Power Station Different From A Generator
A portable power station is essentially a big rechargeable battery that you carry around. Deplete it and it’s useless until you can recharge.
A generator, by definition is a device which actually will convert some type of energy to usable electricity in whatever circuitry you have it connected to. Examples of this would be gas generators — commonly used as power sources for remote areas or as whole-home backups, electric generators — not very common, but they convert some type of mechanical action to electricity and solar generators which can use solar panels to power devices or homes, often using a battery to temporarily store the electricity. These batteries are often portable power stations themselves.
What Customers Are Saying
Many customers praised this portable power station for producing minimal noise, having a long-lasting battery, and being easy to carry. Others said that they had positive customer service experiences. Unhappy customers noted that this model died quickly and lacked power.
Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240
Donât Miss: Solar Panels On Slate Roof
Don’t Miss: How Much To Get Solar Panels On Your Roof
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 To Pick The Right Solar Generator For You
There are a few key things to consider when shopping for a solar generator. The most important thing to think about is the intended use of your solar generator.
If you want a solar generator for extended camping trips, mid-sized solar generator battery banks like the Goal Zero Yeti 400 and the Jackery Explorer are great choices. They have enough storage capacity to charge devices multiple times while having a high enough continuous power output to run small appliances for a few hours.
If you want to be able to power entire areas of your home in the case of a power blackout, youll probably want a larger battery to meet your power needs, like the Titan 1000. Not only does it have enough battery capacity to charge devices, but it delivers enough power to run your refrigerator, as well.
Also, keep in mind what size solar panel you need. Larger solar generator batteries can oftentimes be paired with solar panels that have a higher wattage than those used for small batteries. Small to mid-sized batteries can be paired with 100-watt solar panels for a charging time between 8 and 9 hours.
Recommended Reading: How To Switch From Sole Proprietor To S Corp
