What can be powered with a solar portable power station?

[vandwellinggypsy]

[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]How do I know how many watts a item uses? I am going to use a solar power station generator in my van.  It says it cannot handle an electric kettle or even a blow dryer! Will I be able to use an electric throw blanket? Or my laptop? How can I know? Help! [/font]

[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]I have read other posts on here and I see people are poo poo on them for price etc. I am not ready to set up a full solar set up. [/font]

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums vandwellinggypsy! Portable power stations work well for people in small vehicles with low power usage who do not want to install a more elaborate system. They may be perfect for you even though they are expensive for what you get. Each appliance will have the wattage listed somewhere so use that as a guide for how powerful a unit you will need to buy. Here's the webpage for a Jackery 500 with examples of what it will power for a specific length of time: https://www.jackery.com/collections/featured-products/products/explorer-500w-portable-power-station

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[crofter]

There is a 500 watt version that should be more useful. Also some low power gadgets are coming out for use with the generators.  -crofter

 

[Riverman]

I'd put my money into a solar system with a couple of batteries, or at least an inverter generator.

You get what you pay for in the long run...

 

[jonyjoe303]

it depends on its output capabilities, they all have different capabilities. I have a small 31ah one that can do DC 30 amp max output. It can power everything my house battery can since I never use more than 20 amps. The specs for the power station will tell you what its output is. Also all devices have a power usage rating either amps or watts. If its DC and it uses 100 watts (divide by 12 to get the amps output which is about 8 DC amps) to get more precise use a dc wattmeter, they cost about 12 dollars. For AC devices if it says 2 amps (you need to multiply by 120 to get the watts which is 240 watts then divide by 12 to get dc amps which is 20 amps).   

I use it to power my 200 watt inverter to run my laptop, I use it to heat up my food with a 12 volt roadpro lunch bucket cooker (12 amps), I use to run my led lights (1 to 3 amps), charge my cellphone/tabet (2 amps), run my swampcooler (3 amps), it'll also charge my powertool batteries.

The power station are best for small loads, they might have the capability to run a big load but it won't run it for long. For my 12 inch laptop which I usually use it for 3 hours at night, my 31ah powerpack can run it for about 5 days before I have to charge it again.

As an example of a typical power station(specs on their website), a goalzero 400 lithium (40ah) can only do 10 amps dc output, but its built in inverter can do 300 watts. with the 10 amp dc output it limits what you can run. For me who uses the roadpro cooker(12 amps) several times a week it would be a dealbreaker.

You have figure what your needs are then see if the powerstation is powerful enough to run those devices.

 

[Trebor English]

[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]I am not ready to set up a full solar set up. [/font]

How do you plan to recharge the power station?  It is just a battery.  Every bit of energy you get out you must have put in first.  

Mobile electrical systems are expensive.  Light weight portable systems are even more expensive.  What many people do is make a list of the electric things they want, add up the energy use, then check the price on a system that size.  Then they go back to the list and remove stuff and repeat until their budget works.  

Most electrical devices have a sticker that says how many watts a product uses.  You estimate the hours you expect to use it and multiply.  A 55 watt electric blanket for 8 hours is 440 watt hours.  An 800 watt blender for 6 minutes, one tenth hour, is 80 watt hours.  A string oh LED lights might be ten watts for 2 hours, 20 watt hours.  A small TV at 60 watts for 4 hours is 240 watt hours.  Add them up.  440+80+20+240=780 watt hours.  The maximum, the blender is 800.  So tu have this electricity for a day you need a power station that can hold 780 watt hours and can provide at least 800 watts.  

Watt hours are energy like gallons of gasoline.  Watts are the speed of the energy like how fast does the gas pump fill up your tank.  Those are different things.  

$450 Goal Zero Yeti 400 can hold 400 watt hours and can deliver 300 watts.  That's not enough watts for the blender and not enough watt hours for the electric blanket

$1200 Goal Zero Yeti 1000 holds 1045 watt hours and can deliver 1500 watts.  That's enough watts and enough watt hours for the hypothetical list I made up.  

Now go back to the product advertisement and look at the details.  The yeti 1000 takes 25 hours to recharge from a 120 volt AC outlet.   The solar panels cost extra.  Recharge time using solar depends on which panels and solar conditions.

 

[DLTooley]

These all in one systems are a viable option for a smaller system. The 500wh systems will provide about half the useable power of a two Trojan set up. As they are complete systems, charge controller, battery, inverter and 12v output they are competitive.

For a larger system the standard two Trojan golf cart battery based system with lead acid batteries is still the way to go. But not for much longer, and one of these might make a good transitional supplement.

I’d not go over a 500wh in size. Inverter and charge controllers vary and are a good comparison point. There are now LiFePo4 products available.

You will need to buy panels, probably best NOT from the manufacturer.

Maximum watts should be listed on the product, motors have surges. DC connections have efficiency advantages. Inverters on these are generally smaller.

 

[maki2]

If you are defining a device as being portable because you have the physical ability to pick up a device and carry it around in your hands that is going to be limited in size by how much arm span you have and how much you can lift. That being said some people can pick up heavier objects than others. So the limit is not the devices you hook to it, the limit is what you can lift up and move around.

 

[sub2rainEN]

Thanks everyone for your input on this thread. I’ve been trying to decide between AGM and lithium. I finally decided on the Yeti 3000. It has 300 ah of lithium batteries and of course is plug & play. My reasons:

My lack of physical ability

Lack of help (have uncles visiting for a few weeks, one has experience with wiring and plumbing)

30 year old rig has had electrical issues crop up — everything on the wall by the sink went out after having worked: water pump, water heater, tank monitors

Cost and hassle of having all wiring replaced

Trying to go all electric, had old, rusty propane tank removed in the fall

Should be able to run everything I need: 1800 W induction cooktop (10-30 mins/day on medium), dorm fridge, 1600 W toaster oven (30 mins/day at 400 max), Instant pot (30-60 mins a few days/week), charge phone/tablet daily, laptop weekly.

With a battery system, would need to upgrade inverter, current is 1000 or 1200 (it’s mounted upside down in a space I can’t get to, hard to check)

Ability to charge by solar and alternator simultaneously

Can detach easily from alternator and solar to charge indoors. (Planning to urban boondock and use facilities at my alma mater).

Can keep or sell separately from van when the time comes.

Other than terribly snowy days when I wouldn’t want or be able to take it inside to charge, I think this is the best option for me.



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[nature lover]

I should keep my moth shut - but I never do - just ask my x. My only experience with yeti and the like has been second hand. BUT it appears to me that there are other less expensive systems than the brand name yeti. That being said I would look at similar units and their prices and then ask for feed back from experienced users of that name on here. I have friends who wish that they would have done that before spending top dollar for the yeti. Only my opinion take it or leave it.?

 

[Riverman]

No way I would spend $3000 for a device that would not even generate it's own power.

 

[sub2rainEN]

I hope some happy and dissatisfied Yeti owners will comment here. Before I make an investment like that, I’m trying to get as much info as I can.

I’m waiting until May, so I can use a 25% off Friends and Family coupon from a friend who works at REI. That takes the price down to $2100, a bit more than two Battle Born 100 ah batteries, but includes a more powerful inverter.

I really don’t want to spend $1000+ for something from China with no customer support.

I should keep my moth shut - but I never do - just ask my x. My only experience with yeti and the like has been second hand. BUT it appears to me that there are other less expensive systems than the brand name yeti. That being said I would look at similar units and their prices and then ask for feed back from experienced users of that name on here. I have friends who wish that they would have done that before spending top dollar for the yeti. Only my opinion take it or leave it.?

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