The portable solar power market is blazing with an incredible collection of solar generators or solar power stations. Commonly abbreviated as ‘Solar Gens‘, these devices are cool solar chargeable battery packs that are much suited for off-grid living, home power backup, and several other portable applications.
With the foray of several powerful brands into the segment, the solar gens have turned out to be super cool alternatives to the traditional gas-based generators. If you are looking at buying a solar generator, here is our Beginners Guide to Buying a Solar Generator or Solar Power Station.
A lot of people today, especially campers and outdoor enthusiasts, have wholeheartedly embraced the idea of solar power stations for portable power. Of course, users can enjoy a lot of advantages with solar-based battery packs, provided that they have ample sunlight in the places they want to use them the most.
Solar Generators are Basically Solar Chargeable Portable Battery Packs. They Are Well-Suited for Off-Grid, Survival, and Home Power Backup Applications.
First of all, solar gens have clearly put an end to the emission of greenhouse gases compared to their gas alternatives. Further, they are easy picks for outdoor enthusiasts as portable power sources as long as people no longer need to get through the chaos of carrying gasoline on their trips.
Do the solar gens come cheaper? No way!
Coming to the price, solar power stations are quite expensive. When you buy a machine with the required solar array to reach its maximum solar input capabilities, it is notably expensive compared to buying a gas generator. Alone, a solar power station costs less, though quite costlier than a gas replacement.
Solar Power is Free of Cost, But it is Expensive to Invest in a Solar Power Station Along with the Sufficient Solar Panels Compared to Buying a Gas Generator.
But the running cost of solar gen is cheaper, though. The power from the sunlight is available free of cost and it is virtually wasted if not used.
Solar Generator Pros and Cons
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What is a Solar Power Station?
Any battery power pack with a built-in soar charging option is a solar power station. It features an AC inverter and a number of USB and DC ports apart from a few AC sockets to back up your devices and appliances off the grid.
A Battery Power Pack with a Solar Charging Option is a Solar Power Station or Solar Generator. It Packs an AC Inverter with AC Sockets and Multiple USB and DC Outlets.
Along with the option for charging from a solar panel, it also supports charging from a wall socket and a carport. The new-gen power stations even incorporate the charging facilities from EV charging stations, wind turbines, gas generators, and regular battery packs.
Advantages of New-Gen Solar Generators
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Solar Power Station Vs Solar Generator
There is technically no difference. Both solar power stations and solar generators are the same products. It is all about the branding of the product. When the brands market their products with no solar panels in the bundle, they tend to list them as solar power stations.
When they have the same products in bundles with minimum or all the required solar panels, they market them as solar generators. Well, vendors like Jackery and EcoFlow always put on display their products separately as solar power stations and solar generators.
Jackery Explorer 1000 Portable Power Station Vs Jackery Solar Generator 1000
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The Modern-Day High-Wattage Solar Generators Can Smoothly Power up Bigger Household Appliances Like Refrigerators, Ovens, Power Tools, and More.
EcoFlow DELTA Portable Power Station Vs EcoFlow DELTA Solar Generator
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As said above, they are all the same products. But you can use them as either solar gens or power stations. If you don’t want to utilize the solar charging option, you can get them charged from your home wall socket or any other sources and use them as backup systems anywhere you wish to.
In case you need to rely on them for portable or green power in the wild, solar charging can be a great advantage. With the advanced MPPT charge controllers under the hood and resultant higher solar charging speeds, you are indeed lucky to charge the modern-day power stations from the sunlight quite faster.
Solar Power Generator for Camping and RVs
We need a lot of power for eventful camping or RVing. Today, people head into an outdoor life with so many electronic devices. They can be phones, tablets, cameras, ovens, fridges, and CPAPs and all these devices require seamless power to make your life outdoors full of fun.
Earlier, we used to rely on gas generators, power banks, or RV batteries for emergency power. These days, the finest thing is to get a solar power station with sufficient solar panels.
Most solar power station makers have crafted their power stations as ideal backup solutions for outdoor living. Moreover, the brands are working hard on further increasing the storage capacities and solar charging speeds of their products for better camping or RVing experience.
All the Leading Brands Have Designed their Solar Power Stations Apt for Camping and RV Use as They Turn out with Enough Storage and Output, Multiple Charging Outlets, and Portable Profiles.
All the latest solar power generators are friendly for outdoor applications, including the big and heavy-duty models as they turn up with strong and durable roller wheels and solid carrying handles.
The best thing for a funny outdoor life is to keep a reliable solar power station in your campervan or RV. If you get them with foldable, ultra-portable solar panels, you can take them out and place them anywhere to get the best exposure to the sunlight for charing your backup systems.
1. Jackery Explorer 500
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2. Bluetti EB70
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3. EcoFlow River Pro
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4. Anker 757 PowerHouse
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Best Solar Generator for Off-Grid Living
Solar is indeed the one and only reliable power source for off-grid life. In other words, off-gird life is only possible in its fruitful sense with your reliance on solar power to meet day-to-day energy needs. It is a fact that wind or other alternative power sources are meager enough to power your off-grid life.
Most of the brands have aligned their solar power stations and compatible solar panels in a way that they will come in the help of the people who love off-grid life
Earlier, you were required to erect solar panels on top of your off-grid cabin or tent and set up battery and inverter systems inside. With modern-day solar generators, it is rather easily possible as you can take these systems anywhere you want.
Solar Power Stations Have Made the Collection of Power for Off-Grid Life Rather Easier and Trouble-Free
The included PV panels are also ultra-portable solutions that you can handily store with the power stations and take them out whenever required for collecting power to juice the backup systems. It is true that solar power stations have made the collection of power for off-grid life rather easier and more trouble-free.
All the power stations on the market are ideal for off-grid use. So, it is all about your decision in choosing a model that matches your power needs and output requirements.
Best Portable Solar Generator
If you are looking at buying a solar generator, you have a lot of brands to choose from. From Goal Zero to Jackery, to Bluetti, to AllPowers, to Anker, several brands have on sale different products out there.
As you may know, Goal Zero was the first brand to launch full-fledged solar power stations with its original Yeti Lead-acid series ten years back. Later, newer brands like Jackery, Bluetti, and EcoFlow forayed into the market with many impressive and competing models.
Presently, the market is rich with many more brands such as Anker, AllPowers, Rockpals, Zendure, Renogy, Montek Solar, etc. But if you are looking for the best solar generator, we would like to recommend you buy from three top players; Bluetti, EcoFlow, and Jackery.
Bluetti
Bluetti is the major player in the market with an awesome collection of products of all sizes, battery types, and features. From its 5100Wh EP500 to 500Wh AC50S, the brand offers you more than a dozen of super-quality products.
They include a number of highly modular power stations like AC300 and AC200 Max, and what’s more, most of its latest models have ultra-safe and long-lasting LifePO4 battery packs under the hood.
EcoFlow
Just after Bluetti comes EcoFlow. The brand offers several models in two series of products; the River and Delta. The River is a line of compact power stations, which also include expandable models like River Max.
The Delta is the brand’s famous big-size and mid-range series of power stations with Delta Pro being one of the best-seller home battery packs out there. Delta Pro has got a Max, Mini, and original variant to meet the power needs of different customers.
Jackery
Next, we have Jackery. It is another leading vendor of stylish and ultra-compact power stations. The brand has a series of Explorer power stations with a handful of popular models.
The best-sellers of the Explorer series are Explorer 500, Explorer 1000, Explorer 1500, and Explorer 2000 Pro.
The stylish, orange-shaded devices are known for their ultra-compact designs and are the favorite choices of outdoor enthusiasts.
Bluetti Vs EcoFlow Vs Jackery – Best Portable Solar Generators
| Bluetti | EcoFlow | Jackery |
| Bluetti AC300+B300 | EcoFlow River | Explorer 300
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Vahid Vee is a full-time blogger who is highly passionate about portable and off-grid power backup systems. As a keen observer of the global portable power market, he is really excited to share with you the latest trends, new products, and other developments in the market. #Contact Email @ veevahid@gmail.com – LinkedIn – Full blog profile.