Table of Contents
Introduction
The fac is, if you live in an area that is prone to natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and the likes, there is a great probability that electricity blackouts would often occur. When these blackouts occur, you probably would not have power for about three days, sometimes, a week.
You do not want to be helpless during these blackouts. Without electricity, you would not be able to power some essential equipment like your washing machine, gas cooker, heater, during snowy times, Snowblower, microwave and the likes. There is a very reliable alternative during these blackouts. What is this alternative? It is not far fetched, it is simply getting a quality solar-powered generator. Many do not like the idea of fossil fuels in their homes due to health hazards, so this is a fantastic alternative. A standard one would be able to power at least essential appliances, if not all in your home. In this informational content, we would take a look at solar-powered generators in their entirety. Can they work in times for blackouts for your needs? Follow through and find out.
What is a Solar-powered Generator?
Solar-powered generators are generating sets that do not use fossil fuels as a means of power but rather, they use solar, batteries, and inverters as a means of power. The core components of solar-powered generators are the batteries which the solar charges up, the inverter which powers after charging, and the controller for charge control. A solar-powered generator is charged through solar, or simply put, sunlight. Then this power from the charge would then be diverted into the generator battery which the inverter would eventually distribute for powering appliances in the home.
How Does this solar-powered equipment work to meet your needs?
A solar-powered generator does the work of powering your home through its components and parts. The different parts of the equipment have a particular work that contributes to the overall work of the equipment:
A) Generating battery – This is the core part of a solar-powered generator. The battery does an indispensable and important work so to say. Like we earlier stated, the energy is from the sun. If the generating set captures this sunlight energy, there has to be a reliable place of storage for later use. This place of storage is the battery. Solar-powered generating batteries are mostly lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are the type of batteries that can store quality power able to power your appliances. It is not that other types of batteries are not used for solar-powered generators but Lithium-ion batteries are the best for durability and prolonged affordability.
B) Charging control – This is another important and crucial part of the solar-powered generator. Batteries of solar-powered generators should not just be charged without any procedure and regulation. It is this charging control that would help regulate how you charge your battery based on the make, capacity, and type of your battery. Some batteries take longer periods to charge up than others. A core reason why your solar-powered battery needs charging control is to avoid overcharging and undercharging.
C) Inverter Engine- This is the control room of your solar-powered generator powering your home and appliances. The solar power trapped from the sunlight cannot just be used to power your appliances directly. It has to be converted and stepped down to a much lesser power. The inverter does the work of converting the direct current (DC) from sunlight into alternating current (AC) that can then be used to power your appliances and all. Why should the Direct current be stepped down? The direct current that your solar-powered generator traps from sunlight have to be stepped down by the inverter because it is too high of a voltage and can damage your appliances. Take note though. You shouldn’t use direct current at home due to high current and voltage. This is not to say that no equipment use direct current. Of course, some equipment makes use of direct current as opposed to alternating current.
So, solar-powered generators of a battery inverter and charge control primarily to provide electricity through solar energy. Let us then delve into the types of solar-powered generators around and what they comprise of.
Types of Solar-powered Generators
The very first solar-powered generator we would consider is the solar backup generating set.
solar backup generating set
The solar backup generator is very ideal if the blackouts and power-outs in your location or area are very frequent. This gives you a very reliable electricity backup anytime your electricity goes off. Why is the solar backup generating set the best for frequent power outages? It is because it stores way much power. This equipment can store enough power in batteries usable for up to five days.
To be able to do this, the solar backup generating set has up to four high-quality Lithium-ion batteries for effective and efficient solar power storage. Solar backup generating sets can power your regular home appliances and medium-power. This is the best for home use. Very easy to use as you do not have to install a complete electrical mechanism. What is more fascinating about solar backup generating sets? They can reach full charge within a short period! If your solar panels have high watts, you can charge a standard solar backup generator in a day and a half.
Solar backup generators cannot cause noise and air pollution at all. Why is this so? It is because solar backup generating sets do not use fossil fuels which can cause emission of harmful chemicals and gases. They also make a minimal amount of noise, in fact, you can keep them in your house, not necessarily outside. This way, they cannot cause any noise and/or air pollution. The slight cons of solar backup generating sets are their weight actually. They are usually quite heavy and can be quite difficult to move around. That mentioned solar backup generating sets is very ideal for powering your home and appliances during prolonged power outages.
Portable solar-powered generating sets
This is the other type of solar-powered generators that we would consider. These types of solar-powered generators are quite mobile. They are very useful when traveling for research work and the likes. The mobility of portable solar-powered generators means that they cannot be as powerful and durable as backup generating sets. This does not mean that they cannot power some of your home appliances though. Portable solar-powered generators can power mobile devices and medium-power appliances like small-sized television sets, fans, and likes. Little appliances are what a portable solar-powered generator can support for a reasonably long period.
They also have solar panels that charge them up. But their solar panels are not as strong and of high watts as those of solar-powered backup generating sets. Portable solar-powered generating sets are also not without their cons. The prime con of portable solar-powered generating sets is the delay in charge. They usually take quite a lot of time to reach full charge. Also, portable solar-powered generating sets do not have the capacity to power significant or power-consuming home appliances.
This is because they do not have the battery type of solar-powered backup generators. Also, their solar panels do not have high watts. You might be deep in thought about why this is so. This is so because of the mobility of portable solar-powered. The mobility necessitates that it is not heavy. For the portable generating set to meet this criterion, it has to be composed of light components. In essence, it cannot incorporate the heavy materials that make solar backup generating sets more durable and powerful. But overall, it is good for small-scale powering. You would easily power light materials for long periods when it is fully charged.
After all that has been stated, do you know that you can assemble your solar-powered generator yourself based on your need(s)? If so, let us consider what you would buy to make up a working and efficient solar-powered generating set.
The three core components you would need to get are charge controllers, solar panels, and solar generators. The first component you should prioritize getting is the solar generator. This would determine the type of solar panel and charge controller you would purchase. This is so because some certain panels and controllers work for certain solar generator(s). So, you have to be careful not to get one that would not work(the reason why you should purchase the solar generator first). If you put all these in place you would then be able to assemble your solar-powered generator by watching this.
How to get a solar-powered generating set that would work for your particular purpose(s)?
One thing you should note is that solar-powered generating sets would provide you with electricity during power outages. But do you prioritize quality voltages, over a longer period of electricity supply? These are the factors you have to consider to get a solar-powered generator that would work well for you.
- The battery- You have to decide whether you want Lithium-ion batteries that are of high watts or acid-based batteries that are for relatively light uses. If you would want to power appliances that consume power, you should go for Lithium-ion batteries and backup solar generators. If you intend to power relatively small stuff, you could go for portable solar generators and acid-based batteries.
- Inverter power- once again, you have to go for high -power inverters of you intend powering relatively large appliances. If your plan is for small appliances and devices, you could go for the portable inverters.
- Mobility- If you would be moving your solar-powered generator about, get a portable one. But if not, get a backup type for quality power and prolonged durability. Keep in mind though that purchasing mobile comes with a bit of downside. And this the reduced capacity to power energy consuming appliances.
Conclusion
Everything concerning solar-powered generators has been given an in-depth examination. This content has taken you through what solar-powered generators are, their uses, and how to get one that would suit a particular purpose(s). If you follow the guidelines in this informational content, you would be able to get just the solar-powered generator that you need for whatever purpose.