Anybody got any experience with solar generators? Basically a solar panel and a battery about the size of a suitcase that you can plug into. Can they power more than small things like led light strips and laptops or can you use them for useful stuff on the regular?
Seems like the tech is getting to the nearly practical for daily use point and those generators are cheap.

Sorry I ran a7500 kw at the farm. Smoked 20 gallons of gasoline a weekend. Now that was summer time. Wife had to have her AC.

Not gonna give you much. No major appliances or power tools. May run a coffee maker.

I’ve been thinking about swapping my backup power to solar. Here is some food for thought should you build your own:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tMr-R4q2Y2o

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd5IqeBq42k

I’d only consider building one if you have some ability to build electrical stuff safely. The batteries/battery management/inverter/charge controller selection seems kinda straightforward if you know what you want to power and for how long. A little more tricky whether you buy or build is the solar panel selection and arrangement. By arrangement I really mean what voltage and current you want from the array. Getting the voltage up generally means you won’t be handling as much current which keeps your wire cheaper and easier to work with. Also needed in either case (buying or building) is proper circuit protection including the means to ensure the panel array can be cutoff from the rest of the system.

Harbor freight has the small battery backups that you can plug solar panels into. I’ve been looking at one of them to run a CPAP machine and charge other smaller stuff.
https://www.harborfreight.com/350-p...9n_rQigMV3jUIBR3duTp2EAQYASABEgI35_D_BwE

I recently got an Ecoflow River 3 as an ups for my cpap. Next up is a solar panel for it.

I saw several Christmas light rigs with led strip lights running on nothing but solar. You could light an entire house interior with those strips and totally eliminate the "light" bill portion of your electric bill.

I've got a couple of Jackery 1000v2 solar generators. They are awesome for backup and camp use. Mine will run my Alpicool 52qt fridge for nearly 3 days. They are great for power outages because you can plug lamps, etc in to them and power rooms of the house. They make bigger versions too.

I basically use my small gas generator as backup to quick charge the Jackerys at this point. Also have solar panels.

Agree, I have an EcoFlow Delta Mini with a solar panel. Does great, runs space heaters, lamps, computers, phone, coffee maker etc..it won’t replace a bigger generator but works great for a camper/ball field/ beach/ and most small appliances around the house.

Welcome to the present

Just get this and a few panels, will run whatever you want from AC, Kcup coffee makers, heavy tools

I run Ecoflow everything

It isn't the mystery that everyone thinks it is. You only need 3 things:
1) Solar panel (correct size)
2) Power regulator sized to your solar panel so you don't over load your battery (these are not very expensive). If you solar panel is less than ~5W you don't need a regulator. Like your game camera.
3) Battery to store the solar power (properly sized)

Powering things with motors (moving parts) takes lots of energy. Powering LEDs is very easy.

If you aren’t using the Ecoflow system I posted or the Delta with the higher capacities then you are behind the times. My whole family uses Ecoflow so all of our stuff is compatible.

Who wouldn’t want a POWERFUL integrated unit that can recharge with 3 sources?

With the Alternator charger, who wouldn’t want their vehicle as a legitimate generator?

I do have permanent piece-mill systems for powering permanent components such as cameras, pumps, and wi-fi equipment because they automatically restart

This is aldeer dammit!! Anything traditionally gas that the commies are trying to make electric is bad...real bad!!

A gas generator makes coffee and lights a bulb just fine! .....damn place should be called hippideer.

What's next!? Electric cars !?

LOL. Yours is, of course, the only way. Other brands will do all that too. Nothing wrong with Ecoflow, but they aren't the only game in town.

But he's an expert.
I also saw a billboard just a few minutes ago with a solar powered light was still bright in broad daylight. Those lights could handle a decent size house just fine and its 100% solar.

I've been using the ecoflow system for a couple years now. Like anything that is using technology, it's great when it's working. I've only had a couple of hiccups that was mostly my fault. But like always two is one and one is none. I also have multiple generators that run on lp and gasoline. A solar generator is a very useful thing. Power on demand and quiet, but also limited. I just happen to like the ecoflow stuff.

Dang straight . DRILL BABY DRILL!!! .

Setup a panel, a charge regulator, and a car battery to run a small diesel pump on a 500 gal tank. Keeps battery charged and runs the pump when tractors need filling

This stuff is amazing tech.

We bought two small solar generators. The thought is that each of us can be in different rooms and power whatever is needed in the way of lighting or small electronics. Its great to have the lamps on, music playing and your phone on charge while the power is out. I've had this happen when getting ready to leave for work and it is very handy. Its also nice to plug in the coffee pot on such occasions.

With the Alpicool fridge/freezer we have backup refrigeration capability almost indefinitely. This is due to solar and using my small inverter generator to quick charge the solar generators.

My camp setup now includes taking one of the solar generators. Its nice to have lights/refrigeration in our Kodiak tent on a weekend campout or at hunting camp. No more dead cell phones, blue tooth speakers, etc.

Harbour Freight is coming out with thier line in a couple weeks. I built one a few months ago. Battery was most expensive part. Battery price for same battery has dropped a bunch since then. I will either build another one or buy one of the HF ones in a couple months. Skinny the one I built ran an electric skillet and a tv and a tiny ac unit at the same time.