Portable power stations, generators, solar generators, battery generators,… just a few examples of terms nowadays to describe off-grid portable power solutions. But are they all the same or are there some differences? In “portable power station vs solar generator” article we’ll explain the most common used terms and their differences. If you want to learn more also have a look at our portable power station beginners guide.
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Portable Power Station vs. Solar Generator: Different Terms Explained
Portable Power Station
A portable power station typically consist of a battery to store energy and an inverter. The inverter converts Direct Current (DC) electricity stored in the battery into Alternating Current (AC) electricity. AC is needed to power all appliances like laptops, phones, fridges, washing machines, etc… An inverter as such does not have the capacity to store energy. The battery and inverter are the two key components of a portable power station. Via build in outlets you can apply appliances to receive power.
Solar Generator
A solar generator is a kit that makes it possible to store and use energy coming from solar energy. These kits typically exist out of portable solar panels and a portable power station. Most of the portable power stations on the market today offer the ability to charge via solar energy, but not all necessarily do.
Generator
In contrast to portable power stations that work with a battery, a generator doesn’t. A generator is not capable to store energy. In these kind of portable power systems, the electricity is being generated by mechanical energy from an engine. These mechanical engines typically run on fuel such as diesel. When the engine is running the mechanical energy is transformed into electricity which you can use to power your appliances off-grid. The disadvantages of these generators are that they need regular maintenance like every engine, they can’t store energy so the engine must be running to get power and when they do they’re quite noisy.
Battery Generator
A battery generator is an other word for portable power station.
Portable Power Station vs. Solar Generator: Conclusion
So to conclude our “portable power station vs solar generator” article: as mentioned above it should be clear that actually a portable power station is an element of a solar generator. When speaking of a solar generator it often refers to a setup were a portable power station is used in combination with portable solar panels. The solar panels charge the battery of the portable power station which transforms the electricity to AC via its inverter.
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