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--- lifestyle:faq_solar_generator [2024/05/12 18:45]
frater_secessus [solar input]
+++ lifestyle:faq_solar_generator [2026/08/13 14:16] (current)
princess_fluffypants [The Downsides]
@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 Words of wisdom:  "These aren't aimed at people that know what they are doing." -- [[https://www.reddit.com/r/vandwellers/comments/dr387z/500w_aimtom_rockpals_500_solar_generator_review/f6jc7lz/|LastTreeStar]]
-===== TL;DR =====
+===== 2026 Addendum =====
+While these things were historically looked down as being too expensive for too little capacity, in the last few years these Power Stations/"Solar Generators" have gotten significantly less expensive. While building your own electrical system from scratch will still //usually// be cheaper, especially if you want a lot of capacity, these things have gotten to a point where the price difference between building your own vs getting a pre-made unit may pretty small.
-**These things are //EXTREMELY// expensive for the capacity, however they do offer a lot of convenience.** For those with plenty of money who value ease and speed over capacity and run-time, an argument can be made for these if your power needs are small-to-medium and you are only taking short trips in your vehicle.
+The smaller your power needs, the more sense these units can make, and they offer an //incredible// amount of convenience compared to building an entire system from scratch.
+===== Quick Overview =====
-[[https://amzn.to/2MZhjzi|{{ https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ug3IIF-zL._AC_US218_.jpg}}]]
+{{ :lifestyle:screenshot_2026-08-12_002318.png?nolink&400|}}
 "Solar Generators" ([[https://amzn.to/2E7EG71|power stations]], power packs) are not actually generators. They are basically just a self-contained electrical system in a box, containing:
@@ Line 16: / Line 18: @@
   * A [[electrical:solar:charge_controller|solar charge controller]]
-These devices are packaged for convenience and are usually much more expensive than the components bought separately.  Sometimes manufacturers use non-standard panel connectors to keep customers in an expensive "walled garden", referring to normal, non-proprietary panels as [[https://inergytek.com/pages/support|"off_brand"]].((COUGH [[https://amzn.to/2SpgjbR|inergy]] COUGH))
+These devices are packaged for convenience and are //usually// more expensive than the components bought separately, but not always. For vandwellers with small-to-medium (And even potentially large) power needs, there's a lot of reasonable options on the market these days.
-Less expensive "solar generators" may cut corners by using more basic batteries (AGM vs Lithium), cheaper inverters (Modified sine wave instead of pure sine wave), or less efficient solar charge controllers (PWM instead of MPPT).  These lower-end models tend to have very restricting charging limits not found on DIY systems.
+As of the writing of this page (2026), the only use case where you probably //cannot// use one of these systems is if your power needs are EXTREMELY large, such as running a roof-mounted [[hvac:solar_ac|air conditioner]] or trying to do extensive cooking with electricity. For those use cases, you'll still need to build your own power system from scratch.
-The overall proposition can be summed up by the title of a Bob Wells video, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFOZ6aetIPc|Should you Buy a Jackery Power Station? Super Easy but Super Expensive]].
+===== Common Brands =====
+This isn't an endorsement of any brand or specific model, but here's some links to a few manufacturers who offer systems that might have a lot of utility for the van dweller at reasonable prices and quality.
+  * [[https://www.pecron.com/collections/power-station|Pecron Portable Power Stations]]
+  * [[https://www.ecoflow.com/us/vanlife-roadtrips|Ecoflow Vanlife Solutions]]
+  * [[https://www.bluettipower.com/collections/power-stations|Bluetti Power Stations]]
+Some other common "premium" brands are [[https://amzn.to/318LNad|Jackery]] and [[https://amzn.to/3tx8hh4|Goal Zero (Yeti)]]. There are less-famous brands like [[https://amzn.to/3cDSGW0|Rockpals]], [[https://amzn.to/3sd001L|ExpertPower]], [[https://amzn.to/3s4j7L9|Aimtom]], [[https://amzn.to/3qZtYET|Nexpow]], etc.((Cheaper units may be high-value rebadged units, or they may be lacking features.  Read and understand [[lifestyle:faq_solar_generator#specifications|the specs]] so you know what you are buying.))  They tend to be named after the watt-hours((Wh)) of battery capacity((at 100% [[electrical:depth_of_discharge|DoD]], unrealistic)), or sometimes by the inverter output rating.
+Some manufacturers often sell proprietary panels ([[https://amzn.to/3ePyweB|Jackery Solar Saga]], etc) which are needlessly expensive.  Do the homework and find out which [[https://amzn.to/3cKgtnf|normal panels]] can work with your device;((voltage and amps)) most will require [[https://amzn.to/3tzzgbP|an adapter]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k1URSZZ9uY|Will Prowse recommends devices with MPPT controllers]].
+===== The Upsides =====
+Again, it's about convenience and speed. These offer mostly complete systems right out of the box in a push-button-turn-on package.
+Historically they were limited by very small internal batteries, but these days most manufacturers offer add-on battery packs that can greatly expand the capacity (although typically with proprietary connectors between them, so you have to use the same family of power packs/power stations)
+===== The Downsides =====
+Weirdly, the most problematic part of these things is often the limited 12v power systems.
+=== 12v Charging ===
+{{ :lifestyle:screenshot_2026-08-12_002536.png?nolink&200|}}
+While these power stations can often charge pretty quickly (Within an hour or few) from a standard wall power outlet, or can input many hundred watts of solar at a time, their 12v charging is often limited to just a ciggarette lighter outlet which tops out around 120w. This could take //literal days// to charge some of the larger power banks.
+Different manufactuers offer various ways around this, usually with some kind of an "Alternator Charging" add-on which needs to be installed onto the vehicle battery system. Really what they are is high-current Buck/Boost converters that take the 12v power from the car's electrical system, upconvert it to 20-40v, and input it to the power station through the Solar inputs.
+It sounds kinda silly, but it actually works pretty well.
+  * https://www.pecron.com/products/pecron-500w-car-charger-dc1242-500-for-car-rv-van
+  * https://us.ecoflow.com/products/800w-alternator-charger?variant=41064248836169
+Another optional way around this is with a second cheap ~1500w inverter that is hooked up to the vehicle battery system and is only used while the engine is running, which is then used to charge the Power Station via the factory A/C power adapter.
+=== 12v Discharging ===
+Another problem is that many of these power stations can't actually output much 12v power, often offering just a single cigarette lighter outlet. Again, this is limited to 120w, which is not enough to power the startup/shutdown of things like a diesel heater.
+There's less options for how to fix this well. Some units like the [[https://www.pecron.com/collections/outdoor-recreation-protable-power-station/products/pecron-e1500lfp-expandable-power-station-2200w-1536wh?variant=42739059327164|Pecron E1500LFP]] offer an XT60 12v output connector, which can do up to 30amps (360w). This isn't much, but it's enough to power a small 12v house system with some lights, a small fridge, and a diesel heater.
+The assumption is that the high-draw loads (microwaves, electric tea kettles, larger laptops, etc) would be powered off of the power station directly.
+==== Other Gotchas ====
+Less expensive "solar generators" may cut corners by using more basic batteries (AGM vs Lithium), cheaper inverters (Modified sine wave instead of pure sine wave), or less efficient solar charge controllers (PWM instead of MPPT). The aformentioned problems with charging or supplying 12v power are also not a universally solved problem.
-The terms //solar generator// and //generator alternative// are marketing terms with no real meaning:  the units do not //generate// power.
 Sometimes the term [[https://amzn.to/2WZ9mP5|jump pack]] is used for portable battery packs in general, but it often means packs intended to jump start a vehicle.  [[https://amzn.to/2SvCHT3|Battery pack]] usually means small, pocketable "bricks" for charging phones and other small devices.
-----
+In the olden days manufacturers use non-standard panel connectors to keep customers in an expensive "walled garden", but post-2025 things have gotten very standardized and most manufacturers will be using standard 5.5mm barrel plugs for small loads, or XT60 connectors for larger loads.
-===== Best case scenario =====
+Connections between the "Power Bank" and any add-on battery packs is usually proprietary though, so it's a good idea to try and buy your entire expected capacity at once.
+----
+**From here below is some older info, back from the early 2020s when these things were ludicrously expensive and the market wasn't nearly as mature. We're leaving it here for historical reference and because there's some good info, but some of it might not actually make sense in the 2026+ world (For example, there's not a power station on the market these days that doesn't support simultaneous charging and discharging, while that was a very real problem with cheap units in the 2015 era)**
+----
+==== Best case scenario ====
 The best use of these "generators" is someone who:
   * Has little technical knowledge of electricity and battery chemistries, and no interest in obtaining any
-  * Is short on time and needs a solution very quickly
+  * Is short on time and needs a solution quickly
-  * **Has //plenty// of disposable income**
-  * Camps on relatively short outings
   * Has small to medium power needs, or does not need long run time.
   * Can charge from shore power when away from the camper
@@ Line 43: / Line 93: @@
 ----
-===== troubleshooting =====
+==== troubleshooting ====
 see [[12v:sg_troubleshooting|this article]]
@@ Line 103: / Line 153: @@
 === solar charging limits ===
+also see [[12v:sg_troubleshooting#must_i_use_the_ps_brand_s_proprietary_solar_panels|this article]] on choosing panels for a SG
 Many smaller units have quite restrictive solar input limits.

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