Solar power is a critical piece of the puzzle in moving the world towards a green energy transition. Solar power is a renewable resource but is not always available when we need it – at night or during a cloudy day. Solar power storage systems allow us to store solar energy through solar panels to be used at any time of the day. Solar panels combined with the storage system is often termed solar power station.
How to best utilize solar storage systems?
During the daytime, solar panels collect energy from the sun and convert it into electricity. This electricity can be used to power appliances. Excess electricity can be stored in batteries for use during the evening peak hours. During the nighttime, the batteries can be charged using a generator or grid power, which is usually less expensive compared to grid power during the daytime.
How to choose the right solar power station?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best solar power station for your needs will depend on several factors. There are some things to consider when choosing a solar power station:
- Capacity: The first thing to consider when choosing a solar power storage system is the capacity. How much solar energy do you want to store? Do you just want to store enough for a few hours of backup power or do you want to store enough for days or weeks? The capacity you need will determine the size and cost of the solar power storage system you need. If you want to check the power consumption by an individual appliance in your home, the easiest way is to use a Power Consumption Meter.
- Do you need fixed or portable power stations?
- The length of time you need to store the power
- The type of application you are using the power for?
- Budget
Where to buy the solar power station?
Once you have known your requirements, you can explore several options available for solar power stations. There are many different types and brands on the market, so it can be difficult to choose the right one for you. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of four solar generator companies – Ecoflow, Geneverse, Renogy, and Bluetti – that we think are worth considering.
Ecoflow
Ecoflow is a company excelling at portable power and renewable energy solutions. Depending on your requirements, Ecoflow provides a wide range of solutions for power storage. Additionally, if you are a travel lover and spend most of your time in your van, Ecoflow has customizable plug-and-play power kits for your van, RVs, or trailers. If you are unsure of the requirement of your home/van, you can simply find it using their power kit calculator. Ecoflow power kits have 4 different charging methods: solar power, vehicle alternator, shore power input, or smart generator input.
The solar panels are designed to be either rigid or flexible according to the surface on which they are mounted. These panels give a total of 4800 W to your van through three ports of 1600 W each. Additionally, the Ecoflow App helps you monitor and control your energy usage at home and on the go while tracking the data in real-time.
In the wake of the good performance and service of their previous launches, Ecoflow came up with Portable Solar Panels with even higher efficiency and Portable Air Conditioner. If you are a person who loves to travel, these portable units can come in handy during your journey.
Renogy
Renogy is another company with a wide range of solar panels and power storage solutions. Their product lines consist of home power kits, solar panels, solar kits, deep cycle batteries, inverters, charge controllers, battery chargers, IoT monitoring solutions, and portable gears. Their products are designed to accommodate the power requirement of your home, marine transportation (boats, pontoons, etc), trucks, camping vans, Skoolie, or any commercial industry (logistics, agriculture, IoT, Oil/Gas, Mobile deployment, or RV manufacturers, etc).
Renogy has an interactive calculator where you can predict the power consumption requirement of your home, RV, or yacht. Additionally, you can also get the wiring diagram on their website for each of the systems to ensure that it matches your requirements.
BLUETTI
BLUETTI is a young company excelling at its solar storage product line that includes portable power stations, solar generator kits, home battery backup, solar panels, and expansion batteries.
From 300 W to 3000 W, BLUETTI’s portable power stations are enough to help you sustain off-grid. The basic working principle being similar to other companies, you can probably find a wide range of products depending on your home’s power load. The expandable power stations can further help in emergencies where the power outage may extend for a longer duration or when your appliance power load is higher.
Geneverse
Geneverse is another leading company providing power backup solutions through its HomePower and Solar Power Series. The power backup systems are compatible with 3 different charging modes: solar panels (SolarPower Series), AC Outlet, or electric car outlet. Furthermore, the HomePower 2 is equipped with Ultra-fast recharge technology to help you backup the power in a relatively shorter period.
What are the financing options available?
While most companies make sure that customers get a smooth shipping experience at no additional cost, they also ensure that there are handy financing options to eliminate the burden of a one-time payment. As a result, you often have a choice to either pay the entire amount in one payment or pay it on monthly basis. Additionally, these solar stations are often covered by warranties to further cover you for any issues in the system.
If you’re thinking about installing solar panels, be sure to do your research and take advantage of all the available tax incentives.
Do you know about tax savings through solar installations?
As the financial and environmental benefits of solar panels grow, more and more homeowners are considering installing them. A survey conducted by SaveOnEnergy and CNET shows that financial benefits are the main reason why people want to switch to solar, and environmental reasons are the second on the list.
Solar panels can save you money on your electricity bill and may even earn you money through government incentives. And, as a bonus, they can help you save on your taxes. The federal, state, and local governments often offer incentives for solar panel installations. These incentives can take the form of tax credits, rebates, or other programs. Check with your national, state, and local governments to see what incentives are available. Furthermore, solar panels can also help you save on your property taxes. In many states, the value of your home is increased when you install solar panels. This means that your property taxes will go up, but the increase will be more than offset by the money you save on your electricity bill.