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Energy ensures the quality of living and supports society’s economic activity. Whether you like it or not, you utilize electrical energy in your daily routine. From the moment you wake up, you’re using devices that are dependent on electricity. To live a life of comfort, you need electricity to run your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
However, a sudden power outage can disrupt your activities. You might have set your minds to finish certain tasks but your productivity can be hampered by the unavailability of power in your area. Having a portable solar powered generator with you is beneficial in emergency cases such as storms.
Solar energy technologies promise clean, abundant energy. Solar panels capture the sun’s energy, which is stored in batteries in solar-powered generators afterward. The batteries provide electricity to power the specified devices such as your light bulbs and television.
How can you maximize the benefits of a portable generator? Here are some suggestions you may want to consider:
- Know Your Intentions Why You Have A Portable Solar Generator
Are you purchasing your portable solar generator for your campsite? Or do you need a power backup for your home appliances? Knowing what you intend to do with your solar generator gives you the direction of how to best utilize it. This will also help you in choosing what kind and which size of portable solar generator you need to buy.
- Understand Your Requirements
After identifying your purpose for a solar generator, it’ll be easy to create a list of the appliances which will use the generator. You must also calculate how much power these appliances consume and add them together.
The size of your generator must also be considered. If you have a large generator, you can maximize its potential by using it to power refrigerators and other appliances with a high electrical input rating. If you wouldn’t utilize its capacity, you may be wasting power. On the other hand, if your generator is small, you can use it to charge cell phones and radios. It won’t be ideal to use a small generator to supply power if you have a big home unless you want to remodel your home into a smart, energy-efficient one.
Meanwhile, battery capacity will determine how much power you have and how long you can use it. If your solar-powered generator has expansion slots to mount another battery, consider buying an additional battery. The added battery will be the storage for more power since you now have spare storage while the solar panel is charging the other batteries.
- Invest In Efficient Solar Panels
Solar-powered generators are often sold separately from solar panels. To make the most out of your solar generator, pair it with an efficient solar panel. Not all solar energy hitting the panel is converted to usable electricity. Thus, it’ll be wise to invest in efficient solar panels with photovoltaic cells that can transform solar energy into electricity at a higher rate. The larger amount of energy you can harvest, the more power will be available for storage.
- Choose Appliances That Are Compatible With Your Solar Power System
Solar power may sound like an expensive investment but in the long-term, the benefit will outweigh the cost. If you plan to buy appliances, you can select those that are energy-efficient and compatible with your solar power system.
Power stored in solar batteries is often in 12-volt DC (direct current) while, home appliances are often in 120-volt AC (alternating current). To convert DC to AC, you can use an inverter that connects the solar system to the home’s wiring system. However, this process will consume additional power. Instead of having appliances that run on AC power, you can buy devices that run on 12-volt DC such as coffee pots and lighting bulbs.
Moreover, it’ll be a wise investment to buy devices that run on both electricity and rechargeable batteries. You can charge the batteries by day using your solar power supply and use them at night. In this way, you can conserve power which you may be paying from the grid.
- Maintain Your Solar Power Generator Properly
For days when you don’t need to use your solar power generator, you just can’t leave it in the dark and expect the battery to be fully charged. If you want it to be readily available in emergency cases, store it properly. For proper storage, ensure that the solar power generator is properly connected to the panel. Place the panel in a position where it is exposed to sunlight. This will keep the battery from draining. Clean it regularly to avoid dust from piling.
Gaining From What You Have Invested
Maximizing what your solar energy can do is an excellent way to make sure you have gained from what you have invested. Portable power generators have a variety of uses. You can bring it on your travel. You can use it in your office. During the season of abundant sunshine, your summer gardens will be even more beautiful if you use solar-powered generators for LED lights. Most of all, portable solar-powered generators will give you peace of mind during blackouts.