I don't know how much time you have spent diving in to the topic of solar generators. It is an often asked question....."what kind of portable generator should I buy?" Years ago it sounded like this: Hmmmm, I then ask "what do you plan on providing power for in a grid down situation such as a three day power outage, a week long ice storm or a long term outage" "Hmmm, I haven't really thought about it to be honest, I just want power." So the dog chases the tail and my question is "who gets to the finish line first, the nose or the tail?" You get my point, right? Today, the good news is the question is being asked and the individuals are not simply running out to buy the product. In reality, there are as many folks today who know what they want to power vs five to ten years ago when it seemed no one knew what they wanted to power. It was an adjustable band-aid where once size fit all needs. Not today. Most folks are reading and researching to identify and narrow down their needs and available choices. This is a good thing.
So, in this article I want to provide information on two solar generators. The Patriot and the Titan. I don't have a dog in this fight so I'm just the messenger.
Patriot solar generator.
Here is some information, pro and cons. I'm also including a link for you to go check out a lot of solar gen systems and prices. The important thing is for you to determine the amount of power you will need to push the wattage you plan to run, full time or randomly.
Here is the link: https://poweredportablesolar.com/shop/
Here is the link to a YouTube Video on the comparisons of the top solar generators.
Here is a power converter to solar: https://homeguides.sfgate.com/calculate-amps-solar-panel-79495.html
Here is a good comparison between the Patriot vs the Titan Generator. Good information to offer some thoughts on things we may or may not consider initially.
Patriot Power Solar Generator the Best Option?
What happens when the power grid goes down? It could just be a few days like many power outages are in natural disasters. But really I’m talking about the whole power grid going down for a few weeks, months, and in some possible cases years. If you were left with absolutely no power, do you think you would survive? Unfortunately, not many of us would. Right now, what is your plan? Oh, I hear it now, "if I wait long enough the guvment will take care of it." Yea, well, good luck in your waiting adventure. Please text me and let me know how it works out for you.
Self-reliance my friends. No offense to anyone, but, the Guvment isn't the savior on the large fueled generator coming to save you. Nope, matter of fact, they probably won't even honk the horn as they rush by your house. Get my point We are talking about decisions you need to address for you and your family. Still not convinced?
Remember hurricanes Rita, Howard, Katrina... You can look at many of the hurricane aftermaths like in Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria. Months later, they still have severe power outages blacking out the entire territory. Their hospitals were not capable of caring for their patients because of the power grid failure. Some places still didn’t have power after a whole year!
So, lets narrow our focus and look at the Patriot vs Titan again. Specifically, the Patriot power generator. The question really is “Will the Patriot Power generator truly last me for a few days, weeks, months or years?”
The short answer: Sadly, no.
When most people think about no power they think “no lights, no smartphones, no television, no tablets, or no computers.” What they should really think is “no heat, no air conditioning, no lights, no gas, no police, no protection.” The world would look much more different than it probably does today. We have become accustomed to the comforts of life and electronics. In case you are not aware, the nation’s power grid is under serious threat.
Besides the threat to the power grid, every year parts of the country are victims of power outages due to flooding, hurricanes, winter storms, tornadoes, wind storms and much more. These bring power outages for days or weeks every year.
It doesn’t matter if you live on an island, along the coast, in the mountains or in a cave; when the power goes out, there are problems. Those problems turn into really big problems if the power doesn’t get restored.
It is these events that necessitated the creation of solar generators such as the Patriot 1500 power generator, and Titan solar generator among others. The makers of different solar generators are aware that power grid failure scenarios can be some of the worst kinds of disasters. In such cases, it’s not uncommon for people to act like animals and for chaos to ensue, resulting in instances of looting, assault, and many other horrible crimes.
When we are engulfed in darkness, none of us will be safe. You might not even be able to get in touch with your family and colleagues to ensure that they are alright. There is a wide array of solar generators available you can choose from. In fact, in the years of research I have done I have found these top solar generators. The lithium battery systems have proven time and time again that they are the best way to go. The Patriot, Titan and many other units use lithium type batteries.
Renowned for their high quality as well as convenience, this lithium, or Li-on, generators are designed to last for quite some time and offer a sustainable power supply in the event of a blackout.
They are also designed to ensure easy portability, so they can be carried along with you whenever and wherever you want regardless of the location either for regular home use or going to another location. They can be used for bug-in locations, bug-out locations, RVs, tiny homes, normal homes, camp trailers, campsites and so on.
Which of these two solar generators is the most ideal?
To identify the perfect option, it is essential to understand each of these solar generators, their distinct features, as well as what sets them apart from each other. It is also important to take into account each person’s situation and what will suit their needs. To me, it seems that one stands out far above the other.
The Patriot Power 1500
Undoubtedly, anyone looking for a solar generator is serious about spending a lot of money to have one of the most important emergency preparedness items. Everyone will want to ensure they have the absolute best option to make sure their investment is worthwhile. The Patriot Power Generator 1500 is one of the most well-known ones on the market.
The Patriot comes in a general kit with solar panels, some bags of food storage, some books and other accessories.
Pros:
Strong Lithium Iron (not Ion) battery
The Pure Sine Wave inverter is 1,500-watts continuous and 3,000-watts peak
Uses a very common Anderson Powerpole charging port
Charges in 3.5hrs, due to its small 500watt battery.
Holds a charge for 6 months
Cons:
Only 500watt battery
Only inputs 150 watts of solar panels
Heavy 38lbs for what power is given
Does not use an MPPT controller to increase efficiency
No RV connection
Not expandable with other batteries
Does not have car charger capability
Costs $4.00 per watt in battery capacity ($2,000 cost for 500-watt battery)
Does not have many plugs
It all depends on what needs you must meet, so this may be a good fit for you. It has:
2 AC/Wall outlets (120v)
4 USB 2.0 Ports
1 12v DC Port (cigarette lighter)
1 12v DC Anderson Powerpole plug
1 Wall charger plug
The Titan
Since most people are looking for the best bang for their buck when purchasing a fuelless generator, it is important to understand how far that “buck” will go. The Titan is the newest and most innovative solar generator on the market since its launch in 2019.
Unlike the Patriot, the Titan is still one of the most unknown solar generators on the market. That does not make it the weakest by any means. This is by far the best investment in a solar generator, period.
Pros:
Strong 2,00- watt-hour battery
Long-lasting Lithium-Ion battery
Pure Sine Wave 3,000-watt continuous and 6,000-watt peak inverter
Battery draw capacity is 1,500w (3,000w with two or more batteries)
1,000 watts solar panel input, expands up to 2,000 watts when another battery is added
Uses common Anderson Powerpole connector
Easily charges in 2 hours
Can charge from multiple energy sources at once, such as wind and solar
Uses two highly efficient MPPT controller
Splits into two pieces, each weighing about 33lbs. allowing it to be easily portable
Has many plugs for powering lots of equipment
5-year battery shelf life (will store for 5 years without needing a charge)
2-year warranty on Power Module (top half)
1-year warranty on battery (bottom half)
Stackable/expandable lithium-ion battery packs (can expand up to unlimited amount of batteries).
Can charge up to 10,000wh of battery capacity per day.
Cons:
11hr car charge (takes a very long time to charge, however that is due to its safety measure to not overdraw from a car plug)
It has:
6 AC/Wall outlets (120v)
4 DC cigarette lighter plugs
6 USB 2.0 plugs
2 USB C plugs
1 30amp RV plug
2 Anderson Powerpole solar panel ports
1 Car charging port
1 Anderson external battery plug
2 Wall charger plug
External fuses and Breakers as necessary
As most people will see, there is a reason why the Titan is liked so much more than the Patriot. The Titan brings so many benefits to the table that it makes every other generator, even gas and diesel, look second class.
Charge Time:
On average, there are about 5 hours per day where the maximum amount of solar power can be made. This means that a good generator must be able to charge from 0% back to 100% within that 5-hour period. Ideally, it should be able to charge in 5 hours while still running necessary equipment such as fans, fridge, freezer and so on.
The Patriot Power 1500 only takes 3.5 hours to charge but it is only charging 500 watts. So technically it is charging quickly but that’s only due to the small battery size. Sadly 500 watts is not a lot to run much equipment. An average fridge uses about 80 watts per hour, that means the Patriot will run a fridge for only 6 hours or so. The real concern is during the day the fridge needs to be run which means 80 watts is being used. If the Patriot is taking in 150 watts from solar panels that only leave 70 watts to go to the battery. 500 watts charged at 70 watts per hour takes 7+ hours to charge. This means the Patriot cannot run vital equipment and charge in a day.
On the contrary, the Titan’s input power from solar is 1,000 watts per hour. This means it could easily run an 80-watt fridge, a 50-watt freezer, two 50 watt fans, and many other items. If it was running all those items plus more which equaled 500 watts per hour there would still be another 500 watts going to the battery. At 500 watts per hour to the battery means it will charge from 0% to 100% in just about 4 hours. That’s while plenty of vital pieces of equipment are running! That’s true power.
Inverter Capacity:
Looking at other solar generators, it is common to have an inverter size of 1500 watts. The Patriot, Kodiak, Goal Zero Lithium 1400 & 3000, Humless 1500 and other generators use 1500-watt continuous pure sine wave inverters. Most of those units have a 3,000-watt peak/surge as well. This is to say that they can run 1500 watts worth of energy continually without any issue.
They will run 1500 watts of energy for as long as the battery will last. That means on a 1,000-watt battery it will run 1500 watts non-stop for about 40 minutes, or 100 watts non-stop for 10 hours. This size inverter is great for most items such as fridges, fans, freezers, lights, chargers and so on. However, it is not strong enough to run heavier items such as chop/miter saws, power tools, heavy duty water pumps and so on. A larger inverter is necessary.
The Titan doesn’t have this restriction. The Titan is actually capable of running heavy duty items including those just mentioned, even welders. Not everyone will need to run such heavy equipment, but the point is to have options since we never know exactly what things we will need to run.
Weight:
This is one of the most important parts of a portable solar generator. Portable is very different for each person. Some people can carry 50lbs in each hand, others can only carry 20lbs. I have found that no more than 35lbs seems to be the average for what most people can handle.
The Patriot weighs in right at 38lbs so it’s just barely above the comfort level of most people but is still manageable. The Titan is technically right over 60lbs which is too much for most people is way too to carry easily. Point Zero saw this flaw and decided to do something about it. This is where they put in the unique design to make the top and bottom separate from each other. This keeps each piece right around 30lbs so that it’s still easily moved around. There’s no way to reconnect it incorrectly.
The Patriot uses a Lithium Iron battery which works just as well as Lithium Ion but is considered more stable. The Titan uses Lithium Ion which has more power per pound and is still very safe. This is why the Titan has 4x the power capacity but the batteries weigh about the same.
For some people, “portable” means being able to carry it, for others it means it has wheels and can be carted around. For me, I find I need to be able to carry it one handed and lift it into a vehicle, place it on a shelf or whatever easily. For me, the Titan is easier than the Patriot because it’s lighter per piece.
Final Thoughts:
For many people, the Patriot will suit there needs and that is great since the whole point of getting prepared is to get prepared for your own needs. For thousands of people I’ve worked with in the last few years, the Titan is what they’ve been asking for. They want more power when they need it, but portable enough when they need to move it.
The Patriot costs about $2,000 and the Titan is not much more than that. In my opinion, the extra money far outweighs the Patriot since the Titan provides so much more capability, power, charge speed and all that I’ve previously mentioned.
I hope this nfoirmation helps you in some way.
Blessings,
Bravo Echo Out,
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