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5 Ways Portable Power Stations Outshine Gas Generators
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Jan 24, 2024
In this video, we'll tackle the "portable power station vs generator" debate, and talk about 5 ways portable power stations outshine gas generators! While traditional gas generators certainly offer a variety of utilities that portable power stations don't, potable power stations have a unique appeal of their own that a regular generator just can't compare to. They're basically an off-grid energy system in a box! Today, we'll take a look at how to turn a portable power station into a solar generator, 5 reasons to own a portable power station, the benefits of portable power stations, how long portable power stations can run household appliances, do a Champion Power Station review for the Champion Power Station 1638-Wh 100594, and generally answer the question "are portable power stations good?" 🔔 Subscribe and never miss an upload: ► http://bit.ly/BLRchannel ✅ *_Step-by-step_* plans to build your own *_portable solar generator:_* ► https://baileylineroadlearning.com/p/three-solar-projects 🏡 Free, expert advice to *_build and customize_* your dwelling: ► https://baileylineroad.com/ 📌 Viewers like you *_love_* this playlists: ► https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8KslM65UwgjJSZSngT0p7WC2hdiimnVA 🌎 I’m on your favorite platform: ► https://linktr.ee/baileylineroad 🕐 Timestamps:
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0:00
Until recently, fuel-powered generators were the only way to create substantial amounts
0:22
of electrical power for household backup during a blackout or for activities beyond the reach
0:27
of an electrical outlet. But all this is changing with something generically called portable power stations
0:33
These are made by a handful of companies, and these self-contained units, also sometimes
0:38
called solar generators, and more on that later, they all use a high-capacity internal
0:43
battery for power storage, along with built-in circuitry, to deliver the kind of AC power
0:49
needed by items that normally plug into a 120V outlet. In this video, you'll learn where portable power stations outshine their gas-powered
0:58
alternatives and how they can be charged in tricky situations. I'll also review one of the newest and best-value portable power stations to hit the market
1:08
while helping you decide whether or not this silent and fuel-free energy technology makes
1:13
sense for you. Portability vs. Power The first thing to understand is that portable power stations store relatively small amounts
1:22
of power compared with the energy and run time you'll get with one tank of fuel in
1:27
a gas-powered generator. The Champion portable power station I'll be reviewing later in this video stores 1.6
1:35
kWh of power when fully charged. This means it can operate a hair dryer or a large microwave for about an hour from fully charged
1:44
Now, by comparison, a 5000W gasoline generator running at an average of half its total output
1:51
could operate for 10 hours on a single tank of fuel, generating 25 kWh of power before
2:00
the gas runs dry. That's roughly 15 times the total energy output of a mid-sized portable power station
2:08
comparing one gas tank's worth of fuel to one fully charged battery
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Is this enough stored power to run household lights, a water well pump, a coffee maker
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and a microwave for a day or more for any length of time during an outage
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No, not taken as a group it's not, but there's more to consider
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In tests I've run in a household of three people, the fully charged 1.6 kWh Champion
2:34
portable power station kept the household supplied with water from an electric well
2:39
pump for about 24 hours before becoming fully discharged. This was with the usual amount of dishwashing, three showers that day, and a load of laundry
2:49
The same power station can operate a 1400W toaster for a little more than an hour before
2:54
needing a recharge. That might not sound like much if you're used to standard generators, but portable
3:00
power stations have one big advantage over fuel-powered generators, and it all comes
3:05
down to infinite charging options without the need for fuel, gas stations, or accessible
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roads to buy more fuel. As this ability to remotely recharge for indefinite periods is unusual, it needs some explaining
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Quiet operation and fuel-free charging. Like most portable power stations, the Champion unit I'm reviewing later is configured to
3:29
accept incoming power for recharging from different sources. Solar panels are one of the best options, especially during an extended outage
3:38
That's why these units are sometimes called portable solar generators. Unlike a gas-powered generator that's useless without fuel, portable power stations can
3:47
charge on any sunny day without the need to buy gas. Recharging speeds vary depending on the size of the photovoltaic panels connected and how
3:56
sunny your location is, but charging times typically vary from 4 to 15 hours
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Unlike any other sources of electricity, portable power stations let you harvest energy from
4:08
your own property, even if you live in a city or just have a south-facing high-rise balcony
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It's really a small, self-contained, portable off-grid energy system in a box
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In addition to AC current for powering plug-in household items, portable power stations typically
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offer DC electricity too. So when you don't need AC, you'll get more efficiency and greater runtime by using DC directly
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But the big question is, why would anyone want one of these units
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Five reasons to own a portable power station. Reason number one, unlimited recharging
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This may be the biggest advantage of all. When a grid power outage lasts for more than a day or so, it can empty your gas cans pretty quickly
4:54
Local fuel supplies at gas stations can also disappear during a long-term outage
4:58
After all, you're not the only one needing fuel to keep the lights on
5:02
And besides, most urban gas stations don't even have generator backup for themselves
5:07
so they can't pump gas to customers, even if they have lots of fuel sitting in underground tanks
5:13
Reason number two, silent or very low noise operation. Technically speaking, batteries are completely silent when delivering power
5:22
But in the case of some portable power stations, there is a small, quiet fan that cools the
5:26
battery while charging or when discharging rapidly. When a fan is present and active, the noise level is not loud or bothersome, but you can't
5:35
hear it, so you need to know about that now. Reason number three, easier portable power
5:42
This is perhaps the handiest feature of portable power stations. While some units are large and heavy, most are smaller and made to be carried around
5:50
with a handle to wherever you need power. These are certainly easier to move than a fuel power generator
5:56
I've used portable power stations to provide electricity for, say, a microphone and amplifier
6:01
that my daughter uses for street performances while singing. I've also used my portable power station to recharge camera and equipment batteries when
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I'm making videos away from the grid. You really can't beat portable power stations for small-scale lighting, charging phones
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and laptops. Most anything that plugs into a standard 120-volt wall outlet or a USB port can be powered by
6:24
a portable power station. Reason number four, freedom from fumes and fuel
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This is where portable solar generators really shine. Quiet, clean, and no direct emissions
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Unlike fuel power generators, portable power stations can be used safely indoors, eliminating
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the need to go outside in foul weather and run extension cords into your house
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The ability to charge and recharge from a wall outlet, solar panel, or even a vehicle
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means that you can always have a fully charged unit when needed
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The ability to recharge from the sun is huge because it means freedom from the need to
7:02
rely on purchased gasoline, especially during a long-term outage that makes fuel scarce
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When a long-lasting power grid failure has silenced all the fuel-burning generators in
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your area because of a lack of gasoline, your portable power station can still be working
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for you, harvesting energy from your backyard and delivering it to your phone, computer
7:23
water pump, or lights. Reason number five, pure emergency power. Now, when you think about it, many of the electric things in life don't need a lot
7:32
of power. Electronics, such as computer, phone, internet systems, CPAP machine, or oxygen equipment
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all need relatively small amounts of electricity. And who wants a loud generator running in the background when all you need is a few
7:47
hundred watts of power? But then there's the issue of power purity
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Not all AC electricity is the same. The closer the power follows a smooth sine wave in shape, the more pure it's considered
8:01
Impure power can damage sensitive electronics, but there's no need to worry about this
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with properly designed portable power stations. The electricity they deliver is at least as pure as what comes out of the wall socket
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from the grid. Champion Power Station Review. I've been using and testing various brands of portable power stations since 2018, and
8:23
I also sell an online course on how to build your own from scratch using purchased components
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The Champion Power Station compares very well with other units I've tested, and there
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are three reasons why. First, the 40-pound, 1638-watt-hour model, that's the 10-05-94 Champion unit, it can
8:44
handle a high initial current draw. Not all models can, and this is a big advantage
8:50
When any electric item with a motor starts up, it draws two to three times the running
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current for a moment until it gets up to speed. The Champion unit here can handle 1600 watts of output indefinitely, but also a surge draw
9:04
of 4500 watts for brief periods. That's more than enough power to handle a typical household water pump, fridge, or freezer
9:12
as it starts up. Want to store more power? When it comes to generators and power stations, there are two energy capacity issues you need
9:21
to understand. First, maximum instantaneous power output in watts, and total energy stored expressed
9:30
in kilowatt-hours. You see, watts is a flow rate of power and makes no mention of energy quantity
9:38
It roughly corresponds to the power of the engine in your car
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One kilowatt-hour, by comparison, describes a flow rate of 1000 watts sustained for one hour
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This is similar to the size of the gas tank in your car. The more kilowatt-hours you've got, the longer the runtime between charges
9:57
A 1200-watt kettle, for instance, will need a power station that can sustain an output
10:02
of 1200 watts for the entire time the kettle is working. To allow this kettle to operate for an hour, you'll need 1200 watt-hours, or 1.2 kilowatt-hours
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of power storage. The Champion Model 10-0594 is expandable for increasing power storage and runtime
10:22
You can link stackable expansion batteries to the main unit, and you can increase runtime
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between charges a lot that way. Not all power stations can do this
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The Champion unit can accept up to 10 stackable expansion batteries for a total of 18 kilowatt-hours
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of capacity. That's almost as much total energy output as a gas-powered generator with a full tank
10:44
of fuel. With the 1638 watt-hours of total energy storage capacity, how long can the Champion 10-0594
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operate different items? Well, here are some guidelines. Household water well pump, about 24 hours
11:00
A portable fridge, more than 60 hours. A standard household fridge, 23 hours
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If you've got a CPAP machine, you can count on 24 hours of operation on that
11:11
Coffee maker, 4 continuous hours. TV, more than 10 hours. One thing that's easy to like on the 10-0594 is all the ports it offers
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Besides three 15-amp 120-volt outlets, there are USB and USB-C ports, a vehicle-style
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12-volt output port, a 20-amp 12-volt generic output, and a Paralink port for connecting
11:38
another power station or traditional gas generator to this unit. My only complaint about the 10-0594 is a minor one
11:48
The internal fan that comes on while charging from a 120-volt outlet does make a little
11:53
bit of sound, but rapid recharging is only safe if the battery is kept cool
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This unit comes with a three-year, 1,000-cycle warranty. Bottom line, portable power stations are here to stay, and they offer value that we haven't
12:09
enjoyed before. Quiet, portable power that's independent of fuel supplies and operates with no fumes is
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the main reason portable power stations are earning a permanent place in the home energy scene
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