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Portable power stations work by taking energy from a source (input) such as power utilities, solar chargers, or other off-grid solutions and storing it in a big battery.
The size of this internal storage battery largely determines how suitable each power station is for given applications.
Once the portable power station is charged up, it’s ready to go.
Of course, the other side of the equation is output. Portable power stations need to be able to output that stored energy to a variety of devices. Output types may include 120V wall plugs, USB plugs, or cigarette lighter style plugs.
Remember that portable power stations have a limited amount of power to provide before they run out. Once that power is gone, you’ll have to recharge the portable power station.
Portable power stations need to be charged up with energy before (or sometimes during) use. There are many options for doing so, but these are the most common:
Charge from utility power at home or using some type of outlet connected to utility power. Campground power pedestals, home wall outlets, extension cords in the garage… you get the idea. This is by far the fastest and most reliable source of charging power for your portable station.
Solar charge your portable power station in the field using solar panels. There are tons of manufacturers offering solar power solutions these days so get creative.
Most portable power stations store and use a lot of power, however, so small solar panels probably won’t cut it. You’ll need a solar panel with a good amount of output to keep up with even moderate consumption.
Hydro and wind chargers are uncommon and largely unreliable for most portable applications. However, if you have a permanent location such as a camp or homestead, there are some small hydro and wind turbine chargers out there that could make sense. Do your homework and be creative, you might be surprised.
Note: Many portable power stations can also be car charged. However, if your car isn’t running they’ll simply steal the power from your car’s battery. You’ll wind up with a dead car battery and no way to start the car! Be sure to charge your portable power station only when your car is running.
Capacity is a measure of how much electrical output a portable power station can hold. This is usually measured in watt-hours.
Basically, the more watt-hours, the more power you can get out of your power station. Imagine you have a device that consumes 1 watt of power. On a power station with 100 watt-hours of capacity, that imaginary 1-watt device will run for 100 hours.
The more devices you have and the more power they consume, the faster you’ll run out of power. Therefore you’ll want a power station with a higher capacity.
To figure out how much capacity you need, you’ll need to take a guess at how many devices you’ll have plugged in and how much power they draw. Most electrical devices have their power specs listed so look for the power consumption specifications on the devices you’ll be using.
Round up all your devices, find their power consumption listing, and then add them up.
If you’re recharging other batteries from your power station you can pretty easily add up the battery capacity for each battery you’re charging. Compare that to the size, in watt-hours, of your power station and you’ll know how many times you can charge a device with your power station.
Today’s portable power stations are smart little buggers. They’re pre-wired and programmed to output specific voltages, currents, and frequencies. It’s pretty hard to mess up when you choose what to plug in and where.
That said, it doesn’t hurt to understand how they work.
Inside your portable power station is a battery. This battery stores electrical energy and outputs as a DC current. This DC power is then fed to the outlet plugs like USB plugs or wall outlet plugs.
Of course, not all devices operate on DC current, some use AC currents. In this case, the power station automatically converts the current type before outputting the current to the plugs.
What that means is that you can use and trust the wall plugs, USB plugs, and cigarette lighter plugs to act the same way they normally would in your house, computer, or car.
Each outlet will also have a peak current. For instance, USB plugs in many computers put out a maximum of 0.5 to 0.9 amps of current. USB chargers that plug into a wall outlet may output 2.4 amps or more.
If you try to charge a device that requires 2.4 amps on a smaller 0.5 amp USB port, it may take much longer or may not charge at all.
Every outlet on your portable power station will be rated for certain maximum peak power. This peak power will determine what can, and cannot, be run from those plugs.
Power is measured in watts and your devices and portable power station should both have their power output and consumptions listed.
While your portable power station may have a 120V standard wall plug, that plug may or may not be rated to put out enough power to make your devices function. Many devices that plug into a standard wall outlet are very power-hungry and may overwhelm a portable power station.
To help you understand let’s compare a couple of household items:
For reference, common portable power stations may range from 100 watts maximum output at 120V to 1,700 watts (or maybe even more if you want to shell out the cash) maximum output at 120V.
Just keep in mind, more watts means that your portable power station battery will be consumed faster.
Most portable power stations today are going with lithium-ion batteries. These batteries are more compact and lighter than the leading competitors.
That said, however, there is always something new in the world of battery technology.
Right now lithium batteries comprise the majority of the market and make the most sense in terms of cost and value.
While tech specs are helpful, they only tell part of the story. Keep in mind that high-output batteries, even with today’s tech, are still big and heavy.
For instance, the popular Yeti 1,000 (1,500 watts of output) tips the scales at over 40 pounds!
Before you buy based on tech specs, think about what size portable power station you can really handle. Will you keep it in the car? Do you need an easy carrying handle to walk it to the beach or campsite?
Look for features that meet your needs and avoid going with massive portable power stations that weigh more than you can reasonably manage.
Of course, if you want something to throw in the back of the pickup truck… size and weight may not matter!
