The handy solar panel for a green off-grid power supply on the go
Whether backpacking on an expedition or on a bike tour across Europe or on a sailing trip on the sea - no matter how far from civilization you are, with a portable solar panel you can use solar energy to charge almost all of your electronic gadgets. Simply spread the solar panel out in the sun and you can charge your smartphone, power bank or notebook.
In addition to this handy solar panel (without battery and without storage function), there is also the larger “power pack” - the mobile power station .
What is a mobile power station?
A power station is a portable and rechargeable lithium battery built into a robust housing. The battery can be charged at a standard household socket (in Germany: 230 V), on the go in the car (12 V) or via a USB port (A and/or C). The power station contains an inverter that generates 230V alternating voltage from the battery voltage (usually 12V - 36V DC). Thanks to the various charging ports integrated into the power station, various electronic devices can be connected and charged. With solar energy and in conjunction with a solar panel, you can even recharge the lithium battery directly in nature (off-grid) and store the solar power. Energy self-sufficiency in its purest form!
What benefits does a power station bring you?
The benefits can be summed up in a short formula: mobile and grid-independent power supply. Below we outline a few examples of how you can expand your freedom and flexibility in your free time, while traveling but also at home!
- You're camping or traveling with your motorhome and you also need reliable charging capacity for your camera, cell phone and laptop outside Your vehicle, for example on the beach or in the forest? The combination of power station and (mobile) solar panel is ideal: While your camper is parked in the shade, the solar panel recharges the power station's battery in the sun while you, for example, send messages with your smartphone under an old tree...
- You travel with your car - whether it's a modern off-road vehicle or an old VW bus -, spend the night in a tent and sometimes want or need to work on your laptop/notebook or, for health reasons, supply medical devices (e.g. CPAP therapy) with power ?
- Are you an angler or fisherman and would you like to cool the fish you freshly caught at the sea or river in a cool box?
- Are you at a music festival with friends and want to share streams with your friends or on social media via smartphone?
- Would you like to enjoy a football live stream outdoors with your friends while having a picnic in the forest or on your garden plot that is not connected to the power grid?
- You simply want a power reserve or emergency power supply, be it for the motorhome (e.g. to charge the body battery) or for home for the blackout, which hopefully never occurs...
You are sure to develop other ideas about the added value that a self-sufficient energy supply brings to your personal outdoor activities...
Basically, the combined use of the mobile power plant and solar panel is environmentally friendly and free of CO 2 Emissions, quiet, easy to operate and no follow-up/operating costs.
Important: In order to conveniently transport a power station – even if it is handy – you need a vehicle.
Which electronic devices can you charge with a power station?
For a power station with a nominal output of 600W - like ours OnFire Power Station - can electronic devices, their performance below of 600W and which you usually use at home via a socket, can be charged, for example:
- WiFi router, smartphones & laptop, camera, drone
- TV, radio
- fan
- E-bike battery, e-scooter or e-scooter
- Tools
- Cooling box….
The larger the capacity of the power station (measured in watt hours or Wh), the more energy hungry the electronic devices that you can charge with it can be. But the capacity comes at the expense of mobility, the higher the capacity, the larger the battery storage and the higher the weight of the power station.
How can you charge the power station?
- You can charge the power station either at home from the socket before your trip or conveniently in the car using the 12 volt cigarette lighter. Depending on your access to the power grid during your trip, you can always recharge the battery at parking spaces, restaurants, sanitary facilities or guesthouses, etc.
- A solar panel is essential, especially if you are traveling in the wilderness, in deserted areas beyond civilization, as you then gain absolute independence from the power grid with free solar energy - depending on the time of year and sunlight, of course.
What type of battery is best for power stations?
Basically, lithium technology has made it possible to construct power stations with sufficient capacity and low weight. When it comes to battery types, you can choose between lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄) batteries and lithium-ion with (Li-ion) batteries, e.g. lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt OXIDE (NCM) or lithium-nickel-cobalt-aluminum. OXIDE (NCA). The battery type is usually named after the cathode materials.
We chose a LiFePO₄ battery for our OnFire Powerstation 600 for the following reasons:
- longevity
LiFePO₄ batteries are more stable and, depending on the model, can withstand up to 3,000 or 3,500 complete charge and discharge cycles with a lifespan of 10 years. This is approx. 4-6x more than (conventional) lithium-ion batteries, which are usually installed in smartphones, notebooks, e-bikes or power banks, but also in smaller power stations.
- Security and stability
LiFePO4 batteries are inherently safer than NCM batteries due to their greater thermal and chemical stability, making them less susceptible to explosions or fires.
- Environment
LiFePO₄ batteries are non-toxic, non-contaminating and do not contain any rare earth metals. In contrast, NCA batteries contain nickel, cobalt and NCM batteries contain nickel, cobalt, manganese. The mining of these metals damages our environment.
