About Portable Solar Generators

We all like to escape from the city once in a while; head out to the hills or forest and get some peace and quiet. Then some guy turns up in an RV, hauls out his fridge and TV and starts up a portable diesel generator. So much for peace and quiet.

Next time that happens, saunter over and suggest he gets a portable solar generator.

Portable solar generators take the principles of the solar PV panels that are used to generate electricity in homes and offices and shrink it all down into a package that can be packed into a trailer and towed behind a car. Solar panels catch the sunlight and an electric current is produced. This goes to an inverter which converts it into usable AC power.

Portable solar generators have batteries which gives them some distinct advantages over diesel generators. If they’re not being used to power a device they don’t sit there doing nothing. They can still capture and store energy. This can be used either later in the day, or comes in handy if the sun goes in, or at night for example.

Solar generators are totally silent, unlike diesel generators which make enough noise to wake the dead. They have very few moving parts, so there is very little maintenance needed. No oil to change, filters to clean…

Don’t camp near that guy with the diesel generator. The fumes might asphyxiate you. While his generator is busy pumping out greenhouse gases, a solar generator produces no hazardous emissions at all.

Solar generators are of real practical use to a wide range of people. For example, off-gridders, people who want to be self-sufficient in energy production, or those who cannot be connected to the electricity grid because they’re too remote. Some people are interested in them in the event of society breaking down, for instance in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster. And perhaps more realistically, they’re of use to people with mobile offices, home building sites, or people who need electricity but find it impractical to get regular supplies of other fuel.

So if you’re planning a trip in the RV this year, don’t take that diesel generator. Put it on eBay and put the proceeds towards a new solar generator. The poeple next to you on the campsite will thank you for it. -MARKLEE

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