lowes is now marketing a portable solar generator that will power your stuff

rollandelliott

http://webapps.easy2.com/cm_mvc/GenericIndex?page_id=36354087&vid_refer=134569&lowes&cm_cr=Electrical-_-Web+Activity-_-Electrical+TH+7.17.12-_-SC_Electrical_TopHero_Area-_-180107_1_Watch_Demo

video shows this tiny generator powering a refrigerator, too bad they don't tell you how short of a run time you get.
this is just going to give solar a big black eye.

Yeti 1250 Solar Generator


Usage

Charges the following:

AC Wall Charger (80W) Included
Goal Zero Boulder 30 x 2, included
Car Charger (30W), not included


Approx. Charge Time:

16-20 hours
20-24 hours
40+ hours

Inputs

2 x 8mm Charge Ports
Power Pole Charging Port


16-20V, 10A max (200W) each
16-48V, 20A max (250W)

Outputs

3 x AC standard US outlets 110V AC 60Hz pure-sine wave, 1200W max total continuous, 1500W max short-duration
Female 12V port 111-14V, 10A max (120@), unregulated
2 x 6mm 12V ports 11-14V, 6A max each (72W), unregulated
12V Power Pole port 12-14V, 30A max (360W), unregulated
3 x USB ports 5V, 1.5A mx (7.5W) each, regulated



Internal

Battery Type
Battery Capacity
Battery voltage range
Life Span
Fuse
Inverter
Charge Controller


Lead-acid (AGM)
1250Wh (12V, 100Ah)
11-14.8V
Hundreds of cycles
200A (4x50A fuses in parallel)
1200W pure-sine wave inverter
20A MPPT

General

Shelf Life
Chainable
Weight
Dimensions
Warranty
Certifications
Operating usage temp.
Optimal storage temp.
6mm Tool Included


Charge every 3-4 months
Yeti 1250's and other 12V AGM batteries
103 lbs
16 x 11.5 x 14.5 in (410 x 305 x 370 cm)
6 months
FCC, CE
20-105 F (6-40 C)
70 F (21 C)

Boulder 30 Solar Panel Tech Details


Usage

Charges the following:
GOAL ZERO Yeti 1250 Solar Generator


Approx. Charge Time:
20-24 hours (two panels)

Inputs

Solar Panel
Cell Type
Open-circuit voltage
Converting Efficiency


Rated Wattage: 30W
Monocrystalline
18-20V
17 - 18%

Outputs

12V charging port (8.0mm)

14-16V, 2.0A max (30W), not regulated

General

Weight (no pkg)
Dimensions
Warranty
Certifications
Optimal Operating Temp.


6.5 lbs (2.95 kg)
21 x 18 x 1 in (53 x 2.5 x 46 cm)
12 Months
FCC and CE
32-104 F (0-40 C)

Accessories

Light-A-Life
Boulder 30 Tripod
Hard Carrying Case

jaggedben

Re: lowes is now marketing a portable solar generator that will power your stuff

For the use they show (tailgating) it should probably do okay. Say, if you have a small 150W refrigerator for your beer, and you are otherwise only going to plug in a TV or an ipod, you can probably make it last 5-6 hours. However, I'm doubtful that most tailgaters will find this more convenient than running an inverter off their truck battery and occasionally turning on the truck for five minutes.

I think where this product might do well is for people who frequently go car camping, and park the car somewhere for a couple days, and just use it for lights. If you actually have an RV it makes more sense to install the solar on the RV.

I think there's a place for this kind of product, but it would be better if sold without the panel, and with stated input specs of the charge controller. If this product gives solar a 'black eye', it will be because it only comes with a 30W panel, so it can't be recharged in one day of sunlight.

inetdog

Re: lowes is now marketing a portable solar generator that will power your stuff

jaggedben wrote: »

If this product gives solar a 'black eye', it will be because it only comes with a 30W panel, so it can't be recharged in one day of sunlight.

But right in the technical specs, it shows that that the solar panel can recharge the battery in just 20-24 hours. That's less than one day, right? :-)

Although I suspect that most people will be thinking that they will get 12 hours of sunlight per day instead of 4. At least it will be a (manual) tracker mount.

RandomJoe

Re: lowes is now marketing a portable solar generator that will power your stuff

OUCH! $1400 *without* the solar panels, $1800 with them!

While their spiel is a bit misleading, and I doubt that inverter could ever get to full power for any length of time (if at all) with only a 100AH battery, I really do like the form-factor. There are times I've contemplated putting something together like that, it would be sweet to have it all in a nicely-built package already.

Of course, I doubt I'd care for their choice of components. I'd want a GOOD charge controller, and a GOOD pure-sine inverter, so on.

For that price, I think I could piece together some really nice components and just have to do some work in the garage making a cabinet. (Never mind I probably have most of what I need sitting around the house after several years of tinkering with solar...! )

rollandelliott

Re: lowes is now marketing a portable solar generator that will power your stuff

I guess you didn't watch the whole commercial. They show a family in home and power outage occuring. Seconds latter they got the lights on and the home fridge powered with this thing. There's no way it can keep the huge standard fridge cool for very long.

inetdog

Re: lowes is now marketing a portable solar generator that will power your stuff

rollandelliott wrote: »

I guess you didn't watch the whole commercial. They show a family in home and power outage occuring. Seconds latter they got the lights on and the home fridge powered with this thing. There's no way it can keep the huge standard fridge cool for very long.

And here I thought it was just there to make the light in the fridge work. :-) At least they showed them eating dinner with a string of temporary LED or CFL lights rather than the regular lights coming back on. For a short outage, the standard fridge can keep itself cool quite well.

techntrek

Re: lowes is now marketing a portable solar generator that will power your stuff

More talk about a similar (same?) system now being sold by Home Depot, on this thread: http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?16869-Pre-built-battery-inverter-solar-charger-system-from-Home-Depot