Portable fuel-less generator

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goldstar

goldstar

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New Jersey
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They show a 12kw unit for about $14.5k. I guess if you believe your power outages will only last a short amount of time you,re a candidate for one of these. Personally speaking I don't think I would spend my spare $$ on it unless someone with a real experience could convince me otherwise.
 
mgookin

mgookin

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Fort Myers, FL
And they don't tell you kWh which is what it's all about with storage.
Seems like they're real quick to try to get your money and a little slow on details.
 
Jraef

Jraef

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All our power systems are pre-configured and contain an advanced lithium ferrous phosphate battery pack,...
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So "generator" is a loosely interpreted term for a battery bank + integrated charger/inverter.

The lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery, also called LFP battery (with "LFP" standing for "lithium ferrophosphate"), is a type of rechargeable battery, specifically a lithium-ion battery, which uses LiFePO4 as a cathode material. LiFePO4 batteries have somewhat lower energy density than the more common LiCoO2 design found in consumer electronics, but offer longer lifetimes, better power density (the rate that energy can be drawn from them) and are inherently safer. LiFePO4 is finding a number of roles in vehicle use and backup power.
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LFP batteries are gaining popularity as the LiCoO2 versions catch on fire in phones and laptops, because they are inherently less likely to become "exothermic" if damaged. But like all Li based battery systems, the control of the charging and other aspects of their use is critical. So this company integrating it all together as a complete system makes sense from that standpoint.

Never heard of them before though, so it's still a pig in a poke. And "fuel less"? That's a little misleading too. SOMETHING has to supply power to CHARGE those batteries, so if it's solar, that's "fuel-less", but you trade fuel for time (and/or real estate) and money. I'm not in the "never" camp on solar backup, but neither am I in the "always" camp either. It's part of a viable solution strategy that has to be evaluated carefully. Their marketing on that web page seems to want you to circumvent that process, which always makes me skeptical.
 
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mike_kilroy

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United States
But their physical sizes seem way too small for those ratings.... 12kwh means 12v, 1000 amp hr battery... or 10 piece the size of a car batt each.... then their pv panel is rated 100 watts (my hf similar price and size is only rated 40w)? Hmmmm.

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GoldDigger

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mike_kilroy said:
But their physical sizes seem way too small for those ratings.... 12kwh means 12v, 1000 amp hr battery... or 10 piece the size of a car batt each.... then their pv panel is rated 100 watts (my hf similar price and size is only rated 40w)? Hmmmm.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
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Lithium chemistry batteries pack a lot more power into the same space than lead acid batteries do. And are lot lighter too.
However a 100 watt panel is ridiculously small for the quoted battery capacity.
FWIW the Harbor Fright panels are a lot lower power per unit area or cost than comparable larger panels.
 
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JFletcher

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Location
Williamsburg, VA
Pure speculation here, but a system like the OP linked would seem to me to be only good in a few circumstances:

a) where fuel is ridiculously expensive
b) preppers
c) places where power outages are frequent (like, daily)

I'm sure there are places/situations where a glorified inverter/battery pack would be advantageous, just as I'm as sure that the company selling them isnt disclosing that information. You cant escape basic physics: those batteries have to be charged somehow.

I did get a good laugh at some of their specs, like 3.5 washer (or maybe dryer) loads/charge. Awesome. I'll just have to remember that Wednesday is "half washed" or "half dried" day.

FWIW, today I watched a video on how Elon Musk is selling a roof system that looks like conventional shingles, but are solar cells.

It wouldnt take a lot to make solar cheaper than on-grid. Double solar capacity, halve battery size (or reduce cost/increase capacity), and we're there.
 
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GoldDigger

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JFletcher said:
It wouldnt take a lot to make solar cheaper than on-grid. Double solar capacity, halve battery size (or reduce cost/increase capacity), and we're there.
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What it takes to be competitive will vary enormously with location, with grid power ranging from as cheap as $.08/kWh in Texas to roughly $.50/kWh in Hawaii.
 
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