Battery Power Stations … anyone shop or buy one?

[Scott in Houston]

I’ve been eyeing something like this Anker Power Station.
It’s effectively a giant battery that can replace the need for a home generator (to a degree) or accompany for power needs while camping and hunting.

Has anyone shopped or bought one? The big brands are Anker, Ecoflow, Jackery and others on Amazon.

The one I’m considering is here:

Anker 555 Portable Power Station, 1024Wh Solar Generator (Solar Panel Optiona...
https://a.co/d/7uf7YHt

This is just one.
Interested in this community’s views.

[03Lightningrocks]

I’ve been eyeing something like this Anker Power Station.
It’s effectively a giant battery that can replace the need for a home generator (to a degree) or accompany for power needs while camping and hunting.

Has anyone shopped or bought one? The big brands are Anker, Ecoflow, Jackery and others on Amazon.

The one I’m considering is here:

Anker 555 Portable Power Station, 1024Wh Solar Generator (Solar Panel Optiona...
https://a.co/d/7uf7YHt

This is just one.
Interested in this community’s views.

We have a customer that installed solar panels. He has two very large batteries in his attic to hold the charge. He spent around 30K for this set up. He put it in 18 months ago. He told me he has not received an electric bill since. Now is it worth 30K? I don't know but for me that would take at least 12-15 years to break even. I don't know if they are the type you are talking about but they do hold enough charge to run his entire 2500 square foot home.

[FastCarry]

I dont have one but Jackery is a popular brand amongst offroader/overlanders. Seems to me a bit more than the Anket in similar spec however.

[RoyGBiv]

We have a customer that installed solar panels. He has two very large batteries in his attic to hold the charge. He spent around 30K for this set up. He put it in 18 months ago. He told me he has not received an electric bill since. Now is it worth 30K? I don't know but for me that would take at least 12-15 years to break even. I don't know if they are the type you are talking about but they do hold enough charge to run his entire 2500 square foot home.

Unfortunately, in 12-15 years he will have had to replace those hot-attic batteries at least twice (possibly 3x)... pushing out the break even by another decade. My neighbor in NC and my BiL in VA both had off-grid solar systems that I had the chance to watch in action. NC Neighbor lived like an energy pauper, had to install a geothermal system for air conditioning and was still either too hot in the summer or was supplementing in the winter with the fireplace. BiL gave up after 2 battery replacements over about 5-6 years and connected to the grid when it became available.

Batteries are not the answer for energy storage.... Too dirty to produce and recycle... too short a life span.... not enough energy density.

[powerboatr]

when we had the solar bid placed to help us decide
batteries were nearly 1/2 the total cost
big lithium batteries capable of sustaining our needs for 5-12 days.
i just could not justify the 45 k expense
so i have 8k watt genny and one 2k watt for emergency times now

[Tex1961]

We’ve gone with the dual fuel generator route. Like everyone else has said, solar just isn’t what everyone thinks it is.

[G.A. Heath]

I use a lot of solar, but its all DYI and for 12v systems. An all-in-one portable unit is fine for emergency use when you want to keep a device going like a refrigerator, but it is not as capable as a generator of comparable size.

Overall consider how much wattage you will need and buy appropriately. For usage that is more than 4 to 6 hours I would recommend a generator.

[03Lightningrocks]

I use a lot of solar, but its all DYI and for 12v systems. An all-in-one portable unit is fine for emergency use when you want to keep a device going like a refrigerator, but it is not as capable as a generator of comparable size.

Overall consider how much wattage you will need and buy appropriately. For usage that is more than 4 to 6 hours I would recommend a generator.

I wouldn't mind having one of those whole house generators that are powered by natural gas and kick on automatically. We don't loose power enough in Plano for me to justify the expense. If I lived in a hurricane type area, I would do it.

[Jose_in_Dallas]

I've had a Goal Zero Yeti 400 and a Sherpa 100 with a 100 and a smaller 20 watt solar panel for a few years now. I use them a lot when I go off grid camping in New Mexico and Colorado. I mostly use them for charging up electronics like phones, tablet, laptop, drone, and GoPro's. But they have also come in handy at home when the power has gone out; for powering a fan and lights at night and I've used it for powering the refrigerator for short periods of time. They are great for when you don't want something as noisy as a gas generator and don't need a lot of power.

I have a gas generator at home but really like the battery generator setups. My plan is to upgrade to something bigger and with better battery chemistry. For those of you interested these battery setups, google battery chemistry. I plan on switching to something that uses LiFePO4 batteries that have more charging cycles over other battery types. The trade off is that they are heavier.

[G.A. Heath]

I've had a Goal Zero Yeti 400 and a Sherpa 100 with a 100 and a smaller 20 watt solar panel for a few years now. I use them a lot when I go off grid camping in New Mexico and Colorado. I mostly use them for charging up electronics like phones, tablet, laptop, drone, and GoPro's. But they have also come in handy at home when the power has gone out; for powering a fan and lights at night and I've used it for powering the refrigerator for short periods of time. They are great for when you don't want something as noisy as a gas generator and don't need a lot of power.

I have a gas generator at home but really like the battery generator setups. My plan is to upgrade to something bigger and with better battery chemistry. For those of you interested these battery setups, google battery chemistry. I plan on switching to something that uses LiFePO4 batteries that have more charging cycles over other battery types. The trade off is that they are heavier.

In actuality LiFePo4 batteries tend to weigh less than other battery types with the same capacity, additionally the way capacity is measured you will see more run time with a LiFePo4 battery than a lead acid or AGM battery of the same capacity rating. The real downside to LiFePo4 batteries is the cost.

[Jose_in_Dallas]

In actuality LiFePo4 batteries tend to weigh less than other battery types with the same capacity, additionally the way capacity is measured you will see more run time with a LiFePo4 battery than a lead acid or AGM battery of the same capacity rating. The real downside to LiFePo4 batteries is the cost.

I must have misread that. Good to know.

[RoyGBiv]

In actuality LiFePo4 batteries tend to weigh less than other battery types with the same capacity, additionally the way capacity is measured you will see more run time with a LiFePo4 battery than a lead acid or AGM battery of the same capacity rating. The real downside to LiFePo4 batteries is the cost.

I must have misread that. Good to know.

You were correct about the cost however... Quite a bit more expensive.

I have one that I use as a backup power source from my HAM station. Holds a charge for a LONG time and saves weight in my portable station that I built into a pelican case. Expensive, but, for the right purpose, worth the cost.

[G.A. Heath]

In actuality LiFePo4 batteries tend to weigh less than other battery types with the same capacity, additionally the way capacity is measured you will see more run time with a LiFePo4 battery than a lead acid or AGM battery of the same capacity rating. The real downside to LiFePo4 batteries is the cost.

I must have misread that. Good to know.

You were correct about the cost however... Quite a bit more expensive.

I have one that I use as a backup power source from my HAM station. Holds a charge for a LONG time and saves weight in my portable station that I built into a pelican case. Expensive, but, for the right purpose, worth the cost.

I have 2 in my shack for redundancy, they total 94Ah. I have a 20Ah battery in my Port-a-shack, 3 100Ah batteries in my trailer, a 12ah battery in the Canwood (Kenwood TM-V71 in an ammo can), and a 6ah in my backpack. They can be affordable if you hunt for deals.