Keeping the lights and refrigerator on is very important to us, especially if we live in a place under the threat of a natural disaster. If something like hurricane Katrina in 2005 or Irene in 2011, or the earthquakes of the west coast cause us to lose power, we want to keep our cold stuff cold, keep our lights on for safety, and be able to relax a little bit until the lines can be repaired. But what if we also want to keep our carbon footprint to a minimum? If this is you, here’s what you need: a solar generator.
A solar generator has 120V output and works exactly like a gas-powered generator as far as your appliances are concerned. But it does have a few important differences. First, instead of a fuel tank, it has a bank of batteries to store power, and instead of a motor, it has an inverter to transform the direct current of the sun into the alternating current of usable electricity.
The most important difference between a solar generator and a gas-powered generator is the power source. A solar generator uses solar panels to collect a charge from whatever daylight is available. These panels could be photovoltaic (PV) or concentrated solar power (CSP). If the generator is used during the day, this power can even be used directly, instead of storing it for later use.
Solar generators can vary in size from 800W to 10,000W. It’s true that gas generators can produce more wattage than this, but they rely on fossil fuels and require a supply of gasoline. Even if you’re not concerned about your carbon footprint, gasoline is both expensive and not consistently available – if the power goes out, for example, the pumps down at the station won’t work. Gas generators also produce toxic fumes and can be very noisy.
Protect your home and family as soon as you can. Get a generator. At the same time, protect the earth – make it a solar generator. These work just as well as any gas generator, using sunlight as a power source, and they don’t harm the environment.
