The emergence of solar power stations

The world is increasingly lacking in peace, and wars are raging across the globe: the conflict between Ukraine and Russia; The wars between Israel and Hamas, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon... With the development of wars in various places, energy transportation routes have been cut off in many places, which has led countries around the world that lack energy to consider alternative energy sources (such as solar energy, wind energy, etc.) to replace traditional energy sources such as oil and coal.

The solar power station is a power generation device designed by engineers and researchers around the world for short-term use by households or individuals. Its basic principle is to store the electricity generated by solar panels in a small capacity battery and then use the stored electricity for users. We can use this electricity to charge our phones, power light bulbs, rice cookers, fans, refrigerators, and washing machines.

Components of the solar power Station

1. The previous simple solar power generation device - inverter

The design principle of an inverter is simple. It consists of a solar panel with sufficient power, an inverter, and an energy storage battery (lead-acid battery or lithium battery).

After the user prepares all the installation materials, the installation engineer installs the solar panel outdoors or on the roof, connects the solar panel, inverter, and battery with wires, converts solar energy into electrical energy through the inverter, stores the electrical energy in the battery through wires, and finally releases the stored electricity in the battery for use by the user and the household. Characteristics of inverters: The structure is relatively simple, and the power generation principle is also easy to understand. However, installing inverters requires high objective factors (such as large installation space, preferably the house is owned by oneself, etc.), and the installation process is also complex. The equipment is very bulky and can only be used at home, which is not easy to carry. The main reason is that the price is very expensive. Therefore, the installation of large inverters is mostly carried out by affluent households, which cannot meet the needs of low-income individuals and families.

2. New type of solar power generation device - portable solar power station

Due to some insurmountable factors of the inverter, it cannot be widely used. Therefore, researchers around the world have started to develop and design many new solar energy products, such as super power banks that support solar charging, UPS, etc. The recently launched product is a portable solar power station.

The portable solar power station has adopted the entire design concept of inverters while avoiding some of their drawbacks. It is the same as the original inverter, with components including batteries and inverters, but its inverters and batteries are very small. Most portable solar power stations have a power of no more than 1000 watts and a battery capacity of no more than 1000 Wh. It can be charged through mains power or external solar panels for solar charging. Due to its small battery capacity, most of its weight does not exceed 30kg, making it very easy to carry. There are also portable solar power stations with smaller power (such as 100 watts) that come with solar charging panels, so users do not need to separately connect the solar panels for charging. Due to the miniaturization of portable solar power stations, the purchasing cost for low-income groups has been greatly reduced, which has quickly gained widespread recognition and popularity worldwide.

Batteries used in portable solar power station

At present, we often see lead-acid batteries and lithium batteries that can be used to store electricity. Most solar power generators also use these two types of batteries for storing electricity. Lead acid batteries are bulky, have a short discharge time, and a shorter lifespan, but they are cheaper and safer. Previously, they were mainly used to store electricity generated by wind power; Lithium batteries are more expensive, lightweight, have longer discharge times, and have a longer lifespan, but they are also expensive, flammable, and explosive, requiring more attention to safety.

Due to their distinct characteristics and price differences, lead-acid batteries are widely used in underdeveloped regions such as Southeast Asia, West Asia, Africa, and South America. In Europe, North America, Japan, South Korea, and China, lithium batteries are also widely used. Portable solar power stations using lead-acid batteries are more popular in economically underdeveloped regions such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America, while portable solar power stations using lithium batteries are more popular in developing countries in Europe and America.

Working principle of portable solar power station

To understand the working principle of a portable solar generator, we need to first understand all the components of the solar generator. The basic components of a portable solar power station include: battery, motherboard, panel, inverter, fan, housing, charger, and other components. The charging and discharging of batteries are controlled by software programs embedded in the motherboard, which activate the inverter to convert current and voltage to ensure smooth current transmission. Various function keys of the solar power station are controlled through the panel to perform normal work. During the current transmission process, a large amount of heat is generated. At this time, the heat pipes and fans can accelerate the air circulation inside the power station, avoiding damage to the solar power station due to high temperature.

Maintenance of portable solar power stations

Due to the different types of batteries used in portable solar power stations, there are also some differences in their maintenance methods. However, overall, there are some things to note when using and storing portable power plants:

1. To maintain the cleanliness of the power station, it is necessary to regularly wipe off the dust on the surface of the power station to prevent certain components from being contaminated with dust and causing circuit short circuits;

2. After using the power station, it is necessary to charge it on time (through mains or solar power) to keep the battery in a state of 100% stored capacity for a long time, thereby extending the battery's lifespan;

3. It is necessary to place the portable solar power station in a dry space and avoid storing it in a damp location; At the same time, while keeping the storage space of the power station dry, long-term exposure to sunlight should also be avoided as much as possible;

During the process of charging a portable solar power station, try to keep the station at a certain distance from other things to prevent the fire from spreading due to accidents;

5. When using a portable solar generator to power electrical appliances, avoid charging at the wrong voltage due to the compatibility between the power source and the voltage of the appliance. For example, 110 V power stations are suitable for North America, South America, Japan and Taiwan of China, and other countries in the world use 110 V power;

Due to varying electricity safety standards in different countries, it is necessary to equip portable solar power stations with different charging plugs for use in different countries.

Possible issues that may arise when using portable solar power station and methods to solve these problems

1. AC output does not work; It may be due to vibration during transportation that the circuit connecting to the AC socket has become loose, or there is a malfunction in the control motherboard of the power station. First, disassemble the machine and check the connection wire. If the connection wire is loose, it needs to be reconnected; If there is no problem with the connecting wires, it is likely that the control motherboard is short-circuited and needs to be replaced with a new circuit board.

2. No current output when fully charged; This situation is likely due to a problem with the control motherboard and requires replacement.

3. The LED light is not on; It is possible that the LED light is broken or there is a problem with the control panel, requiring replacement of the LED light or control panel.

4. The battery display shows that it is fully charged, but it can only work for a few minutes to 10 minutes, or the power supply time cannot reach the time indicated in the power supply manual; It is very likely that one of the lithium batteries in the battery pack has malfunctioned, causing the battery to be unable to be fully charged. In this case, the entire battery pack needs to be checked one by one, and the damaged battery needs to be replaced.

5. In short, if there is a malfunction when using a portable solar power station, the first thing to do is to contact the customer service personnel of the brand or manufacturer of the power station for consultation.

Portable solar power stations in China

As the country with the best development in the global lithium battery industry and solar energy conversion industry, China has unique advantages in the research and production of portable solar power station products. This is because China has the cheapest solar panels, the best quality lithium batteries, and a large number of R&D personnel, engineers, and supply chains needed to develop the portable solar power station industry.

Therefore, currently, there are the most portable solar power generator manufacturers in China, with the most stable product technical performance, the best quality, and the cheapest product prices. If we want to find the most cost-effective portable solar power station supplier, our first choice country must be China.