If you’re looking for a device that restores power for hours without hassle, look no further than the portable power station. Portable power stations are a much better alternative to the huge, traditional, carbon-emitting generators, which must be placed more than 15 feet away from your home as per safety measures.
As technology advances more and more every day, it’s simply impractical to stick to traditional gas generators. Portable power stations are as big as your microwave oven and get charged through any 110-volt AC outlet.
Whether you need to run it at your home, construction sites, or on campgrounds camping, these portable power banks are best for any type of emergency. They don’t cause any harmful emissions and are easy to carry.
Plus, they have almost every option of outlets, whether you want to charge your smartphones or get your medical appliances up and running. If you want to learn further before investing in this handy station, here’s all you need to know about how much a portable power station can help you during emergencies.
What Is a Portable Power Station?
A portable power station converts different types of energy into electric energy by deriving them from different power sources. These power stations use water or steam turbines to convert other energies into electric energy.
However, they also sometimes use diesel engines and other supporting machinery. This energy can be generated by different sources, such as gas flow, water flow, nuclear fission, or fuel combustion.
The inverter generator receives the mechanical energy and converts it into electrical energy, making it useful in case of a power outage. Most portable power stations provide an output that ranges from 1,000 to 20,000 watts.
It’s worth noting that the engine’s displacement somewhat limits its maximum output. If you must increase the maximum output, the size of the portable power station will also increase. Therefore, it will consume more fuel and create more noise.
Most people prefer portable power stations over gas generators as they are light, small, and easy to carry. Plus, they don’t make any noise or smoke, making them environmentally friendly. In addition, their wide range of power outlets makes them a versatile alternative to most power sources.
Most portable power stations are also affordable; you’ll even find some high-quality options for under $500. However, these stations are long-term investments that typically last up to 3000-4000 recharges.
What Can a Portable Power Station Provide Power To?
Most portable power stations provide power to small electronic appliances and a wide range of devices. They can power pretty much anything that the outputs on the power station support. That includes table fans, phones, CPAP machines, and heavy-duty power tools. Here are a few essential devices, gadgets, and appliances to which a portable power station can provide power.
Home or Kitchen Appliances During an Outage
You can use a portable power station to power home or kitchen appliances during a power outage. That includes refrigerators, dishwashers, microwaves, ovens, and more. Depending on the power station’s strength, a portable power station can power these appliances for anywhere between 4 to 15 hours.
Since these power stations are portable, you can transport them on wheels and simply connect them to any appliance in case of a power outage. For example, most fridges use about 100 to 250 watts a day, while microwaves consume about 500 to 800 watts while heating.
It’s safe to say that a portable power bank can easily power your home appliances for a few days once fully charged.
Cell Phone or Other Small Electronic Device
Most cell phones take approximately 3.7 watts while charging. Meanwhile, other small electronics, such as LED lights and TVs, consume 100 to 200 watts per day. Even if five cell phones were charging and multiple LED lights were on simultaneously, a portable power station would have plenty of power to keep them running for days during a power outage.
Outdoor Equipment for Off-the-Grid Living
If you’ve decided to live off the grid, you’ll need some outdoor equipment and appliances to survive. That includes a hot plate, water filter, heater, mini-fridge, portable washing machine, and others.
The average hot plate consumes approximately 36 kWh over 30 days, while a water filter takes 25 to 60 watts per hour. Mini-fridges consume 55 to 85 watts, and mini washing machines consume about 400 watts.
Since you can even find portable power stations that offer 20,000 watts, it’s safe to say these banks have enough battery capacity and power delivery to power outdoor equipment for off-the-grid living.
Hospital and Medical Devices
Of course, hospitals and medical institutions are susceptible to power outages the same as any home is. However, their operations are much more crucial than those of any other organization, which is why they benefit from using portable power stations.
Most hospital and medical devices consume approximately 1600 kWh per year, meaning a portable power bank can easily provide backup power in case of a power outage.
Larger Appliances for Work
Portable power stations can also power larger appliances for work, such as printers, computers, server machines, fax machines, copiers, and projectors. Of course, you’ll also need typical home appliances such as microwaves, fridges, and coffee machines in your office kitchen.
Most commercial printers consume 300 to 500 watts while printing, while servers consume 25 to 50 watts on standby. In addition, each computer takes up 60 to 250 watts, fax machines take up 35 watts, copiers take 310 watts, and projectors consume 300 to 800 watts per hour.
Considering all this, it’s worth noting that a portable power bank has plenty of juice to power these large appliances for work.
What to Consider When Choosing a Portable Power Product
Choosing the best portable power product isn’t as easy as buying the cheapest one. However, here are a few factors to consider while choosing a portable power product for your home or office.
Power Output Required
First, you must consider how much power output you need from your portable power station. Then, you can determine what appliances you need to power with this portable power station.
That includes your fridge, microwave, TV, or any other appliances. Then, look at your electricity bill to check how much power each appliance consumes per hour or day. Then, sum up the numbers and figure out how much power output you’ll need.
If it’s under the 20,000-watt mark, you’re in luck: portable power stations provide just enough power for that.
You must also consider that different countries have different standards of power outlets. For example, while Canada, the United States, Japan, and Mexico use Type A and Type B, Asia, Europe, and South America prefer to use Type C.
Meanwhile, Belgium, Czechia, France, Poland, and Slovakia use Type E, and Russia and Europe more commonly use Type F. Make sure that the power outlets on your portable power stations are compatible with the plugs and cables you have inside your home.
Amount of Outlets or USB Ports Needed
Before buying a portable power station, check out the number of outlets and USB ports on the bank. But first, you must consider what you’ll need to plug into the power station. Ideally, the power station should have two fast-charging USB-A ports, each supporting at least 10 watts.
It should also have one 6mm DC port, one USB-C port, and a car power socket. Of course, one AC outlet is the minimum requirement. If a portable power station has all of these and more, it should be adequate to power you through an emergency or a power outage.
If you use Mac devices, you must ensure that the portable power station has ports to support the lightning cable.
Length of Time Battery Can Continuously Function
Since you’ll be powering large and essential appliances with this portable power bank, you must ensure that it functions for a long, continuous period. Battery life and battery level are important considerations.
It takes about 3 to 4 hours for a portable power station to fully charge. Ideally, once it’s fully charged, its battery should continuously run for at least 10 to 12 hours. This is the minimum requirement, as you can expect any power outage to last a day.
However, if you only power small appliances with the portable power bank, you can even make one full charge to last a day.
Total Units Being Powered
Before buying a portable power station, you must calculate the total number of units you will need to power with the power bank. Then, once you’ve determined what you’ll need to power, you must calculate the power output they will consume.
The average US household consumes approximately 30,000 watts per day. Meanwhile, a robust power station should provide you with 20,000 watts with a full charge, meaning you can power the essential appliances in your home for a day with a fully charged portable power bank.
Variety of Devices in Need of Power
You must also consider the variety of devices that need to be powered. For example, do you only need to power your phones and laptops? If so, you’d probably be better off with a small power bank. Portable power stations are ideal for providing temporary power to bigger appliances such as fridges, microwaves, TVs, and the like.
But, it’s worth noting that these power stations can’t power your whole house at a time, which is something to consider for those who need power on a much bigger scale. If you need to power a car, you must opt for a more powerful station.
A power station providing at least 20,000 watts of energy is ideal for those wanting to power large appliances or cars.
Physical Size of Battery Pack
Lastly, you can’t forget to consider the physical size of a battery pack. If you need your portable power station to provide over 20,000 watts, you’d probably need to opt for a bigger battery. Thus, the size of the power station will also increase, and it will no longer be portable.
To make sure it still has its portable nature, a portable power station should weigh no more than 80 pounds. This way, you’ll be able to carry it to different appliances in the house and plug them in with ease. Ideally, the power station should be the size of a small microwave.
What Are the Different Types of Portable Power Banks?
One of the main ways to categorize portable power banks is by determining what they derive their energy from. For example, lithium and solar are the two different portable power banks; here’s all you need to know about them.
Lithium Power Station
Lithium power stations run on high-capacity lithium batteries. But they also comprise a 240-volt inverter and AC/DC charging. As a result, there’s little that a lithium power station can’t power in simpler terms.
These power stations typically provide between 100 to 2000 watts of power, which doesn’t make them too different from most 240V inverters. In addition, lithium power stations feature all types of outputs, such as USB-C, USB-A, automotive 12V sockets, and even some wireless charging stations.
That means you can power anything with these stations — that is, as long as the station has the output to support the device. If you’re wondering how long they last, it all depends on the lithium power stations.
If you’re using the power station to power your 250-watt fridge, you can make it last a day. However, if you’re powering multiple devices and appliances simultaneously, the lithium power station’s battery will be flat in a few hours.
Most lithium power stations don’t exceed the $1,000 mark when it comes to price. However, the DBPOWER Portable Power Station is a great example of a lithium portable power station. This station delivers 250 watts with each full charge, and its lifespan lasts 3,000 recharges.
That means it can power your LED lights for 24+ hours, phone 25+ times, laptop twice, microwave for 6 hours, or camera for 48 hours. For a portable power station that only weighs 4.4 lbs, that’s pretty impressive.
It features one USB Smart port, two USB ports, one DC output, and one AC pure sine wave outlet. It also features a flashlight in an emergency and only takes 5 or 6 hours to charge completely.
Solar Power Station
Solar power stations run on solar energy and convert it into electrical energy. These power stations are ideal for when you need power on the go for powering your mini appliances and portable devices.
Solar power stations typically provide somewhere between 250 to 365 watts of power. Although their ability to generate energy from the sun makes them much more convenient, they don’t last nearly as long as lithium power stations do.
Luckily, you can even find certain solar power stations that deliver up to 2000 watts. You can make them last a day if you only use them to power mini appliances, laptops, and cell phones.
Most solar power stations are also available for under $1,000. If that seems too expensive, remember that this is a long-term investment that’ll come in handy more often than you think.
The BLUETTI Portable Power Station AC200P 2000W Solar Generator is a great portable solar power station to consider. This power station can deliver up to 2000 watts and 4800 surge watts on a full charge.
In addition, its lifespan lasts for 3500 recharges, and it takes about 3 to 3.5 hours for it to fully charge. Finally, its outlet selection is one of the best, as it features six AC outlets, one 12V/25A RV port, and two 15W wireless pads.
It also features one PD 60W USB-C, four USB-A ports, one 12V/10A carport, and two 12V/3A ports. In simple words, there’s truly nothing that you can’t plug into the BLUETTI portable power station.
What Are the Benefits of Using a Portable Power Device?
Here are a few benefits of using a portable power device for your home or office.
Cleaner Energy Than Gas Generators
It’s worth noting that gas generators add to air pollution since they emit matter containing burnt hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. These generators take up more space and create much more noise, and they also emit smoke and damage the environment.
Portable power stations are a cleaner alternative as they derive their power from water or steam turbines, sunlight, or lithium batteries. This way, there is no environmental damage while providing portable power to any appliances that need it.
Plus, portable power stations are nowhere near as noisy as gas generators. Since they’re made to be used indoors, they emit no smoke and work silently.
Compact and Streamlined Design
What makes a power station portable is its size and weight. Most portable power stations weigh somewhere between 30 to 80 pounds, which means you can carry them around with ease but also store it away in your car or garage when not in use.
Their compact design and small size are what make them preferable over battery-powered generators. These portable power stations are typically the size of a small drink cooler or microwave, making them the perfect size to take with you on a road trip.
Plus, they come with a streamlined design to make it easier for you to operate. For example, most portable power stations feature a battery meter on the interface, so you can easily find out how much battery is left in the power station and how long you can use it.
Wide Range of Uses and Environments
The best part about portable power stations is that their portability allows you to use them for anything, anywhere. One of the main uses of a portable power station is to charge or run home appliances such as fridges, microwaves, washing machines, and others.
This way, you can ensure that your daily chores don’t halt during a power outage and that the food in your fridge doesn’t go bad. Other than that, you can use portable power banks in workplaces such as offices, hospitals, or construction sites.
In an office, a portable power bank would help power copiers, printers, servers, computers, fax machines, and projectors. Meanwhile, a hospital would benefit from a portable power station powering essential medical devices.
At a construction site, a power station can help power electric drills and other necessary tools. In addition, a power bank’s portability makes it easy to use in any environment. You can simply fit it into your car’s trunk and take it on your next camping trip.
Reliable Power Despite Lightweight Feel
Although portable power stations are small and easy to carry, that doesn’t speak of their power. Most of these portable power banks are stronger and more reliable than they appear, being able to power multiple large appliances at a time.
You can even find portable power stations that provide a maximum of 20,000 watts. That means you can use them to power your essential appliances for a few days in case of an unexpected power outage.
Plus, they’re rechargeable. As long as you keep your portable power bank fully charged, it’s going to come in handy a lot more than you expect. You’ll never have to worry about your essentials being out of power again.
Choose a Portable Power Station You Can Trust
Now that you’re aware of all the devices a portable power station can power and how helpful it can be, you’re all set to get your hands on a suitable power bank. A versatile power gadget that works without emitting any fumes and is easy to charge can easily solve most of your daily problems.
Whether it’s a blackout or you’re on the go, these power stations definitely end up helping you in the long run. However, you must consider that these rechargeable batteries come with different capabilities and advantages. Some have an extended runtime, and others may come with a solar panel.
Use our guide to pick the best portable power station for your needs. If you’re looking for the ideal solar and lithium portable power stations, the DBPOWER Portable Power Station and BLUETTI Portable Power Station AC200P 2000W Solar Generator are two impeccable options to consider, both with a favorable rating.
