Solar "generator" - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Amish_Fighter_Pilot
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2025, 12:16:10 pm
content: Has anyone else seen all the ads for the "solar generator" systems being peddled right now? Does this bother anyone like it bothers me? They are a panel, a charge controller, some sort of storage, and an inverter, but not a generator anywhere in sight. The general public might not appreciate the difference, but the people who make them should know what kind of equipment they are... They also tell people that these things will keep the lights on and the food cold! I doubt the battery in most of these would even run a minifridge for even half a day. I wouldn't call ALL of these totally useless, but a lot of them clearly are just glorified phone chargers.

author: Analog Kid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2025, 01:26:59 am
content: Wellll, technically it's a generator, in that it generates electricity.But yeah, that hook is meant to get people to compare it mentally to a gas or diesel generator ...

author: Haenk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2025, 03:42:45 pm
content: Quote from: Amish_Fighter_Pilot on May 31, 2025, 12:16:10 pmAnd that's exactly the target audience. Being overly accurate in details is not going to sell even one piece more. People just want a simple plug&play solution, if that is based on GQK67255377HS-57 batteries - they do not care. At all.

author: Amish_Fighter_Pilot
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2025, 07:51:49 pm
content: Quote from: Analog Kid on June 01, 2025, 01:26:59 amI know that part of the complaint is semantics to some degree, but technically a solar panel converts one form of existing electromagnetic energy into another versus a gas generator that converts chemical energy into work that produces electromagnetic energy.

author: Analog Kid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2025, 09:21:24 pm
content: Wellll, in both cases it's a conversion of energy, so yeah, pretty much a semantic quibble.Of more concern is people thinking this will power their fridge, etc., as you point out.So what would you call it? (Besides a POS.)

author: DimitriP
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2025, 09:46:03 pm
content: Quote from: Analog Kid on June 01, 2025, 09:21:24 pmit will sound like a German word translated to English but here it goes :"solar-charging-capable-battery-power-inverter" of sortsWhen they are small, and fit in your pocket they are called "phone power banks"when they are small , white and round... aspirinand when they are large square and grey ...elephants

author: Amish_Fighter_Pilot
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2025, 08:13:03 am
content: "POS" is indeed a good descriptorI also like the thought of these things as elephants lol... It really does describe what lugging them around must be like.

author: Hr_Satch
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2025, 06:57:24 pm
content: Jup, count me in.These so-called solar energy thingies,are rather a solar backed-up UPS for your home electricity.You even have to plug it into your wall outlet, . . .So where is the real energy coming from ? ? ?You can travel with these solar panels, following the sun,so now you have endless energy, 'cause the sun keeps on shining them ;-?Ding-Dong, is this A.I. entering the Forums

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2025, 10:26:20 pm
content: Can you not draw power from them if there's enough sunlight? I'm pretty sure those units do that and don't just charge the internal battery.Of course, the small units with small panels will only generate maybe 100 to 200 W from sunlight, so you can't do anything much with them except powering your laptop if you don't do anything demanding on it.