[Peachbelle]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

Does anyone have any experience with a small solar generator? In case we have a power outage, I am looking for something to run the refrigerator, some portable fans, and a few lights. I don't need a whole house generator - just enough to get by for a few days. Thanks.

Two brands to check out
1. Ecoflow Delta Flow
2. Blueetti AC200max

[Warren]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

Does anyone have any experience with a small solar generator? In case we have a power outage, I am looking for something to run the refrigerator, some portable fans, and a few lights. I don't need a whole house generator - just enough to get by for a few days. Thanks.

I saw one advertised a few days ago: Patriate Solar Generator 1800. Don't know anything about what i was looking at, but it seemed interesting. Check it out and let me know what you think.

[TrapX]

I would only want a propane fueled generator, and would never run gasoline in it. Propane does not spoil over time. Sure, you can put stabil in gasoline, but it will go bad eventually. Propane also stores much easier.

[Romad]

Originally Posted by vintagebob

I have a setup for my wine cabinets. I currently have 3 portable solar generators with a portable solar array for each.

The Bluetti AC200Max w/ 3 200watt solar panels
The new Jackery 2000 w/2 200 watt panels
and an older Jackery 800 w/2 100 watt Panels.

EcoFlow is another good brand.

They are not cheap.

For a refrigerator, I would get an Iceco electric cooler (I have the V42) which will only draw 55 watts compared to the 150-200 watts of a home refrigerator. They can maintain any temperature you want from freezer to wine storage (50*). The bigger ones have dual storage.

The reality is that it will cost you a lot more to power your refrigerator than the value of the food inside of it, unless you have all Waygu beef. ; )

This was very informative. Are there any safety problems with the battery units? How long does it take to charge with the 200 watt panels?

[Michael G.]

Originally Posted by TrapX

I would only want a propane fueled generator, and would never run gasoline in it. Propane does not spoil over time. Sure, you can put stabil in gasoline, but it will go bad eventually. Propane also stores much easier.

Seems strange that the state of Florida allows buried propane tanks.
Just seems it would be a real mess if there's a leak to contaminate the ground from rusted metal over time.

[Win1894]

Originally Posted by PJ_Smiley

Take a look here:
Go Anywhere with Portable Power - Lion Energy

The Lion Energy Safari ME holds slightly more energy (922 Wh) than a car battery, and all for a mere $2350. Brilliant!

[vintagebob]

Originally Posted by Romad

This was very informative. Are there any safety problems with the battery units? How long does it take to charge with the 200 watt panels?

The Jackery units are Lithium Ion, so come with normal Lithium Ion safety issues (i.e. potential fire hazard if shorted out). I've never had a problem with my phone/iPad/laptop, etc., so I am not concerned. Just pay attention.

The Bluetti is a Lithium Phosphate chemistry which is safer but makes the unit heavier but also increases the useable charge cycles significantly.

Charge times are tricky. Bluetti gives a charge time of 3 - 3.5 hours for 900W of solar input. My 3 panels are rated at 600W, so I would guess 6+ hours with good light conditions. The unit does let you charge while in use which is nice.

The Jackery will be similar but does allow for up to 1200W solar input if you want. I can currently only provide 600W. So again 6+ hours in good light.

The main knock against the Jackery is the proprietary solar panel connections, which makes it more difficult to use third party panels. The Jackery is more plug and play though.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

I tend to agree with above comments; however, you can go with a smaller generator. Get the EXACT power requirements for the equipment that you need to operate then look at the available generators. If you can go with inverter based these are very quiet. You will need to make arrangements ahead of time for getting the power into the house. I would suggest a suitable outdoor power receptacle with suitable wiring to a location where you could use temporary extension cords.
Now having stated this, if you are in SECO territory, they have been excellent over the last 9 years with outages that I could count on one hand and most only a few minutes. There were extended outages (during IRMA) in the historic area (lots of overhead lines), and I have heard of some possible problems in the Leesburg area.
Bottom line have not seen the need for a generator in our area of The Villages (just south of 466A) SECO territory.

Far from an expert. I was thinking about a small generator capable of running our refrigerator. It is capacitor starting so you need a generator considerably larger than the running watts. Most newer refrigerators are electronically controlled. May not work well with a generator.

Solar, obviously for use at night and for stable supply you need batteries. Batteries store DC so you need to convert it to AC. Both batteries and converting to AC have improved dramatically. I just saw an ad on TV for a Generac system. Of course it is an ad. The system looks like it is designed to fit in your garage with the collectors of course on your roof. Is it worth it?
The answer to that changes if your power is out. Gasoline does not store well.
During a hurricane you may be locked in your home unable to buy gasoline.
We do not have gas, so no stove. People with gas barbeques. There are lights like the coleman that will run off those tanks. We were not in Florida, famous for hurricanes. Hurricane Sandy wiped out our power for 4-5 days. Truly an adventure. Better than it would be here, we had a gas stove. I have a bunch of Colman lanterns. You can read by them.
Might be wise to buy one or two NOW and be sure to buy extra mantles. Like generators before or after a hurricane the will be impossible to find

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by keepsake

Done alot of this. Here are some numbers.
I have the LiFeP04 batteries. 17 will give you 14 kw of storage. That'll run 200 watt fridge for days. That battery bank is $2500. A hybrid inverter to charge and make electric 240v from those batteries is $3500. It'll charge from ac mains for that total of about $6000. No solar yet. So you go into storm with batteries fully charged and run minimal fridge, lights. 1000 watts for 14 hours is the math.

You may be right. I looked at a generator. Frankly it was listed on the internet. It was unbelievably inexpensive. First of all the company never shipped it. I did get my money back. My research showed we would need 2000 plus watts to run just our refrigerator. If, I recall our refrigerator draws 600 watt start up. A sure to occur problem. I hear you have a generator. Could I borrow it and run my refrigerator? And so on through the villages.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by skippy05

Sell your gas car and buy a Hyundai Ioniq 5 Electric Car. Next, buy Hyundai's V2L connector/adapter. Next, buy a 220v car charger and install it in your garage. Now, simply keep your car charged at home and stop buying gas. This will add about $30/month to your electric bill and eliminate your need to buy gas. Next, during a power outage, unplug the car charger from the car. Next, plug the V2L adapter into the car's charger port. This provides you with a 110v power outlet which is powered by your car's large battery. This will run your refrigerator for many many days, plus a few lights and a fan. The car has a driving range of around 311 miles on a charge. The car is around 45k. Order one from Jenkins Hyundai in Leesburg and it will be available in around 2 weeks.

There are always alternatives. I have a friend who bought 180 acres in the woods of North Carolina. Last I heard they were building a waterwheel to generate electricity.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by DAVES

You may be right. I looked at a generator. Frankly it was listed on the internet. It was unbelievably inexpensive. First of all the company never shipped it. I did get my money back. My research showed we would need 2000 plus watts to run just our refrigerator. If, I recall our refrigerator draws 600 watt start up. A sure to occur problem. I hear you have a generator. Could I borrow it and run my refrigerator? And so on through the villages.

If your refrigerator draws 600W at startup then you don't need three times that (2000W) to run it.

I have run three refrigerators and a freezer from a 3500W generator.

*IF* I were to buy one now I would look into a quiet generator like the Honda 2200 or another that has been suggested in this thread. But, given the history of power outages in the Villages I will not likely buy one anytime soon.

Solar-based generator: Be sure to calculate available run time off the battery and charging time. If the panels can't charge the battery quickly enough then you'll eventually reach a point where you will be out of electricity.

Patriot generator: Looks like an as-seen-on-tv product. No technical details given for charging time or battery capacity.

Gas generator: Needs to run outside and your neighbors won't thank you if your loud generator keeps them awake. Storing fuel could be an issue for some but I have a five gallon can for the golf cart that will serve for the generator as well.

EV-based generator: Might work but you're on borrowed time - you are betting that the power to your house will be restored before the battery in the vehicle runs low. Plus, you have to choose between running the refrigerator and running to the store - the vehicle can't be in two places at once. On the other hand, if you already have an EV with the necessary wiring then you're in good shape.

As others have mentioned, $1,000 and up for any of these solutions is probably more than the cost of the food that would be lost in the refrigerator.

[jancap27]

We bought a Jackery Explorer 880 mid-size solar generator & got to use it the very next day during a brief outage! It can only power a very small portable frig, but handles TV's, lights & fans well. If you go on their website you will see a chart listing their various size generators and what appliances they can handle and for how long. Note: it can be used while the battery is being charged from the solar panels. It can also be charged from your car battery (and of course from an AC outlet when the outage is over).

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Another option which no one's mentioned is to have a second, "dormitory" sized fridge that can hold a couple bottles of beer, butter, half a dozen eggs, a container of milk, some cheese, maybe some salad ingredients, a package of steak, and a couple of ice cube trays in the freezer section. Keep it running in the garage or laundry shed. If the power goes out, transfer ONLY those items from your regular fridge to that one. Your solar generator will run that bad boy long enough that you don't have to worry about whether the sun comes out in the next couple of days or not. It'll also likely have plenty of juice left over to illuminate the home in the evening, but definitely not enough for the AC.

You can charge your tablet and/or phone from your car's USB port and if you have it, from your golf cart's USB port. You can cook your eggs on a griddle atop your grill outside your house - you can also learn to make a camp stove with newspaper and a coffee can (yes, you actually can do that). Then you don't even need a grill at all, just tin foil.

The toughest part of all of this will be living without air conditioning during a Florida summer. The refrigerator would be the least of my worries.

[MidWestIA]

I don't think it's needed Leesburg electric needs it way more that SECO but Pine Hills IRMA was only out 19 hours not any others SECO didn't even go out. I keep hearing of outages in some areas but I have not had them

[Lee Benjamin]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

Does anyone have any experience with a small solar generator? In case we have a power outage, I am looking for something to run the refrigerator, some portable fans, and a few lights. I don't need a whole house generator - just enough to get by for a few days. Thanks.

How many solar panels does it take to run a refrigerator?

Average fridges use between 300 and 800 watts of electricity to stay powered. On average, solar panels are rated at around 350 W, meaning you’ll need between one and three panels to power most refrigerators. Keep in mind, refrigerators don’t always use that much electricity, but to power them when they are consuming the most energy, you’ll need to design a solar system that can handle the higher usage times. Another thing to consider... Once the sun sets, the refrigerator has no power.