What are The Pros and Cons of Portable Solar Wind Generators?
When a natural disaster strikes, portable solar wind generators can provide usable power. After massive tornadoes, hurricanes or earthquakes there is no way to estimate how long you will be without power.
At the same time, you have no way to estimate when a natural disaster may strike your area of the country or whether it will ever happen.
There are generators that can provide power for lights and refrigeration but they also require keeping batteries charged in the event the generator is needed or keeping a supply of fuel such as gasoline stored to power the generator.
This is not an ideal situation for an individual home. Batteries age and can leak while storing containers of fuel can be a fire hazard. If gasoline is the fuel you will need to replace old gas with fresh on occasion.
Though homeowners might have the best intentions when buying a standard generator to protect their family in the event of a disaster often the maintenance required to keep the generator ready for use is ignored after a time.
Unlike portable solar wind generators, a large fuel-driven generator cannot easily be moved to areas of need. There are cables, gas, oil, tools and other supplies that must accompany the heavy, cumbersome generator.
Pros of Portable Solar Wind Generators
Portable solar wind generators can help you get through a natural disaster and the accompanying loss of electricity. This is a hybrid machine that utilizes two well known natural power sources - sun and wind. This is a lightweight and affordable machine that can be used for other tasks besides emergency preparedness.
If you live off the power grid you probably already utilize an alternative energy source such as solar or wind power. Portable solar wind generators are a great addition to your farm or property.
More than just for emergencies, these products are great for campers as they are small enough to fit in with your camping gear and can provide comfort and safety for campers who prefer to leave public campgrounds with the handy plug-ins and camp in more secluded areas.
Combining solar power and wind energy leads to a power generator that produces more output and higher efficiency than solar or wind units alone. The wind and sun have different cycles and intensities throughout the day and intensity varies for each by season, too.
One manufacturer of solar power wind generators claims the hybrid design they sell to homeowners is twice as efficient as large models used by the military.
The best selling portable generators are a combination of a wind turbine and two or more solar panels. Other designs place the solar cells directly on the blades of the wind turbine.
Some of the small models with solar embedded blades will produce enough power only to run your cell phone or GPS device. It can also power a built-in LED light. This design is very light weight and folds for portability. Unlike the more power units, it is suitable to carry when backpacking or cycling.
Cons of Portable Solar Wind Generators
The portability that makes these products attractive also limited the amount of power they can produce. These are not appliances that can be used to keep food frozen or light your home in an energy. They can, however, provide power to stay in touch with others and to provide light.
Smaller portable wind generators may be found for as little as $100 but the quality and power output will be of questionable value. You are more like to spend $200-$600 or even more for a better quality hybrid power generator.
