During a SHTF scenario, you will run out of gasoline, diesel, propane, and natural gas supplies will be disrupted, but sunshine, well the sun is not going away anytime soon. Some might say a volcano or comet strike can create so much ash and dust that the sun will be blocked, so what good is a solar generator then. Well if you are convinced either of the two will happen soon, then so be it, but for everyone else, you can still rely on sunshine while every other energy source is long been depleted.

I was never sold on solar generators, because I had it in my head that they were cumbersome, not powerful, and you needed solar panels that had to be placed just right, and if you had to move the generator, well what a hassle that would be. Well, I thought all this until I tried The Forty2Pro+ that is.

Solar panels on your roof or on poles scattered about your property is a welcoming sign to those not prepared for a crisis. Not to mention, what if you have to leave, or evacuate for an extended or even for a short period.

I wanted a power unit that did not require that I mount solar panels on the roof or on poles, and one I can take with me at the same time. You can’t in most cases, carry your standard solar generator with you everywhere you go.

With this power unit, you get portability, and absolutely no noise unlike fossil fuel powered ones, and you have enough power to get the job done. Carry it to where you need it, open it up, plug in your devices and the lights literally go on.

No need to carry multiple cases and then have to make several trips. To carry the all-in-one unit you can use either the built-in handle or the shoulder carry strap, which is sold separately. The unit can be carried by one person, and no set up is required. When done, simply close the case, and move on. It is designed for off-grid use, so it can stand up to the rigors of camp life, emergencies at home or along the trail. Toss it in your vehicle and don’t worry about it getting wet, it will be ready to use when needed.

I do need to mention the weight and the fact there are three different sized units. You choose which one serves your needs the best. The weight of the smaller unit is 57 pounds, the next sized unit weighs, 63 pounds and the largest unit weighs 75 pounds. The size is based on the batteries, the bigger the battery the heavier the unit, but you get more power as you increase the size of the batteries.

It is portable, but I don’t want to leave you with the impression you can carry it around like a briefcase. It is heavy, but doable, and it packs a lot of power.

One unit will not run your entire house, but not many portable generators will. The Forty2Pro will run the essentials, however, and did I mention portable. Imagine you need to pump water out of a lake, water needed for drinking, cooking, and bathing, or to irrigate your garden or to water your livestock. Instead of trying to figure out how to get the pumps’ electrical cord to a power source, you can carry this unit right to the source, plug in your pump, and get to work. You can do this and much more with the Forty2Pro.

Use it anywhere in the world to charge devices, power up refrigerators, small heaters, make coffee, provide lighting, run fans, power tools, read books stored on electronic devices, and the lists go on. You know what you do and do not need in a crisis as far as appliances and tools go, so set your priorities, and carry power with you no matter where you end up.

Below is a very handy device for checking how many watts an appliance or tool uses, so there is never any question as to whether you can power it up.

The P3 P4400 Kill a Watt Electricity Usage Monitor will connect to household appliances & assess their efficiency. It will also calculate electrical expenses by the day, week, month, or year and will check the quality of power by monitoring voltage, line frequency, and power factor.

This and other devices like it would be an essential piece of equipment when using a portable power source of any sort.

Here is the Manufactures ‘ Description of the Forty2 Pro + 1000 Solar Generator

The Forty2 combines all the elements of an electrical grid into a small mobile unit. The Forty2Pro is a portable solar power generator that stores and efficiently monitors the energy at your home, or anywhere you happen to be, and it’s not just a fancy battery unit, it is a power generating station. The Forty2 is a true solar power supply that works even when the sun isn’t shining.

Solar: 180 watts

Solar Type: 18.5% efficient mono-crystalline photovoltaic’s

Battery: Lithium Ion technology, 1000 wHr storage

Battery Life: 1,000 cycle rated

Internal DC Voltage: 24 volts

Power Inversion: 900 watts continuous/1800 watt surge

AC Outlets: 2

AC Voltage: Country-dependent

USB Port: 2

Battery Indicator Digital Screen Readout

Things to Assemble: None, this is an all-in-one unit

Length 34.25 inches

Width is 30 inches

Height is 6 inches

The unit comes with a digital screen readout that shows the battery voltage. A fully charged battery is between 25 and 25.5. A completely dead battery is 18, but the Forty2 will automatically shut down and/or start beeping at you, once it reaches 20 and 22 this is about half charge.

You can “hub” several Forty2’s together to power larger items. An example given by the manufacturer about hubs is how they connected a number of units together and used them to power health care clinics and schools in some improvised regions. Each hub can be individually tailored to each project.

As for the batteries, the unit contains 4 250-watt lithium ion batteries that have a life of about 7 years.

As I only have one unit, I cannot verify how well a hub would work. I do know, however, that the units can be connected in a series to essentially power your entire house if you wanted to. The best part of it is when no longer needed, you unhook, and carry to your bug-out-location, use out of the back of your vehicle, out of your tent or anywhere you need an immediate power source.

To use, you simply open the case and expose the panels to the sky and then plug your devices into the built-in electrical outlets and turn it on.

Below is a chart to give you some idea of what the Forty2Pro can do.

The Forty2 provides 110VAC, 50Hz that you get at home from 2 outlets located on the front of the unit. Capable of delivering 900 watts of continuous power, or 1,800 watts during a 2-3 second surge, the Forty2 can charge small devices like a laptop many times over or power larger devices like a TV for hours. It also has 2 USB ports for charging your phone or tablet just as fast as they would at home.

When the sun is shining most devices can be powered continually just by using sunlight, and when the sun is limited, or the device exceeds the solar capability the battery kicks in to provide the additional powered needed.

In closing, the Forty2 provides something that traditional generators do not, the ability to be sustainable. It’s also quiet and discreet. Because it is portable, it doesn’t draw attention like permanently installed solar panels, yet packs enough punch to operate emergency devices. It is also an easy solution for those wishing to employ solar power but not wanting to have to piece a system together from parts, it is self contained and easy.

There are a number of generators available from different manufacturers, but the Forty2 is one of the few to allow you to expand the system, so you are not locked into the single unit purchased. All in all, the Forty2 is a well thought out solution to your emergency power needs. You can learn more about the Forty2 at PeppermintEnergy.com.