Ryobi Generator – Review, different models, customer opinionsThe Patriot Power Generator has become one of the most talked about product on the internet. So, I decided to look into it, and provide a review of it. So, in this article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Patriot Power Generator 1500, but, let’s start with solar power in general.

Table of Content 1 Patriot Portable Solar Generator 1500W Video Review

2 What is Solar Power? 2.1 Why Should You Choose Solar Power? 2.2 How do solar panels work?

3 How is Solar Power Generated from PV Cells?

4 Components of Solar Energy Electricity Generation 4.1 Solar Panel 4.2 Battery 4.3 Controller 4.4 Inverter

5 Different Types of Solar Electric Systems

6 Portable Power Generator 6.1 The sizes include 6.2 Advantages 6.3 Disadvantages

7 Patriot Power Generator 1500

8 References

Patriot Portable Solar Generator 1500W Video Review

At the moment, the official seller of 4Patriots is preparing new models of generators. If you want to buy more modern models, we recommend you to look at the reviews of the following generators: Generac Generator Review – Best Standby and Portable Generator for Home

Ryobi Generator – Review, different models, customer opinions

Honda Generator – Overview of one of the most popular brands of generators

Predator Generator – All you need to know before buying. Reviews, benefits and disadvantages

Briggs and Stratton power generator – Home Standby Generators to Buy

What is Solar Power?

Solar power is the electricity gained from the conversion of light energy from the sun by a PV module to direct current (DC). This type of electricity is very useful in the sense that the source can never get exhausted[1]. It is way better than gas power, as it doesn’t pollute the environment, thus, it is conducive for use in any place. You should probably consider solar power over gas power for producing electricity.

Why Should You Choose Solar Power?

This is a question you might have been finding an answer to. Having to choose solar power over its other alternatives (gas, battery, etc.) is certainly not an easy choice for you.

However, I would give you the reasons you should go with Solar Power over others: Solar Power is eco-friendly : Using PV cells to trap power is conducive to the environment. When using solar power, no gas is released, no chemicals are set to pollute the environment and you can feel safe having PV cells on top of your house roof. You like that, don’t you? This works well as against the number of pollutions you can get when using fossil fuels. While gas power produces harmful substances such as carbon monoxide, sulfur, solar power uses the purest form of energy available; the one has gotten from the sun.

: Using PV cells to trap power is conducive to the environment. When using solar power, no gas is released, no chemicals are set to pollute the environment and you can feel safe having PV cells on top of your house roof. You like that, don’t you? This works well as against the number of pollutions you can get when using fossil fuels. While gas power produces harmful substances such as carbon monoxide, sulfur, solar power uses the purest form of energy available; the one has gotten from the sun. Solar Power helps with the bills : Are you really happy with the bills you have to pay for your electricity consumption? You wouldn’t be thinking about electricity bills if you are living in a home with solar power. It would save you future energy cost bills. According to research, most home buyers are willing to pay an extra $15 000 for a house with Solar power. So, if you are planning on selling your home anytime in the future, then it might be a good idea to get one installed.

: Are you really happy with the bills you have to pay for your electricity consumption? You wouldn’t be thinking about electricity bills if you are living in a home with solar power. It would save you future energy cost bills. According to research, most home buyers are willing to pay an extra $15 000 for a house with Solar power. So, if you are planning on selling your home anytime in the future, then it might be a good idea to get one installed. Solar Power Systems are durable : You can trust that your solar panel would last you for a longer time than your generators or other sources of electricity. It cannot be easily damaged by human actions too, because it is at the top of the roof.

: You can trust that your solar panel would last you for a longer time than your generators or other sources of electricity. It cannot be easily damaged by human actions too, because it is at the top of the roof. Solar energy never gets exhausted : You can make use of Solar Power all day long, even in the night. While most people think that solar panels collect energy just from sunlight, you should be more informed that it gets power from daylight. Just a little ray of light from the sun is all it needs to get recharged. In other words, your solar panel is always getting energy, unless the moon is outside (during the night). So, the weather condition does not really affect storage. It can take energy even when it’s cloudy, rainy or when the weather seems dull. However, during the night, you will still get power from your solar system, as the panel stores energy for the night, so you can make use of this system 24/7 all for $0 after installation.

: You can make use of Solar Power all day long, even in the night. While most people think that solar panels collect energy just from sunlight, you should be more informed that it gets power from daylight. Just a little ray of light from the sun is all it needs to get recharged. In other words, your solar panel is always getting energy, unless the moon is outside (during the night). So, the weather condition does not really affect storage. It can take energy even when it’s cloudy, rainy or when the weather seems dull. However, during the night, you will still get power from your solar system, as the panel stores energy for the night, so you can make use of this system 24/7 all for $0 after installation. Solar energy provides cooling for buildings : Worried about Global warming? At least you’ve got something over your roof that extracts all the heat that should have been passing through.

So, here are some of the reasons you should choose Solar Power. You would also want to take note that investing in energy is the best thing you can do for your home.

How do solar panels work?

Solar panels are needed if you want the cleanest form of energy. But, how does it work?

Solar power is generated from PV cells and stored in the panel. You will need an inverter, preferably close to the module. However, you should find the best location for your inverter in your home, as it produces a slight noise, which you might find annoying after long use.

Your inverters job is to transform DC to AC which can be used immediately upon your request. The inverter is connected to the electricity production meter and the electricity net meter. This helps the power produced by your solar panel to be first consumed by the electrical loads which are currently operating. Your electric utility meter would read back if you are producing more energy than you are using.

If your solar electrical system is connected to a utility grid, then the DC power converted by the Inverter will be transferred to your utility power distribution unit of your home. Demand for power is reduced from the utility grid if the solar panel is generating power. This is the main advantage of net metered power. This also helps prevent power being supplied to the building whenever there is a case of fire breakage or an outage.

How is Solar Power Generated from PV Cells?

Solar electric power is generated from PV cells by actions of Photovoltaics effect. This photovoltaic effect absorbed heat due to light from the sun. This heat would then lead to an increment in temperature, followed by temperature gradients. It is these thermal gradients that would create voltage using the Seebeck effect.

Also, the PV cell is able to generate energy when sunlight or any other energetic light collides with it. It takes the light energy and then transforms it into electricity. The type of electricity it converts it into is called direct current (DC)[2]. And no, it doesn’t stop there. You cannot make use of DC electricity, and that’s why you need to get the appropriate tool to help you make use of it.

Components of Solar Energy Electricity Generation

In generating power from the sun to be used in your house, you will have to make use of different components. While you might have an idea about the function of some of them, you might not know what the others are used for, unless you are an electrician or maybe any close related engineer. Here, I will give you the different components of Solar Energy Electricity Generation and provide you with brief information on them, including their functions, and variations.

Solar Panel

Solar panel, which is also known as the photovoltaic module is a packed, linked assemblage of photovoltaic solar cells. Solar panels are rated by their DC output power, under different conditions. While normal solar panels’ efficiency is capped at no more than 16%-20%, some commercial PV modules tend to go past the 24% mark.

You might have wondered why some buildings you’ve seen have more than one or two solar panels on their roof. This is due to the fact that a single solar module has a limited amount of power it can produce. So, that’s the reason why multiple installations are more common. The majority of solar panels use crystalline cells and thin-film cells. This allows easy trapping of light energy from the Sun. This energy is then transformed to electricity through the photovoltaic effect of the module.

Solar panels functionality can be reduced by dust, stain, pollen, and particles that gather on it during the course of its usage. This hazards according to research can reduce a solar panel’s functionality by 30%. So, if you are currently using solar power, and you are enjoying it, then do a quick maths. Take off 30% of the electricity you are enjoying, and you can see the reason why you have to maintain it regularly.

There are two types of mounting system for a solar panel; the ground and the roof mount. While we see a roof mounted module almost every day, the ground mount is used for bigger panels. That’s the type that commercial buildings or factories can use to provide electricity.

Solar panels produce just DC electricity, and that’s not something you can make use of. That’s where your inverter comes to play.

Battery

There are four types of batteries you can apply to your Solar electric system. These include:

Lead batteries: This is certainly the most used and common batteries for solar electric systems. Their lifespan is said to range from as low as 5years to as high as 20 years with moderate care, depending on the type of battery. Their latest technology has been said to bolster performance and this is the cause of their newly developed durability.

Lithium Batteries: Lithium batteries are known to be the longest lasting solar electrical system batteries. According to some users, a lithium battery can last you as long as your system is working. Maybe this is the cause of its scarcity.

Nickel Cadmium Batteries: Well, you can also go for this one if you feel the first two are not good for you. However, I wouldn’t advise you to use Nickel Cadmium batteries because it is very expensive to get, handle, even dispose of, and what’s worse? It has low efficiency.

Nickel Iron: Although these batteries last long, your solar electric system might not live long to see it ends, as they are capable of boosting your systems degradability by 25%. Nickel-iron also has a problem with charging and discharging, and I think if you want to own a solar electrical system without worries, you shouldn’t go for them.

Controller

You might have wondered; how is the large energy gotten from the sun controlled? I did too.

A controller is the basic component of the solar electric system that helps regulate energy flow directly into the batteries. The controller takes energy from the PV array and transfers it as direct current onto the batteries. This ensures the durability of the battery. Controllers come in two types; the standard controller and the advanced controller which is the maximum power point tracker technology (MPPT)[3]. While the former is not so efficient, making it a good fit for basic solar electric systems, MPPT is highly efficient and it is employed in bigger systems.

Inverter

An inverter is a system that transforms direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC), so it can be used by electrical circuits. Inverters are battery operated, i.e. they make use of a battery to function. While some inverters are fully electrical, others are both mechanical and electrical (they possess moving parts). It is possible to regulate the output voltage of an inverter. This prevents issues that may arise from too much electrical power. The batteries of inverters cannot be charged by normal methods, and for this reason, you are advised to have a spare, although it takes years before an inverter’s battery would fail completely. So, just have it in mind that you’ll be changing your battery someday. Inverters have many functions asides turning DC electricity to AC electricity. They are also used in

Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) systems

For Electric fridge: They help with compression

Electric motor speed handling

Inverters also help in power grids, where a special type of inverters called Synchronverters to stimulate grids. They react faster than normal generators.

Different Types of Solar Electric Systems

Off-Grid or Standalone Solar Electric System: An off-grid or standalone solar electric system is disconnected from the electric grid, and thus it needs to have a battery storage. Off-grid is well designed to generate power when light energy hitting it is high and the batteries are made to be able to store a large amount of energy which would last through a season of low sunlight.

Off-grid inverters are known to be costly[4] and this affects the installation in some residential homes. So, if you have a friend who tells you that their solar panel stores enough energy to take you through a week or more in the winter period, then you should know they are operating the off-grid or standalone solar energy system. The batteries in a standalone system can be charged by batteries and this makes it a great idea for very cloudy days.

Also, when the battery is fully charged by energy gained by your solar panel, it stops receive current. This prevents overvoltage. Also, if your appliances are not able to consume all the energy provided to them by the battery, the remainder would return back to the battery, and thus, you wouldn’t have wasted energy. Great, you are a conservationist.

However, there are some drawbacks to this system, the major one being the cost to get it installed and the equipment cost. You also need a spare battery to maximize this system.

Grid Connected Solar Electric System: This is the type you see more often. In most countries, the panel is positioned to face North, while others may still face it west if desired.

The grid-connected system is a system of arrangement of multiple solar panels on the roof in rows and column. A typical example is a type you would see on the roof of residential homes. A grid-connected Photovoltaic system consists of PV modules, one or multiple inverters, power conditioners and grid connection materials. It rarely uses batteries, as the cost of its battery is very high.

The grid-connected solar electric system helps with the voltage increase, where the output may be too low to supply demand, this system would help if installed. However, there are some major disadvantages to this system, including the voltage.

In a grid-connected solar electric system, the voltage produced may be too high, way past the consumers’ demands and this can lead to issues relating to voltage regulation. Also, the grid system is inconsistent with power, i.e. it can increase and decrease voltage almost immediately. This poses a threat to your voltage regulator, as it will tend to get used to a particular power, but will fail before even adjusting to it. Well, if you can’t keep up with the safety measures associated with using this system, then you should try another option.

Central Grid Connected Solar Electric System: This is very similar to the grid-connected system, although it does not make use of batteries. In this system, the grid generates power for your home, where extra power which you cannot consume can be sold to utility companies. Simple.

So, it has a sell-back option. You might ask; “if it can give me electricity and also make me money, then why should I consider other options?”. That’s a nice question and I’ll give you a straight answer. You don’t have the right to spare electricity. So, at night, you tend to sleep in the dark if it is your only source of power.

Anyway, there’s a way around this. Remember the power you sold to the utility company? You can buy it back from them, or any other person who is also connected to the grid. Simple as that. It is also a good source of investment with near immediate and steady returns, as you tend to sell power almost every time.

Oh, if you think that’s cool, then wait for summer, when your electricity would be needed to power air conditioners. However, you should put in mind that your solar panel would be unable to generate electricity when a power failure occurs.

Grid Fallback Solar Electric System: This is by far the cheapest and pocket-friendly solar electric system. The grid fallback system is similar to the grid-connected system due to its ability to store energy which can be used when the sun goes out.

This system also allows you to make use of this stored energy even when the sun is shining; a feature you can’t get with the grid connected system. However, even with this feature and low price, you should try to take note that the energy stored must be used on a daily basis, as it tends to go out of the battery if not used in a reasonable time limit.

The grid fallback system is good for residential homes which consume a little amount of power. Although, you can make use of this if you have more than one circuit. The cost of powering a circuit is actually low, and increases as the number of circuit increases.

This, however, does not take it anywhere close to the price of a grid-connected or standalone system. Oh, and if you don’t have the strength to get up and switch from grid generated power to a battery supply, the grid fallback system comes with an automatic switch to match any weather condition. So, it just may be ideal for you.

Portable Power Generator

Portable generators are engine powered and electric powered generators. A portable generator runs on fuel, has a constant engine regulator and a speed regulator, exhaust system and a lubrication system (space which is designed for engine oils/lubricants). Portable generator comes in different sizes, and thus their power differs according to size.

The sizes include

• The Small Portable Power Generators: Small portable power engines are designed to run mostly on fuel. Most of these engines need inverters, and these inverters help reduce the engine noise, and regulate the voltage so it can be used for various purposes (e.g. for computers). If you are a portable engine lover, then it is advisable you go with the small portable engines for your residential homes, as they not only produce a slight noise but also save cost compared to other types.

• Mid-Size Portable Power Generators: Mid-size portable power generators are mainly stationary and powered by diesel. These are power generators that can be used to provide electricity for any home appliance.

• Large Portable Power Generators: These ones are mainly used in big businesses, hospitals, and banks. Large Portable Power Generators are known to be used on ships which operate diesel-electric systems.

Advantages

There are some advantages to having portable power generators. They include: Easy to start : Portable power generators are easy to start. Most of them make use of a key switch, so all you’ve got to do is just wind the key lock to the part labeled ON and you are done. Easy right?

: Portable power generators are easy to start. Most of them make use of a key switch, so all you’ve got to do is just wind the key lock to the part labeled ON and you are done. Easy right? Powerful .

. Durable : Most portable power generator sets would work for you for years if perfectly maintained. However, their efficiency decreases with each year.

: Most portable power generator sets would work for you for years if perfectly maintained. However, their efficiency decreases with each year. Easy to repair : Portable power sets are easy to repair, and you can get a mechanic to fix it for you at any time it develops an issue. Also, small portable power generators are able to continue working if they have just a minor problem. So, if you notice a problem with your generator at night, when you feel there would be no mechanic around, you can still leave it to be working and deal with it when its morning.

Disadvantages

They are not too many disadvantages of using generator sets, the highest known being carbon monoxide poisoning. However, to avoid this problem, you are advised to position generator sets outside when working, or immediately after switching it off. Also, in most countries where the supply of fuel is low and the demand is high, it would be costly to operate a portable power generator.

Patriot Power Generator 1500

I’m sure you’ve heard the new internet gospel about an apocalypse, an electricity apocalypse to be precise. Well, this gospel preaches about the Patriot power generator 1500 to be the savior during that time. This has gotten to many individuals, and the patronizing rate has become something to talk about. But, before we go any further, I would like you to know the brand behind this product in this patriot power generator review. I will be very brief.

4patriots is the company behind the patriot solar generator and they are based in LLC. They are known not only to sell this generator set but also other equipment in preparation for the apocalypse. They also provide advice on how to survive during this time. So, if you are not a fan of the end of the world thing, then maybe you can decide to let go of it. However, this generator comes with some features which you might be unable to resist.

The patriot solar generator component parts are a solar panel, battery, survival spring and a survival user guide. Well, you wouldn’t be needing the user guide if you are not a fan of The apocalypse. And no, it’s not the user manual guide.

You might be wondering how can a generator have a solar panel and an external battery? It’s simple. The patriot power generator 1500 is a portable solar power generator. In other words, it is solar powered and not gas powered. This makes it an eco-friendly generator.

While the solar panel does the charging, the battery is made of lithium, which is considered one of the strongest and durable batteries (if it is original) in the world. This battery is meant to keep this generator going even when the sun is out. According to the message, it works well for blackouts.

At the moment, the official seller of 4Patriots is preparing new models of generators. If you want to buy more modern models, we recommend you to look at the reviews of the following generators: Generac Generator Review – Best Standby and Portable Generator for Home

Ryobi Generator – Review, different models, customer opinions

Honda Generator – Overview of one of the most popular brands of generators

Predator Generator – All you need to know before buying. Reviews, benefits and disadvantages

Briggs and Stratton power generator – Home Standby Generators to Buy

The battery is also considered to be safer than led, Nickel-cadmium, and Nickel-iron batteries.

Oh, and just so you know; the Patriot power generator 1500 comes fully coupled and assembled, so you don’t have to worry about trying to set the parts up before making use of them. It’s just a buy and starts using kind of thing. Simple right?

The Patriot Power Generator 1500 comes in various packages. These include:

The basic package: The basic package comes with a 72 hours (3 days) food survival kit, a survival tool said to fit right into your wallet, and a card game for entertainment, in case you ever get bored during the apocalypse. It also has a 100% money back guarantee for a year. This is kind of good if you want to give it a try.

The Deluxe package: Not much information is given about The Deluxe Package, but it should come with more survival tools, and user guides.

The Premium Package: The premium package contains everything in the basic package, plus it comes with an extra solar panel. However, it is currently unavailable for sale and the price is not listed.

While you can decide to get other products in wait for a power blackout, it would be easier getting products that are already assembled and ready for use. This would save you the stress of assembling them. The patriot solar generator is a good choice if you don’t have a solar electric system which uses the battery already. It is a good source of energy, and it doesn’t bring pollution to your environment.

Also, if you want other products that provide you with an alternative means of electricity without causing pollution, you can go for wind turbines or the Tesla Powerwall, which isn’t a source of renewable energy, but goes a long way before being depleted. So, what’s your take on this?

References

Newkirk, M. (2014) How Solar Power Works, Off-grid, On-grid, and Hybrid. Clean Energy Reviews. NW Wind and Power (2018) How do solar systems produce energy? NWWIND&POWER. Smalley, J. (2015) What is a solar charge controllers’ function? Solar Power World. Wikipedia (2018) Solar Energy (Updated:14 June 2018).

(4 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)

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