Looking for recommendations for large powerpacks with inverters

PhotoMan

Hi,

I am looking for recommendations for powerpacks in order to be able to run various household appliances in the event of power cuts (due to floods, storms, war, indeed any cause).
I already have two of the type that come in this bundle
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B091Q7X7FK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and one of these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B091RKRBHY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Unfortunately they are now no longer available on Amazon.
I would like something able to provide more power, ideally to be able to run a 2.2kW fan heater or more and to provide power for longer than the above two items.
(I have some solar panels and also mains cables that can charge the above).
I live in the UK.
I am looking recommendations for power packs that meet the above specifications that are reliable and good value for money (I realise there can be some mutual exclusivity there)
Thank you

QrizB

So you currently have two PowerOak AC50S (300W/500Wh), and one PowerOak EB240 (1000W/2400Wh).

I would like something able to provide more power, ideally to be able to run a 2.2kW fan heater or more and to provide power for longer than the above two items.

That's a lot of power, and (if you plan to run the heater for more than a moment) a lot of storage.

I am looking for recommendations for powerpacks in order to be able to run various household appliances in the event of power cuts (due to floods, storms, war, indeed any cause).

I think you might be looking for the wrong thing here. A whole-house battery might be a better idea?

Something like this, perhaps? Or even a Tesla Powerwall?

(I have some solar panels and also mains cables that can charge the above).

What exactly do you mean by "some" solar panels? Generating enough solar electricity to charge a large battery is likely to need a permanently installed rooftop array, for example.

Would your budget run to that, perhaps £8-12k for solar PV plus a whole-home battery?

I'm reminded of a thread from some years ago where a poster was discussing their collection of power banks and portable panels and it turned out that, for the same cost, they could have had a properly installed system that would have provided far better performance.

This sort of thing might be of interest to the "Green and Ethical" forum regulars. I'm going to tag some of them here - @Martyn1981 @JKenH @Screwdriva

Ectophile

That's going to be a big unit. Maybe one of the ones where you can stack the inverter unit on top of extra battery packs. Forget "good value", the price will be scary.

A 2.2kW fan heater is using 2.2kWh of power per hour that it runs. That heater alone will run most battery banks flat in an hour, or maybe an hour and a half.

QrizB

Another question - how long do you think you'll want to run your 2.2kW fan heater for?

Four hours of run time, for example, would be almost 10kWh which is at least £1000-worth of battery capacity.

You might want to think about spending some of that money on a heat pump that would provide 2.2kW of heat while only drawing perhaps 700 watts. That would reduce your battery capacity demand by two-thirds.

WIAWSNB

What solar panels do you have - is it a professionally installed, grid-tied system? Size?

And how much do you anticipate having to spend on this?

Have you worked out how many kWh capacity you are after? A 5kWh battery will only run your proposed heater for around 2 hours.

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6682909/looking-for-recommendations-for-large-powerpacks-with-inverters

I am looking for recommendations for powerpacks in order to be able to run various household appliances in the event of power cuts (due to
floods, storms, war, indeed any cause).

If war is a serious concern then bear in mind a future war is quite likely to be hybrid/cyber and probably aimed at technology and communications systems. If so, avoid solutions involving technology, particularly those which are internet enabled and/or with ethernet/wifi connectivity.

Do you live in a rural or an urban area?

531063

https://www.bluettipower.co.uk/collections/portable-power-station?srsltid=AfmBOoqA6Ag3Vlw4HlIfhyydPHzheQN1NVRmJKwjTw2RmlCpC_87sOFP

PhotoMan

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82132847#Comment_82132847

Portable folding solar panels - 200W and 120W.
Just looking at options at the moment.

PhotoMan

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82132947#Comment_82132947

Would my solar panel:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09CWS91D6?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

Charge this battery:
https://www.bluettipower.co.uk/products/apex-300-home-battery-backup?variant=56566486106493
BLUETTI Apex 300 Versatile Power Station | 2,764.8Wh 3,840W

I think it would but am not sure.

Thank you

QrizB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82133024#Comment_82133024

I think you need to take on board what we've all been trying to tell you.

Will it charge it? Yes, it will. But the more important question is how long will it take?

You've got a 200 watt solar panel, and you're looking at a 2.8kWh power station (that costs £1500).

As a long-term average, installed in an optimal position in the best part of the UK, and ignoring for the minute the seasonal variations, one watt of solar panel will generate around three watt-hours of electricity per day. So your 200 watt solar panel might be expected to generate 600 watt-hours a day.

That power bank has a capacity of 2800 watt-hours. If we ignore all losses, your solar panel will take almost five days to recharge the power bank from flat.

If you want to be able to charge that power bank from flat every day, on average, you'll need five of those 200 watt panels. A kilowatt of panel.

But we've ignored seasonal variation!

In the summer, each watt of panel might generate five watt-hours of electricity. Your 200-watt panel will generate 1000 watt-hours of electricity per day, and it'll only take three days to recharge the power bank.

OTOH in the winter, each watt of panel might only produce one watt-hour of electricity. Your 200-watt panel will generate 200 watt-hours of electricity per day and it'll take fourteen days to recharge your power bank (or you'd need fourteen of them if you wanted to recharge it every day).

And et's not forget - that 2.8kWh power bank will run your 2.2kW fan heater for about an hour and a quarter. Alternatively it would run a heat pump (something like a Midea Portasplit) for between three and four hours, providing a similar amount of heating to your fan heater.

Instead of spending almost £1500 on a portable power bank, you could spend £1300 on eg. a Sunsynk Lifelynk X and £200 on getting an electrician to wire it in to your house. That's a 3.6kWh battery and a 3.6kW inverter. It can also accept 4.5kWp of solar panels, so if you wished you could have a decent sized array installed on the roof of your house (or in the garden, eg. on your shed roof or standing on the patio) to feed it.

WIAWSNB

PhotoMan, I think the starting point is 'what do you want/need', and 'why'.

If you truly want the ability to go off-grid, become self-sufficient for weeks, months or - perish the thought - years, then I think you will need a sizeable PV system - say 4+kW - and significant battery storage, again ballpark 10-15kWh.

I don't delve into such figures in any depth - far too complex - but I can offer some insights given my own 'system'.

I have a 3.2kW PV array, grid-tied - ie, it needs the grid power to be on - and it sends anything I generate to the grid if I don't use it myself. Since I was 'wasting' most of this PV generation by giving it away to lesser mortals, I recently fitted 10.8kWh of battery storage, so I could use it all myself... Mooo-ha-ha.

Today, as an example, was cloudy in the morning, and quite bright/sunny most of the afternoon. It is now early eve, and only a lowly couple of hundred watts PV is still being squeezed out of the PVs. The batteries tell me it's currently around 70% full, and is running my air-fryer at the mo', and this store will easily see me through the eve, and I expect '3 bars' - around 50% - to be still available tomorrow morn, since the only extra pull tonight will be lights and stuff.

That's a 'good day'. Ie, during a sizeable part of the year, summer and thereabouts, PV generation will give me all, and more, than I need to live on.

But, come winter, the PV generation will fall dramatically, and the 'survival' requirements will increase. This will not provide the required heating and cooking to live on - even if fully charged in bright sunshine; it won't fire a 2.2kW heater for more than a few hours or so. So, I reckon you need to up your PV panels to waaaay over 6kW or so, coupled with commensurate storage, and find an easier way to keep warm, if you wish to live off-grid. To keep warm, I suggest a 'survival room', individually insulated to a high standard, and heated by a 400W heater or over-blankets, for there to be any chance to run 'life' from this system. Ie, don't expect to carry on heating your whole house.

Cooking will require a cold-run to the kitchen, rustling up an easy meal using a single gas burner (lpg - of which you've accumulated a sizeable number of cylinders), or a small microwave oven.

So, what is it you need?