6 Things You Should Look for When Buying a Portable Power Station

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Portable power stations are great alternatives to gas-powered generators as they are quieter, lighter, and don’t require fuel. Here are six things you should look for when buying a new portable power station.

When looking for a portable power station, battery capacity is the most important specification you should be looking for. The bigger the battery capacity, the longer you can run your devices per charge. So, in general, buy the highest capacity battery you can.

However, considering size, weight, and cost, you might want to go for a more calculated approach when considering the battery capacity of your portable power station.

Since different manufacturers use different metrics to measure the battery capacity of their portable power stations, knowing battery capacity can be confusing. The most popular metrics used in measuring battery capacity would include mAh (milliamp hour), Ah (Amp hour), Wh (Watt hour), and kWh (kilowatt-hour).

Electronic devices usually indicate their maximum power consumption in watt-hours, which you can find marked on various types of power supplies. If the power supply indicates its power rating in watts, remember that one watt is equal to one watt-hour.

To better understand how long a portable power station can power your device, you first need to know its battery capacity in Watt-hours. To do that, you can check its watt-hour rating. But if it only indicates battery capacity in mAh (milliamp-hours) or ah (Amp-hours), you can take those numbers plus its rated system voltage (12V or 24V) and look up its watt-hour rating using this graph below:

Battery amp/milliamp hours

Battery watt-hours 12V

Battery watt-hours 24V

10Ah/10,000 mAh

120Wh

240Wh

20Ah/20,000 mAh

240Wh

480Wh

30Ah/30,000 mAh

360Wh

720Wh

40Ah/40,000 mAh

480Wh

960Wh

50Ah/50,000 mAh

600Wh

1200Wh

60Ah/60,000 mAh

720Wh

1440Wh

70Ah/70,000 mAh

840Wh

1680Wh

80Ah/80,000 mAh

960Wh

1920Wh

90Ah/90,000 mAh

1080Wh

2160Wh

100Ah/100,000 mAh

1200Wh

2400Wh

120Ah/120,000 mAh

1440Wh

2880Wh

140Ah/140,000 mAh

1680Wh

3360Wh

160Ah/160,000 mAh

1920Wh

3840Wh

So let's say your laptop is rated to operate at a maximum of 90W or 90Wh, and the portable power station has a battery of capacity of 40,000 mAh on a 12-volt system. Using the table above, you'll see that the power station has a battery capacity of 480Wh. If you divide that by the 90Wh that the laptop uses, you can expect around 5 hours of runtime.

Another important thing you should be looking for in a portable power station is battery technology or the type of battery it utilizes. The type of battery used in a portable power station heavily determines the size, weight, cost, charging speed, and how long your power station can keep producing AC power before cutting off.

There are four types of batteries commonly used in portable power stations: lead acid, lithium polymer(Li-Po), Lithium-ion(Li-Ion), and Lithium Iron Phosphate(LiFePO4). Here’s a table to compare each battery type:

Lead Acid

Li-Ion

Li-Po

LiFePO4

Energy Density

Low

High

High

Moderate

Cycle Life

Low (200-500 cycles)

High (500-1000 cycles)

Moderate (300-600 cycles)

Very High (2000-3000 cycles)

Weight

Heavy

Light

Light

Light

Cost

Low

High

High

High

Safety

High risk of leakage/spills

Safe, but can overheat/combust

Moderate, sensitive to punctures

Very safe, thermally stable

Maintenance

Requires regular maintenance

Low maintenance

Low maintenance

Low maintenance

Efficiency

Low (70-80%)

High (90-95%)

High (90-95%)

High (95%)

Self-discharge

High (5-15% per month)

Very Low (1-2% per month)

Low (3-5% per month)

Very Low (1-3% per month)

Environmental Impact

High (toxic materials)

Moderate (toxic materials)

Moderate (toxic materials)

Low (non-toxic, recyclable)

Based on the table above, LiFePO4 is the best type of portable power station battery for its high thermal stability, good energy density and efficiency, weight, and high life cycle. Li-Ion and Li-Po batteries come close, but are moderately toxic to the environment and have significantly lower life cycle when compared to LiFePO4 batteries.

Meanwhile lead acid batteries comes last due to its low life cycle, weight, and high-self discharge, and highly toxic materials.

Depending on the device you're trying to power, having the right inverter in your portable power station can save your delicate devices from damage and make them work as efficiently as possible, saving battery charge.

Power inverters are electrical components that convert your battery's direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). DC is used to charge your battery-powered handheld devices, such as your phone, tablet, and Bluetooth earbuds, while AC is used to power more power-hungry devices, such as your laptop, computer, TV, and gaming consoles.

In general, there are two types of power inverters; they are pure sine wave inverters and modified sine wave inverters. Pure sine wave inverters provide clean sine waves that produce AC, while modified sine wave inverters use pulse width modulation (PWM), which makes an electronic signal that tries to mimic a pure sine wave signal.

If you have highly sensitive equipment, having a pure sine wave inverter should be your only option. But if you're only going to use the power station to power your computer, monitors, console, and TV, then a power station with a modified sine wave inverter should work fine while saving you quite a bit of money.

Peak and continuous wattage are also important specifications you should be looking for when buying a portable power station. Although portable power stations are usually used to power computers, TVs, and other electronic gadgets, they can also power things like refrigerators, corded power tools, electric fans, and kitchen appliances such as blenders and food processors. However, these devices can only be powered by a portable power station if they have enough peak and continuous wattage.

Most power-hungry devices and equipment need certain peak or surge watts just to jump-start and turn them on. Once turned on, they will need a lower but continuous supply of power known as continuous watts or rated watts.

To know how much peak and continuous wattage you need out of your portable power station, here is a list of typical appliances and their watt ratings:

Appliance/Equipment

Peak Wattage

Continuous Wattage

Refrigerator / Freezer

2,200W

700W

Inflator Pump

150W

50 W

Well Water Pump (1/2 HP)

2,100W

1,000W

Corded Drill

850W

600W

Garage Door Opener

400W

400W

Window Air Conditioner

1,500W

500W

Blender

500W

350W

Coffee Maker

1,600W

800W

Projector

270W

220W

Gaming PC

600W

400W

Another important factor to consider when buying a new portable power station are the types of output ports it has. Some of the most important output ports to have would be:

Don’t forget to also consider the amount of ports you need. We recommend portable power stations with at least three USB charging ports (preferably with power delivery), two power outlets, and one Anderson Power Pole. A car charger port isn’t all that essential, but it's still a nice thing to have just in case.

Lastly, consider how you can recharge the power station. The standard AC wall charger might not be enough, especially in emergencies. Look for a power station that offers multiple charging options, such as solar panels and car chargers.

Solar charging is particularly useful for extended outdoor trips or during power outages, providing a sustainable and eco-friendly way to keep your power station topped up. Also, look for fast charging features as they can significantly reduce downtime, allowing you to get back to using your devices quickly.

Many companies are trying to add more and more features to their portable power stations to entice you to buy their products. But before you go and buy that portable power station with NFC and wireless charging, ensure that it first satisfies your needs before buying it. Doing so will ensure you get a durable and reliable power station that will power your devices whenever needed.

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Very informative article, as I am looking to buy one to mainly power a couple of electric coolers while camping. Can you help me figure out how big of one to buy? Please and thank you.

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