South Africans looking for a simple plug-and-play system to provide a modest amount of electricity during load-shedding can choose from several power station brands.

Many households cannot afford to spend over R100,000 on a fully-fledged solar and battery system to provide power backup for essential household appliances.

Fortunately, you can get a reasonably powerful compact backup system that can power appliances such as a TV, computer, routers, smartphone chargers and some lights throughout load-shedding without breaking the bank.

What is a Portable Power Station?

What is and how does a portable power station work? It’s a device full of different power sources for all your gadgets, including a fridge, TV, laptop, camera, speakers, drones, CPAP machines, tablets, phones, an electric grill, etc. It’s basically just a UPS (un-interruptible Power Supply)

Another way to explain it is that they are silent and rechargeable battery-powered generators. Most of them are roughly the size of a lunch box or small cooler, and they’re filled with large lithium-ion batteries similar to what you’d find in a laptop, only bigger. You’ll charge it at home or with solar panels, then take it anywhere you need it, or store one for later.

We’re not talking about a generator, nor a small portable battery for phones you can store in a backpack. Those are entirely different. We mean the bigger 500-watt, 1000, or even 2,000-watt portable power stations full of AC outlets, USB ports, 12v ports, and more. These silent little boxes deliver on-demand power anywhere and everywhere.

For example, the Jackery 500w will recharge most smartphones upwards of 40 times or run a fridge for 10 hours. You’d have a phone with cell service for several weeks during an emergency or cold food until power is restored.

The Pros and Cons of a Portable Power Station?

Now that you know a little more about portable power stations, how much one has to offer, and how you could use one, I want to mention a few of their advantages and disadvantages. Then, it’ll come down to your wants, needs, and budget.

PROs

Obviously, the biggest benefit of using a portable electric power station is you’ll have battery power at a moment’s notice. Well, as long as you store it fully charged. If the power goes out at home, you can instantly pull one out, keep your computer going, recharge a phone, or hook it up to the fridge, so food doesn’t go bad. Did we mention you can charge multiple devices at the same time !

There are countless different situations in which one of these would come in handy. From emergencies, work, or play and especially LOAD –SHEDDING! They’re also smaller and lighter than an actual generator, not to mention they’re silent and don’t release generator exhaust.

Most of them can be recharged via solar panels instead of running on gas, so all you need is a little sunlight. Popular brands offer solar panels, including JACKERY and QH Tech or use third-party solar panels that work with other brands like OPTIMATE.

Plus, they’re just cool. Being able to lend friends or others on camping trips power is always a good feeling.

CONs

It’s not all good news, though. Portable and rechargeable power stations are expensive and can often cost as much as a regular generator or inverter. They range anywhere from R2800 to easily just under R25 000 when you start getting into the larger capacities.

Some really big options, like the MECER 2KW at R24 800. Then again, I wouldn’t call that “portable” either, and instead, it’s just an option over a traditional gas-powered system.

They’re also relatively heavy, and depending on what type of camping you’re doing, you may not want to lug a large one around. The 500w and less would be the GO TO option. My go-to portable power station is the QH Tech 500w, and it weighs around 7kg. It’s not too big, not too small, and is easy enough to carry to the tent or sit on the picnic table.

A power trolley combining an inverter and battery is often one of the most cost-effective options. The cheapest power trolleys use lead-acid batteries, Mecer 1kw and 2kw DEEP CYCLE which can only be discharged up to 50% of their capacity without damage, and even then lasts only a few hundred cycles.

All the other options in our portfolio are all LITHIUM They superior battery chemistry enables them to be discharged to 20% or less of their capacity without losing lifecycles.

The power trolleys inverters often feature just one or two power sockets, whereas power stations often boast multiple sockets and ports for connecting many types of appliances.

Finally, they can’t run everything as a generator can. Most portable power stations have a max load limitation and only do 220V AC outlets. Meaning it’s not going to run larger appliances like a washing machine, dryer, or even some heaters. A refrigerator needs power off and on to keep things cold and work fine. In comparison, a big heater needs the heating elements constantly running, which will drain the battery faster than expected or not run at all.

Should You Buy a Power Station?

In closing, should you buy a portable power station? We can’t answer that for you, as that’s entirely up to you. That said, we’ve laid out several reasons you’d want one, how they work, and some of the many benefits of having one ready in case you need it.

Decide how much power you’d comfortably need or want, what you can afford, and choose what’s best for you. Just keep in mind that a portable power station has some limitations, but the benefits could far outweigh the cons.

When it comes to choosing a suitable power station, there are several important factors to consider:

Peak power output in watts (W) — The maximum amount of power the station can provide for a brief period. Particularly important for appliances that have high peak usage at startup.
Continuous power output in watts (W) — The maximum power the station can provide over a long period.
Capacity in watt-hours (Wh) — How much power the battery can store and discharge. With 100Wh, for example, an appliance that uses 100W of power continuously will deplete the battery in an hour.
Port selection — Are the types and number of ports on the power station sufficient for the devices and appliances you want to power?
Lifecycles — How many times a battery can be discharged and recharged (a cycle) before it needs to be replaced.
Depth-of-discharge (DoD) — How much of the power station’s capacity can be consumed without impacting battery life.
Charging speed — Charging rates can differ significantly from one brand to the next. Some of the best power stations on the market can be fully charged in less than an hour, while others can take five hours or more.