For this page, we will compare several different solar generators in 3 different categories. Click on the category to jump to that section.
- Small Portable Solar Generators: These are small and compact systems that provide minimal power for smaller loads like a laptop, a few lights, TV or computer and charge your cell phones, These are usually the best solar generator for camping, or for minimal emergency backup, where you still need to keep it very light and portable.
- Mid-Size : These systems can power lights, a TV or computer, a fridge, a microwave, and most kitchen appliances. These are the best solar generators for emergency backup, camping, running a small cabin tiny home or RV.
- Large Heavy Duty: These systems are the best whole house solar generators, providing ample emergency backup power. Depending on the amount of solar and batteries with the system, these units can power a fridge, freezer, microwave, lights, TV, computer, well pump, and more long term.
In these comparisons, we will be looking at 3 important aspects of each solar generator:
- General specs
- Run times (how long it will run different appliances without sun).
- Performance Report– Generated from our Solar Generator Comparison Calculator (please see the calculator for more details). The performance of each system will be evaluated using the exact same load of:
Computer for 3 hours per day
Microwave for 15 minutes
-SMALL PORTABLE SOLAR GENERATORS-
SPECS: Small Portable Solar Generators
| Battery | Efficiency | Expandability | |||||||
| Capacity watt hours |
Maximum Life Years |
Life Cycles1 |
Storage Life |
MPPT2 | Fastest Recharge Time3 |
Max Solar watts |
Max Battery Capacity |
Modular4 | |
| PowerMax lithium 2000 watt |
1,536 | 20 | 6,000 | 5+ years | Yes | 1 Hour5 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Yes |
| Goal Zero lithium 1500 watt |
1,425 | 10 | 500 | 3 Months | Optional | 4.5 Hours | 360 | 1,4256 | No |
| Innergy Kodiac 1500 watt |
1,100 | 10 | 500 | 3 Months | No | 3.7 Hours | 600 | 1,1007 | No |
| Humless go mini 1500 watt |
640 | 10 | 3,000 | 3 Months | No | 6.7 Hours | 180 | 640 | No |
| Patriot 1500 watt |
600 | 10 | 3,000 | 3 Months | No | 6.3 Hours | 180 | 600 | No |
|
1Manufacturers give life cycles with different Depth of discharge (DOD) levels, or only a maximum life cycle with no DOD listed. We have done our best to determine the Life Cycles of each generator with a DOD of 80% so we can make a fair comparison. Here are the released data: PowerMax: 6,000 cycles at 80% DOD Goal Zero: 500 cycles at 80% DOD Innergy: Up to 2000 cycles (The kodiac uses a Lithium NMC battery, which gets about 500 cycles at 80% DOD) Hummless: 2,500 cycles at 100% DOD Patriot: No data, but uses an LFP battery similar to Hummless 2 An MPPT Charge controller can increase your solar panels solar production by up to 40% over a standard charge controller. Meaning you will need more solar panels to produce the same power if you don't have an MPPT charge controller 3 Times are calculated using our calculator rather than based off of a theoretical 100% efficiency like many manufacturers try to claim. This time is calculated using the maximum solar the generator can handle 4A modular system can be expanded indefinetly by adding more modules. 5 By adding a modular charge controller this can go down to 1 Hour. Without the extra module Charge controller, it is limited to 720 watts of solar with a recharge time of 2.8 Hours 6 Goal Zero has an expantion Port to add expantion modules, but we can't find them or any information on them. Maybe it is a feature for the future. 7 Innergy allows you to add led based batteries to there generator, but I would not recomend doing this as it defeats the purpose of having a lithium battery. You would be better off just getting an AGM solar generator in the first place. |
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RUN TIME COMPARISONS: Small Portable Generators
| Lights (10w LED) |
Fan | TV/PC | Cooktop Burner |
Micro- wave |
Washing Machine |
Well Pump 1/2 hp 120v |
Freezer | Fridge | Gas Furnace |
|
| PowerMax 2000 Standard Lithium |
||||||||||
| 81 hrs | 16.3 hrs | 6.4 hrs | 1.1 hrs | 1.3 hrs | 1.7 hrs | 1.3 hrs | 27.4 hrs | 23.5 hrs | 14.6 hrs | |
| Goal Zero 1400 |
||||||||||
| 64 hrs | 13.4 hrs | 5.3 hrs | 0.9 hrs | 1.1 hrs | 1.4 hrs | 1.1 hrs | 22.5 hrs | 19.3 hrs | 12.1 hrs | |
| Innergy Kodiac |
||||||||||
| 46 hrs | 8.6 hrs | 3.3 hrs | 0.5 hrs | 0.6 hrs | 0.9 hrs | 0.6 hrs | 14.6 hrs | 12.5 hrs | 7.7 hrs | |
| Humless Go-mini |
||||||||||
| 19 hrs | 5.7 hrs | 2.4 hrs | 0.4 hrs | 0.5 hrs | 0.7 hrs | 0.5 hrs | 8.9 hrs | 7.8 hrs | 5.2 hrs | |
| Patriot 1500 |
||||||||||
| 31.8 hrs | 6.3 hrs | 2.5 hrs | 0.4 hrs | 0.5 hrs | 0.6 hrs | 0.5 hrs | 10.7 hrs | 9.2 hrs | 5.7 hrs | |
PERFORMANCE REPORT: Small Portable Generators
Running:
fridge
computer for 3 hours per day
microwave for 15 minutes
1st Place
PowerMax Lithium
2nd Place
Goal Zero
1400
3rd Place
Innergy
Kodiac
4th place
Humless Go_mini
5th place
Patriot
1500
Run Time = The amount of time (in hours) the system will run without any sun. For critical loads such are frigerators, freezers, furnace, etc. This time should be at least 48 hours to last through stormy weather.
Recharge Time = The time in hours to recharge your batteries if fully drained to there maximum level of discharge.
System Efficiency = The average of several efficiency measurements. Anything over 70 is extremely good. Anything under 50 is poor, and you should consider a different system for your application.
Cost per hour runtime = The amount in dollars it will cost you for each hour of Run Time you have.
Small Portable Solar Generators: Summary
After looking at the results, by far the best small portable solar generator is the Powermax. It outperforms all the rest in every category.
-MEDIUM PORTABLE SOLAR GENERATORS-
SPECS: Medium Sized Solar Generators
| Battery | Efficiency | Expandability | |||||||||
| Capacity | Life Years |
Life Cycles1 |
Storage Life |
MPPT1 | Fastest Recharge Time3 |
Idle4 Power |
Pure Sine5 |
Max Solar watts |
Max Battery Capacity |
||
| PowerMax Lithium 2000 watt |
3,072 wh | 15-20 | 10,000 | 5 years | Yes | 1 Hour(6) | 7 watts | Yes | Unlimited | Unlimited | |
| PowerMax AGM 2000 watt |
4,200 wh | 10 | 1,000 | 1 year | Yes | 3 Hours | 7 watts | Yes | Unlimited | Unlimited | |
| Homegrid 3000 watt |
4,200 wh | 10 | 1,000 | 1 year | Yes | 6.2 Hours | 20 watts | Yes | 1440 | 12,000 Wh | |
| SolarMax 5300 watt |
5,760 wh | 3-6 | 450 | 6 months | No | 6.8 Hours | 20 watts | No7 | 1410 | 5,760 Wh | |
| Solgen 2500 watt |
1,200 wh | 3-6 | 450 | 6 months | Yes | 3.8 Hours | 12 watts | Yes | 900 | 7,200 Wh | |
|
1Based on a 50% Depth of discharge (DOD) 2 An MPPT Charge controller can increase your solar panels solar production by up to 40% over a standard charge controller. Meaning you will need more solar panels to produce the same power if you don't have an MPPT charge controller 3 Times are calculated using our calculator rather than based off of a theoretical 100% efficiency like many manufacturers try to claim. This time is calculated using the maximum solar the generator can handle 4Idle power is wasted power when the generator is running. You want this to be as small as possible. 5 If the generator is not pure sine wave, appliances may not run, and if they do run they will not run nearly as well as if it were pure sine wave. Modified sine wave inverters do have a lower idle power consumption, but it but your appliances will use about 30% more power with it. 6 By adding a modular charge controller this can go down to 1 Hour. 7 This inverter has a large 5000 watt modified sine wave inverter, and a small 300 watt pure sine wave inverter. So it can run small appliances with pure sine wave, but nothing over 300 watts. |
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RUN TIMES: Medium Sized Solar Generators
| Lights (10w LED) |
Fan | TV/PC | Cooktop Burner |
Micro- wave |
Washing Machine |
Well Pump 1/2 hp 120v |
Freezer | Fridge | Gas Furnace |
|
| PowerMax Extreme Lithium |
||||||||||
| 163 hrs | 32.6 hrs | 12.8 hrs | 2.2 hrs | 2.6 hrs | 3.5 hrs | 2.6 hrs | 54.9 hrs | 48 hrs | 29.3 hrs | |
| PowerMax Extreme AGM |
||||||||||
| 220 hrs | 44 hrs | 17.4 hrs | 2.9 hrs | 3.5 hrs | 4.7 hrs | 3.5 hrs | 74.3 hrs | 63.7 hrs | 39.7 hrs | |
| HomeGrid 3000 Ultimate |
||||||||||
| 111 hrs | 37.1 hrs | 16.3 hrs | 2.9 hrs | 3.5 hrs | 4.6 hrs | 3.5 hrs | 56 hrs | 50 hrs | 34 hrs | |
| Solar Max 5300 |
||||||||||
| 80.7 hrs | 13.9 hrs | 7.2 hrs | 1.2 hrs | 1.5 hrs | 1.9 hrs | 1.5 hrs | 29.8 hrs | 25.7 hrs | 16.3 hrs | |
| Solgen 25P24-2500 |
||||||||||
| 23.3 hrs | 4.3 hrs | 2.3 hrs | 0.4 hrs | 0.4 hrs | 0.6 hrs | 0.4 hrs | 9.2 hrs | 7.9 hrs | 5.1 hrs | |
PERFORMANCE REPORT: Medium Sized Solar Generator
Running:
fridge
computer for 3 hours per day
microwave for 15 minutes
1st Place
PowerMax AGM
2ND Place
PowerMax LITHIUM
3rd Place
HomeGrid 3000
4th Place
Solgen
2500
5th Place
Solar Max
5300
Run Time = The amount of time (in hours) the system will run without any sun. For critical loads such a refrigerators, freezers, furnace, etc. This time should be at least 48 hours to last through stormy weather.
Recharge Time = The time in hours to recharge your batteries if fully drained to there maximum level of discharge.
System Efficiency = The average of several efficiency measurements. Anything over 70 is extremely good. Anything under 50 is poor, and you should consider a different system for your application.
Cost per hour runtime = The amount in dollars it will cost you for each hour of Run Time you have.
Medium Solar Generators Summary
The PowerMax AGM is the clear winner in this area. But something also to notice is how poorly the Solar Max 5300 did. This is a result of using very low quality components (PWM charge controller, Modified sine wave inverter, etc), and still charging a premium price. This leads you to having a unit that costs nearly 4 times as much per hour of run time than best system here.
-LARGE HEAVY DUTY SOLAR GENERATORS-
SPECS: Large Heavy Duty Solar Generators
| Battery | Efficiency | Expandability | |||||||||
| Capacity | Life Years |
Life Cycles1 |
Storage Life |
MPPT2 | Fastest Recharge Time3 |
Idle4 Power |
Pure Sine5 |
Max Solar watts |
Max Battery Capacity |
||
| HomeGrid 5000HD 5000 watt |
8,400 wh | 10 | 1000 | 1 year | Yes | 6.2 Hours | 25 watts | Yes | 2,880 | 24,000 wh | |
| Solar Max 6000 watt |
8,640 wh | 3-6 | 450 | 3 Months | No | 8.9 Hours | 75 watts | Yes | 1,410 | 8,640 wh | |
| Solgen 6000 watt |
4,800 wh | 3-6 | 450 | 3 Months | Yes | 7.2 Hours | 75 watts | Yes | 1,080 | 9,600 wh | |
|
1Based on a 50% Depth of discharge (DOD) 2 An MPPT Charge controller can increase your solar panels solar production by up to 40% over a standard charge controller. Meaning you will need more solar panels to produce the same power if you don't have an MPPT charge controller 3 Times are calculated using our calculator rather than based off of a theoretical 100% efficiency like many manufacturers try to claim. 4 Idle power is wasted power when the generator is running. You want this to be as small as possible. 5 If the generator is not pure sine wave, appliances may not run, and if they do run they will not run nearly as well as if it were pure sine wave. Modified sine wave inverters do have a lower idle power consumption, but it but your appliances will use about 30% more power with it. | |||||||||||
RUN TIMES: Large Heavy Duty Solar Generators
| Lights (10w LED) |
Fan | TV/PC | Cooktop Burner |
Micro- wave |
Washing Machine |
Well Pump 1/2 hp 120v |
Freezer | Fridge | Gas Furnace |
|
| HomeGrid 5000HD Ultimate |
||||||||||
| 222 hrs | 74 hrs | 32.6 hrs | 5.9 hrs | 7.1 hrs | 9.3 hrs | 7.1 hrs | 112 hrs | 100 hrs | 68 hrs | |
| Solar Max 6000 |
||||||||||
| 44 hrs | 20.3 hrs | 12.7 hrs | 2.6 hrs | 3.2 hrs | 4.1 hrs | 3.2 hrs | 31.1 hrs | 29 hrs | 22.5 hrs | |
| Solgen 60S |
||||||||||
| 24.4 hrs | 11.3 hrs | 7 hrs | 1.4 hrs | 1.7 hrs | 2.3 hrs | 1.7 hrs | 17.3 hrs | 16.1 hrs | 12.5 hrs | |
PERFORMANCE REPORT: Large Heavy Duty Solar Generators
Running:
fridge
computer for 3 hours per day
microwave for 15 minutes
1st Place
HomeGrid 5000HD Ultimate
2nd Place
SolarMax 6000
3rd Place
Solgen 6000
Run Time = The amount of time (in hours) the system will run without any sun. For critical loads such a refrigerators, freezers, furnace, etc. This time should
be at least 48 hours to last through stormy weather.
Recharge Time = The time in hours to recharge your batteries if fully drained to there maximum level of discharge.
System Efficiency = The average of several efficiency measurements. Anything over 70 is extremely good. Anything under 50 is poor, and you should consider a different system for your application.
Cost per hour runtime = The amount in dollars it will cost you for each hour of Run Time you have.
Large Heavy Duty Solar Generators Summary
The clear winner of the Large Heavy duty solar generator clearly goes to the HomeGrid 5000HD.