You’ve got the power: Discover portable home energy storage

This was published 6 months ago

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Power is pricier than ever. And it doesn't look like it's getting any cheaper – at least in the short term. Bills are expected to rise by 56 per cent over the next 18 months, according to the recent federal budget.

At the same time, floods, bushfires, and storms are also on the rise, making power outages more likely for more people. If only we could produce our own power, store it, and use it wherever and whenever we want.

Enter: BLUETTI, a company established in California when friends Wondar Law and James Ray, after a decade of working in the solar storage industry, set out to produce a user-friendly minimalist portable power station.

BLUETTI has been established to produce a user-friendly minimalist portable power station.Credit: BLUETTI

Great question. A portable power station – also known as a solar generator when it is hooked up to solar panels – is like a large, sophisticated battery that can power anything from your mobile phone to your entire house.

It's a bit like a petrol generator, except without the petrol, the noise, and the fumes.

You can charge a portable power station in various ways, such as plugging it into a wall socket, your car cigarette lighter, or by connecting directly to a solar panel. When you go the solar option, you’re essentially storing free, clean energy – which can be a massive boost for your budget and the climate crisis, too.

BLUETTI launched its first products in July 2019. The EB150 was a portable power station designed to be taken camping.

One year later, after the business raised more than US $7 million through crowd-funding, the bigger, AC200 model, which could also be used for home power backup, was released. Today, BLUETTI supplies more than 70 countries (including Australia) and produces portable power stations small and large, as well as portable solar panels – all made with quality in mind.

"One of the most important aspects to us when designing new products is that we use the highest quality, longest-lasting materials available," Ray says. "We choose materials that stand out and outlast all others. It costs more to do so, but the cost isn't as important as the value that doing so creates."

Here are a few BLUETTI beauties to consider.

BLUETTI's EB series allows you to run up to 12 or 13 devices at once.Credit: BLUETTI

BLUETTI's EB series is designed for camping or campervan trips.

The EB3A, EB55 and EB70 share many common traits: durable LFP battery that has 2500+ cycles, versatile outlets including a 15W wireless charging pad, and multiple recharging methods etc. Find it hard to pick? You only need to find out what your earnest needs are. If you look for an extra lightweight one, the 4.6kg EB3A is right for you. It also supports 430W fast dual charging, always keeping you powered on the go.

The EB55 and EB70 are pretty much the size and shape of a ghetto blaster, portable enough for road trips too. You can run up to 12 or 13 devices at once, including mobile phones, mini freezers and radios.

Campers with bigger needs can go all the way up to the AC200MAX + B230 (starting from $4499),which packs a powerful 2200W AC pure sine wave inverter, and offers a capacity of 2048Wh,expandable up to 4,096Wh with 1×B230, making it suitable as an emergency power backup for the home, too.

It has 15 outlets, and can be charged in 7 ways , and via a combination of solar and mains power (which will get you fully juiced up in just two hours).

BLUETTI power systems can be totally customized to suit your needs.Credit: BLUETTI

If you’re looking for a serious home backup power station, there are two main categories: modular models---the AC500 and AC300; all-in-one models ---EP500 and EP500Pro.

The AC500 dishes out 5000W power and takes up to a 10KW surge, meaning anything you plug in will work to its full capacity. It needs to work with B300S or B300 expansion battery for an adjustable capacity (six B300S can lead to a whopping 18,432kWh). While, the modular AC300 can have a max capacity of 12,288Wh by adding up four B300 batteries. With expandable capacity, you could totally customize your power system to your needs.

The EP500 and EP500Pro come with a capacity of 5100Wh. At over 76kg, they still can glide across the floor on four smooth wheels. They can deliver 2000W and 3000W power respectively to run refrigerators, ovens, or TVs easily. They also provide uninterruptible power supply, which means no data loss should one of those darned outages switch off your computer without warning.

All the mentioned BLUETTI generators support APP connectivity. If you go away, you can still monitor and control your system via your phone.

It's time for BLUETTI's biggest sale of the year. Click here for big savings on its most popular portable power stations just in time for the holidays.