Solar generators help consumers fit all their solar energy generation components in one unit, increasing their portability and convenience. Instead of buying such parts separately, you save a lot by simply getting a generator. The generator also occupies significantly less space than when you get the separate solar energy generation parts.

A typical solar generator contains the following parts:

• Solar panels
• An inverter
• A battery
• Charge controllers

They work together to produce, store and convert solar energy into the usable current for your household appliances. Read on to find out more about their functions.

1. Solar panels

Solar panels are the functional solar generation units in any solar energy production system. They collect sunlight through their constituent photovoltaic cells and convert them into Direct Current (DC). The current then travels through cables into the batteries, where they are stored for later uses.

There are two primary forms of solar panels–monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels. Monocrystalline panels are more efficient in collecting solar energy and last longer than polycrystalline models. Their increased efficiency and durability are often due to the pure silicon crystals used in producing them. However, they are more expensive than the polycrystalline models.

Both models of solar panels are compatible with solar generators. It is often best to have them portable so you can easily disassemble and reassemble them wherever you go.

2. Charge controllers

The charge controller in the solar generator functions to protect the battery from overcharging. They restrict the rate at which current from the panels gets stored in the batteries, thus increasing the lifespan and efficiency of solar batteries.

Charge controllers could shut down the system if the stored power falls below a specific capacity. This is essential to preserving the battery’s health.

3. Solar battery

The solar batteries store up the current produced from the solar panels, saving them for later use. The batteries are often lithium-ion batteries, although the top-of-the-line batteries are Lithium Ferro Phosphate or Lithium NMC cells.

The battery’s capacity is the capacity stated on the solar generator. The higher the capacity, the longer the generator provides power. Because of portability, most generators don’t have highly rated batteries as most of them are too heavy to combine with the generator.

Popular models of solar batteries include:

• Tesla’s Powerwall 2
• Goodwe Lynx U series
• Huawei LUNA 2000 series

4. Inverters

Inverters convert the power stored as Direct Current into Alternating Current, which is the form of current most appliances can utilize. Inverter ratings determine how the inverter converts the stored power into the usable current.

These components are typically present in every solar generator, although some could vary based on market demand. Also, you could build a solar generator on your own, getting each of these components individually. Although assembling it yourself would cost more, you can better tune the features to suit your needs. However, it would help if you got an expert’s opinion on the procedure to get satisfactory results.