Roof Mounted Solar

[linuxgod]

It probably will fit both. Is there a good wire loom that would work there? UV resistant?
I'm not sure what gauge the wires are.

I just bought one off Amazon. It's been on there 3.5 years and still looks fine and hasn't cracked. I intentionally bought one that wasn't a split loom, but rather a solid tube. My light bar uses 12 or 14 ga wire, IIRC, and it fit the pair easily enough. If you were using, say, 8ga for solar you'd probably need to run the positive down one channel and the negative down the other.

 

[catastrofe]

If anyone is looking for a portable solar "generator", this unit looks great. Better specs than an equivalently sized Goal Zero, and for the next day-and-a-half, much less expensive.

Disclaimer: I backed this project.

 

[Mogwai]

If anyone is looking for a portable solar "generator", this unit looks great. Better specs than an equivalently sized Goal Zero, and for the next day-and-a-half, much less expensive.

Disclaimer: I backed this project.

Just watched the video and went through the KS page, it's very well done. The Yeti recharge rate is ridiculous in comparison.

 

[christianleeboy]

If anyone is looking for a portable solar "generator", this unit looks great. Better specs than an equivalently sized Goal Zero, and for the next day-and-a-half, much less expensive.

Disclaimer: I backed this project.

Very nice unit, I may need to invest in one. Do you mind sharing your thought on how you're going to set up the Delta in your LC? Semi-permanent solar setup? Thanks for sharing the great find~

 

[audyssey]

Glad that there's some market competition for the Goal Zero.

The 1000 unit is comparable to the Yeti 1000. Which is available today, not waiting for a kick starter project. I've picked one up for sale at Costco.com for $800. So the price gap is not as real as the kickstarter project claims.

Based on my research when I looked at this in June, here's what I found with the Yeti 1000:

• If run to ground, battery under slowest conditions 5A charger will take 18 hours to charge. Built in BMS will protect battery. Chargers can be stacked. Can charge to 90-95% with built in PWM charger 480W (120W + 360W) capacity in 2 hours.
• If adding MPPT (+$100) secondary charge controller, can stack even higher to +500W (150W + 350W port) and total 980W and charge in less than 1 hour. Could wire 12V30A to MPPT.
• Alternative, get car link (+$400) port connect feed direct 12V50A (600A) from vehicle if alternator can support load.

I do agree that the Goal Zero sucks in that in only comes with a brick for a charger. I am not sure if I am concerned about the 18H wall charging time. that's under the poorest conditions and if i have 120V AC power, I almost don't care about anymore.

With the Goal Zero, there's multiple input charge ports so it can be fed from multiple DC sources simultaneously and won't need to switch cables when using charging sources. The DELTA has one solar/car charging port. I would assume it is going to need a DC-to-DC converter to take vehicle 12V to the 19V? needed for the charge port.

The DELTA is also limited to 10A charging. So with the PV 400W max capacity, you'll have to wire the PV for higher voltage.
Charge times on 12V 10A will be in the same neighborhood as the Goal Zero... 9 Hours on 12V only.

I'm curious what the 12V output connector on the DELTA can do. There's some known issues differences for those of us with fridges in the way that the 12V is used. Not all fridges are compatible with Lithium 12V sources. I like the fact that the Goal Zero comes with Anderson Pole connectors for the 12V as well, where as the DELTA only has the traditional cigarette adapter. Not so good for those who want a more rigid connector. I've had success with the ARB 50 and the Goal Zero. The specs for the port only read Car Power Output (1x).

Also, the claims to charge an EV and provide 7 miles of range is laughable. This is just 1 kW of battery (assuming you can get 100% efficiency when transferring power). So even in a Model 3 short range RWD, you're going to add 2% (180 miles / 50 KW battery pack). Not sure why the video is claiming 7 miles of range. That's not really a viable solution if you run out of range on your EV. It will take an hour to charge 120V to the EV.

The solar charging comparison is also funny. the DELTA 1300 is a smaller capacity than the Goal Zero 1400 so of course when measuring percentages it will be lower after any given time? The charge itself is also questionable. I wish the Goal Zero would just standardize using an onboard MPPT over the PWM, but whatever. These are known to be less efficient than then MPPT for solar.

Something to note:
DELTA also has specs for an operating temperature of 113°F.
Goal Zero's operating temperature max is 104°F.

I would assume the battery chemistry for the Goal Zero and Delta are the same, so I'm curious to see why the Delta is claiming a higher operating temperature.


Overall the DELTA seems better suited for USB + 120V power generation.

 

[catastrofe]

Very nice unit, I may need to invest in one. Do you mind sharing your thought on how you're going to set up the Delta in your LC? Semi-permanent solar setup? Thanks for sharing the great find~

My plan is to mount panels on the roof, and connect to the Delta from the panels and the 120V outlet in the rear of the LC. That will provide full time charging. Fridge will plug in to the Delta. This will be semi permanent...fridge and Delta will be moveable if needed (but I see them staying in the LC 95% of the time.

 

[catastrofe]

Glad that there's some market competition for the Goal Zero.

The 1000 unit is comparable to the Yeti 1000. Which is available today, not waiting for a kick starter project. I've picked one up for sale at Costco.com for $800. So the price gap is not as real as the kickstarter project claims.

Based on my research when I looked at this in June, here's what I found with the Yeti 1000:

If run to ground, battery under slowest conditions 5A charger will take 18 hours to charge. Built in BMS will protect battery. Chargers can be stacked. Can charge to 90-95% with built in PWM charger 480W (120W + 360W) capacity in 2 hours.

If adding MPPT (+$100) secondary charge controller, can stack even higher to +500W (150W + 350W port) and total 980W and charge in less than 1 hour. Could wire 12V30A to MPPT.

Alternative, get car link (+$400) port connect feed direct 12V50A (600A) from vehicle if alternator can support load.

I do agree that the Goal Zero sucks in that in only comes with a brick for a charger. I am not sure if I am concerned about the 18H wall charging time. that's under the poorest conditions and if i have 120V AC power, I almost don't care about anymore.

With the Goal Zero, there's multiple input charge ports so it can be fed from multiple DC sources simultaneously and won't need to switch cables when changing charging sources. The DELTA has one solar/car charging port. I would assume it is going to need a DC-to-DC cconverter to take vehicle 12V to the 19V? needed for the charge port.

The DELTA is also limited to 10A charging. So with the 400W max capacity, you'll have to wire the PV for higher voltage.

I'm curious what the 12V output connector on the DELTA can do. There's some known issues differences for those of us with fridges in the way that the 12V is used. Not all fridges are compatible with Lithium 12V sources. I like the fact that the Goal Zero comes with Anderson Pole connectors for the 12V as well, where as the DELTA only has the traditional cigarette adapter. Not so good for those who want a more rigid connector. I've had success with the ARB 50 and the Goal Zero. The specs for the port only read Car Power Output (1x).

Also, the claims to charge an EV and provide 7 miles of range is laughable. This is just 1 kW of battery (assuming you can get 100% efficiency when transferring power). So even in a Model 3 short range RWD, you're going to add 2% (180 miles / 50 KW battery pack). Not sure why the video is claiming 7 miles of range. That's not really a viable solution if you run out of range on your EV. It will take an hour to charge 120V to the EV.

The solar charging comparison is also funny. the DELTA 1300 is a smaller capacity than the Goal Zero 1400 so of course when measuring percentages it will be lower after any given time? The charge itself is also questionable. I wish the Goal Zero would just standardize using an onboard MPPT over the PWM, but whatever. These are known to be less efficient than then MPPT for solar.

Something to note:
DELTA also has specs for an operating temperature of 113°F.
Goal Zero's operating temperature max is 104°F.

I would assume the battery chemistry for the Goal Zero and Delta are the same, so I'm curious to see why the Delta is claiming a higher operating temperature.

Glad the Yeti fit your needs. GZ certainly knows how to market.

I looked at the Yeti 1000 extensively and below were the negatives for me. For less money than the 1000, I’ll be receiving the Delta 1300 (equivalent time the Yeti 1400):

-The 1000 Lithium is out of stock until sometime in November.
-The best Costco price on the 1000 was $999.
-You have to spend additional money for an MPPT module if you want a reasonable charge time.
-You can’t use the MPPT module and the Carlink module together; you’re constrained to one or the other.
-Proprietary connectors designed to “force” the use of Goal Zero solar panels without an adapter.

 

[Itsky]

The yeti 1000 is bomber for me; I’m super happy with mine. $800.

 

[audyssey]

The best price on the Yeti 1000 has also been $800 at Costco, or $800 at REI with the 20% membership purchase. As you also noted, the best price on the DELTA will be $770 during the kickstarter. Future retail prices will most likely be higher.

The DELTA 1300 kickstarter price is $900.
GZ 1400 retail is $1800, even at REI 20% off would still land you at $1440.

DELTA 1300 and the GZ 1400 are not really equivalent.
The bulk of costs are in the battery.
Total capacity: 1295Wh vs. 1425Wh (10% less total capacity)
GZ 1400 has some additional features such as Wi-Fi capabilities. Justified in the price difference? no. DELTA appears to be a better value for the basic battery storage at that price point.

DC Charging capabilities:
DELTA 1300: 400W max @10A single port

• Faster charging capability is with 120V AC charging.
• The DELTA has no expansion capabilities.
• Chaining looks like its marketed as daisy chaining through the 120V AC connector. The diagram even shows cascading. Is DELTA X-Stream is doing AC pass through with voltage regulation and power conditioning? Converting DC to AC back and forth a bunch of times would be terribly inefficient.

GZ 1400: 120W + 360W = 480W on 3 different ports.

• MPPT or CarLink Module are not required. PWM solar charging works just fine.
• CarLink Module allows GZ 1400 to be DC linked to other 12V battery sources and continue to operate inline with other batteries. 12V linked batteries will be charged using solar sources through the GZ.
• GZ has a 25A 120V AC fast charger. which still sucks that its not included and only reduces charge time to 4.5H. You can connect both the 5A + 25A 120V AC chargers and get it down to 3H charging. But still, the 1.7H charge time on the DELTA on AC wins.

GoalZero has an 8mm barrel connector that they use for their product line to enable ease of product delivery.
DELTA needs a solar charge cable adapter to use the MC4 solar charging standard. I am not familiar with the DELTA solar charging port cable and I don't know if the regular port is a standard connector.
The GZ supports standard Anderson Pole connectors in both the input and output of DC charging.

I've had success in plugging in 2x 60W amazon non-GZ PV panels and getting them to charge my GZ 1000 via both Anderson Pole connectors AND using a non-GZ PV with a 8mm barrel adapter. One 60W panel keeps me power consumption even for the ARB 50.

What are you looking at for a PV panels for your rig? I'm trying to determine the best way to set a RTT with PV panels. When the RTT is open, charging is useless so removable hard panels for me might be the best way to go. That way I can optimize PV generator when out and about. But I'm wondering the best way to mount panels while in motion.

What are your primary energy needs? Mine are the 12V fridge and smartphone charging. At camp, I'll string LED lights. The 120V AC functions are nice. I did run an induction stove on the GZ. I'm only able to get about 1.5H constant cook time, then the battery is done. Not enough capacity for that quite yet. Induction stove is faster for boiling water then a jet boil. Last time my sister-in-law brought a blender, but my Anker Powerhouse was unable to keep up with the power draw. Now with the GZ 1000, we can do magaritas at camp.

 

[catastrofe]

The best price on the Yeti 1000 has also been $800 at Costco, or $800 at REI with the 20% membership purchase. As you also noted, the best price on the DELTA will be $770 during the kickstarter. Future retail prices will most likely be higher.

The DELTA 1300 kickstarter price is $900.
GZ 1400 retail is $1800, even at REI 20% off would still land you at $1440.

DELTA 1300 and the GZ 1400 are not really equivalent.
The bulk of costs are in the battery.
Total capacity: 1295Wh vs. 1425Wh (10% less total capacity)
GZ 1400 has some additional features such as Wi-Fi capabilities. Justified in the price difference? no. DELTA appears to be a better value for the basic battery storage at that price point.

DC Charging capabilities:
DELTA 1300: 400W max @10A single port

• Faster charging capability is with 120V AC charging.
• The DELTA has no expansion capabilities.
• Chaining looks like its marketed as daisy chaining through the 120V AC connector. The diagram even shows cascading. Is DELTA X-Stream is doing AC pass through with voltage regulation and power conditioning? Converting DC to AC back and forth a bunch of times would be terribly inefficient.

GZ 1400: 120W + 360W = 480W on 3 different ports.

• MPPT or CarLink Module are not required. PWM solar charging works just fine.
• CarLink Module allows GZ 1400 to be DC linked to other 12V battery sources and continue to operate inline with other batteries. 12V linked batteries will be charged using solar sources through the GZ.
• GZ has a 25A 120V AC fast charger. which still sucks that its not included and only reduces charge time to 4.5H. You can connect both the 5A + 25A 120V AC chargers and get it down to 3H charging. But still, the 1.7H charge time on the DELTA on AC wins.

GoalZero has an 8mm barrel connector that they use for their product line to enable ease of product delivery.
DELTA needs a solar charge cable adapter to use the MC4 solar charging standard. I am not familiar with the DELTA solar charging port cable and I don't know if the regular port is a standard connector.
The GZ supports standard Anderson Pole connectors in both the input and output of DC charging.

I've had success in plugging in 2x 60W amazon non-GZ PV panels and getting them to charge my GZ 1000 via both Anderson Pole connectors AND using a non-GZ PV with a 8mm barrel adapter. One 60W panel keeps me power consumption even for the ARB 50.

What are you looking at for a PV panels for your rig? I'm trying to determine the best way to set a RTT with PV panels. When the RTT is open, charging is useless so removable hard panels for me might be the best way to go. That way I can optimize PV generator when out and about. But I'm wondering the best way to mount panels while in motion.

What are your primary energy needs? Mine are the 12V fridge and smartphone charging. At camp, I'll string LED lights. The 120V AC functions are nice. I did run an induction stove on the GZ. I'm only able to get about 1.5H constant cook time, then the battery is done. Not enough capacity for that quite yet. Induction stove is faster for boiling water then a jet boil. Last time my sister-in-law brought a blender, but my Anker Powerhouse was unable to keep up with the power draw. Now with the GZ 1000, we can do magaritas at camp.

You're a veritable Goal Zero advertisement. Do you work for them? I'm happy that you're happy with your Yeti. It doesn't meet my needs.

 

[audyssey]

I could say the same thing about you and your DELTA purchase, but I'm not. If you actually read some of the points that I'm making, I'm actually agreeing with you on the price nature of the DELTA product.

However, there are points where you appear to be drinking the DELTA marketing kool-aid. I consider myself an informed buyer. I've spent some considerable time comparing different battery setups-- cost and features, the GZ meets my needs. I've spent time in product design, marketing, and technology so I always enjoy de-mystifying the marketing spin on products. DELTA is clearly spinning a doosy around this kickstarter. But they should, that's the goal of product marketing-- to paint products in the best light. I have no association with Goal Zero other than just being a customer who has purchased their product. I didn't want to. I tried another Lithium solution, the Anker Powerhouse. As a basic super big cell phone charger it is awesome. Works to power a CPAP machine, and does some lightweight AC. But otherwise, not so great for 12V. Costco had a deal on the GZ Yeti 1000, so I bought one.

From your decision, it reads that DELTA will meet your needs. Great! Fantastic! I'm interested to know what is your motivation for this purchase? You've told us that you've joined this kickstarter. Great! Is there other reasons? Do you work or someone you know work for DELTA? I think it's perfectly fine to push products. That's what this is all about. To share information. You stated that the GoalZero doesn't meet your needs. I've been trying to ask why? Is it merely a cost thing? If so, I would clearly agree that a lot of people are in the same boat. Is that the only decision for your purchase? If you hadn't made originally pointed out the DELTA product, I would've never known about it.

As an informed buyer, I'm pointing out the features that are important to me. From the product description, the DELTA has almost no literature on the 12V capabilities. It claims to have a 13.6V car port charger. But without a clear spec sheet, it is unknown how that will work with any 12V fridge. I've been burned by this when I purchased the Anker system thinking that 12V is all the same. I quickly discovered that it is not the case. I'm pointing that out as a risk on the DELTA system. I don't know if it will or will not work.

Also, as an informed buyer I see a lot of misinformation from people on the 'webs from users trying to point out that Goal Zero has proprietary connectors. That clearly been debunked, but as you try to point out proprietary and forced are incorrect. Sharing truthful information is the best way to make meaningful decisions. I'm sharing my experience for everyone to read. If you haven't had first hand experience with this, why share this information like you know the truth? Not knowing your motivation for the purchase you appear to be focused on price point. So why would you even look at Goal Zero PVs? Their price point is way above their competition. I've been looking at the Renogy PV solutions, but haven't made a decision yet. They are still on the high side, but they are using SunPower panels. It's in the price point, but I haven't made a purchase either way.

While on this topic, we'll encounter others who will claim Goal Zero is stupid and why wouldn't they just build their own LiFePo system and not have any of these issues. To each, his own. These are considerations that I've made in my product selection decision. For me today, I selected the GZ system. When my set of requirements changes, I will do a reset and reconsider all the options.. dual battery, custom build, GZ, Kodiak, and now Delta.

With any production solution, it should come down to what are the intended purposes. For most of my use case scenarios, I selected the product that best fit my needs. Sure, there's a bit of showmanship as a buyer to validate that I purchased the best product. I'm trying to engage you in the discussion further, but you just keep throwing it in my face that GoalZero is not the product you purchased. Sure fine. This is a forum which we use to talk about things. You seem only focused on justifying your purchase.

Keep beating that drum. I'll stay in my corner and you stay in yours.

 

[catastrofe]

I could say the same thing about you and your DELTA purchase, but I'm not. If you actually read some of the points that I'm making, I'm actually agreeing with you on the price nature of the DELTA product.

However, there are points where you appear to be drinking the DELTA marketing kool-aid. I consider myself an informed buyer. I've spent some considerable time comparing different battery setups-- cost and features, the GZ meets my needs. I've spent time in product design, marketing, and technology so I always enjoy de-mystifying the marketing spin on products. DELTA is clearly spinning a doosy around this kickstarter. But they should, that's the goal of product marketing-- to paint products in the best light. I have no association with Goal Zero other than just being a customer who has purchased their product. I didn't want to. I tried another Lithium solution, the Anker Powerhouse. As a basic super big cell phone charger it is awesome. Works to power a CPAP machine, and does some lightweight AC. But otherwise, not so great for 12V. Costco had a deal on the GZ Yeti 1000, so I bought one.

From your decision, it reads that DELTA will meet your needs. Great! Fantastic! I'm interested to know what is your motivation for this purchase? You've told us that you've joined this kickstarter. Great! Is there other reasons? Do you work or someone you know work for DELTA? I think it's perfectly fine to push products. That's what this is all about. To share information. You stated that the GoalZero doesn't meet your needs. I've been trying to ask why? Is it merely a cost thing? If so, I would clearly agree that a lot of people are in the same boat. Is that the only decision for your purchase? If you hadn't made originally pointed out the DELTA product, I would've never known about it.

As an informed buyer, I'm pointing out the features that are important to me. From the product description, the DELTA has almost no literature on the 12V capabilities. It claims to have a 13.6V car port charger. But without a clear spec sheet, it is unknown how that will work with any 12V fridge. I've been burned by this when I purchased the Anker system thinking that 12V is all the same. I quickly discovered that it is not the case. I'm pointing that out as a risk on the DELTA system. I don't know if it will or will not work.

Also, as an informed buyer I see a lot of misinformation from people on the 'webs from users trying to point out that Goal Zero has proprietary connectors. That clearly been debunked, but as you try to point out proprietary and forced are incorrect. Sharing truthful information is the best way to make meaningful decisions. I'm sharing my experience for everyone to read. If you haven't had first hand experience with this, why share this information like you know the truth? Not knowing your motivation for the purchase you appear to be focused on price point. So why would you even look at Goal Zero PVs? Their price point is way above their competition. I've been looking at the Renogy PV solutions, but haven't made a decision yet. They are still on the high side, but they are using Grade A SunPower panels.

While on this topic, we'll encounter others who will claim Goal Zero is stupid and why wouldn't they just build their own LiFePo system and not have any of these issues. To each, his own. These are considerations that I've made in my product selection decision. For me today, I selected the GZ system. When my set of requirements changes, I will do a reset and reconsider all the options.. dual battery, custom build, GZ, Kodiak, and now Delta.

When any production solution, it should come down to what are the intended purposes. For most of my use case scenarios, I selected the product that best fit my needs. Sure, there's a bit of showmanship as a buyer to validate that I purchased the best product. I'm trying to engage you in the discussion further, but you just keep throwing it in my face that GoalZero is not the product you purchased. Sure fine. This is a forum which we use to talk about things. You seem only focused on justifying your purchase.

Keep beating that drum. I'll stay in my corner and you stay in yours.

Enjoy.

 

[TeCKis300]

You're a veritable Goal Zero advertisement. Do you work for them? I'm happy that you're happy with your Yeti. It doesn't meet my needs.

tea kettle calling the pot black.

This is all vaporware until they deliver. You do realize you're the one that is touting a device that exists only as an advertisement? It wouldn't be the first time that a kickstarter misses the target. Far from the target.

@audyssey makes very reasonable points that are worth a discussion rather than debate.

I do wonder what the reality of a Delta charger that charges in 1.7hrs looks like. As anyone that has a high power slim laptop knows, charging bricks (i.e. converters / transformers) only come so small. The ones capable of charging a 1000 Wh device in 1.7hrs... hrmmm.

 

[catastrofe]

tea kettle calling the pot black.

This is all vaporware until they deliver. You do realize you're the one that is touting a device that exists only as an advertisement? It wouldn't be the first time that a kickstarter misses the target. Far from the target.

@audyssey makes very reasonable points that are worth a discussion rather than debate.

I do wonder what the reality of a Delta charger that charges in 1.7hrs looks like. As anyone that has a high power slim laptop knows, charging bricks (i.e. converters / transformers) only come so small. The ones capable of charging a 1000 Wh device in 1.7hrs... hrmmm.

I think you have your pots and kettles confused.

None of my posts can remotely be considered a Delta advertisement. My initial post served to alert fellow forum members to the opportunity. My follow-up listed what I felt to be flaws with the Yeti. My third post included a comparison chart of the Delta vs the Yeti as part of my response to why the GZ doesn't meet my needs. See, no advertising.

If @audyssey was interested in discussion, the response to my initial post would have been something like "what attracted you to Delta instead of something like the GZ Yeti (or other brand/unit)?" Instead, the response was an advertisement for GZ, followed by two more posts doing essentially the same thing. In my experience that screams "fanboy". Maybe I'm wrong. . .apologies if so.

I have nothing against GZ. In fact, my plan was to purchase the Yeti 1000 but they are unavailable and I stumbled upon the Kickstarter campaign. While I agree KS campaigns can be risky, Delta as already delivered on other campaigns. I'm not concerned about them delivering on this one.

I already listed the issues I see with the GZ. See, still no advertising FOR Delta. There are plenty of GZ reviews available on the web. There are several Delta reviews as well. . .review units have been in the field for some weeks.

If you ask nicely, I'll be happy to share the things that attracted me to the Delta over GZ. Unless you're going to accuse me of advertising for them.

 

[TeCKis300]

Fair so let's hear some good stuff about where you think Delta is going to be advantageous. Healthy competition makes manufacturers raise the bar. So we as consumers win ultimately.

Side note in regards to you being unable to buy a Yeti 1000 at the moment. I reached out to them about a year ago asking when a 1000 model with USB-C is going to be available. They were vague yet suggested that an updated replacement might be in the works and available in about a year. I think that's what's happening as they sold all their current Yeti 1000 inventory and perhaps are switching over. Healthy competition right?

 

[audyssey]

"what attracted you to Delta instead of something like the GZ Yeti (or other brand/unit)?"

can't we all just be friends?

 

[Mogwai]

Wow that went crazy. Hey not to mention there are other options out there too, Jackery, and I forget some of the other but go to Will Prowse YouTube channel he's reviewed them all and very unbiased. Two points and I have no dog in this fight, but the claims of Yeti and charge rates are largely incorrect, I want to say it charges around 60% of the rate it claims. But again go check out Will's stuff, it's all done very scientifically.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned charge cycles? That Delta is advertising lifetime battery replacement costs which is amazing for the buyer, but terrible for that company. I guess they are banking on battery costs dropping over the years but I dunno....

Re:the 12volt car socket, make sure it always outputs 12+v no matter the charge of the battery, some of them decrease as the battery dies and therefore something like a fridge would cut off before you get full use of the battery. I'm not saying either of these do but it's something to pay attention to.

For solar panels consider some of the mobile/folding options. The ETFE panels are a bit newer tech. Lensun makes one, Renogy, etc... Why park in the sun? Hot car, hot fridge, etc... Or do both mounted and mobile so you can park in the shade and still charge as you drive.

 

[catastrofe]

So here's my saga. Keep in mind that everyone's needs are different, and what may be important to one may not be important to another.

My primary interests in a portable solar "generator" are to power my SnoMaster fridge, and to have a secondary battery source outside of our travel trailer (in addition to the LC of course) if needed. I plan to keep the generator and fridge in the LC, with the generator plugged in to both the 120V outlet and solar panels. I'll run the fridge via DC from the generator which bypasses DC to AC inversion. I figure anything between 1000W and 1500W of battery should be plenty. Of course, I wanted to spend the least amount of money necessary for the best performance and quality (somewhat subjective).

If you've spent any time researching the different brands/units currently available, they all seem to fall short in some aspect. DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a great resource and he's tested quite a few. Check him out on YouTube: DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse
He also has a forum: DIY Solar Power Forum

I initially had my choices narrowed down to the Yeti 1000, or a Humless Go Mini 1.3kw based on needs, performance, and price. I really like the Humless design, it's built like a tank, and it's rated for over 2500 cycles. Unfortunately, they discontinued the 1.3kw unit and now only offer a .64kw unit (Go Mini .64- Lightweight Solar Charger | Humless). I found a new unit on eBay for a steal and tried it, but my fridge kept activating the low voltage over-current protection. In discussing this with Humless, they acknowledged that I would need an inline surge protector as the startup current on the fridge is too high (even though the max current for the fridge is only 5.5A and the DC plug on the Humless is rated at 10A). Luckily I was able to return the unit.

So at the time (July/August), that left the Yeti 1000 but I was still hesitant. This is my issue with GZ (aside from the really slow charging time); they want their customers to buy in to their ecosystem. That's why they use a "special" (maybe not truly proprietary, but not industry standard either) connector on their branded solar panels. It's extra work and expense to use someone else's panel with a Yeti. I also don't like the fact that the "goodies" ( MPPT, Fast Charger, Carlink Module, etc.) are all add-ons which add significantly to the cost of the generator. Granted, some of these items aren't even available with other brands, some of them are convenience items, and some may not be needed by every user, but to me it's kind like buying an airline ticket then having to pay additional to check your bag, select your seat, etc. I don't like it, and it factors in to my buying decisions.

I did contact GZ on availability of the 1000, and they advised it would be some time in November. I also asked if they had plans to include MPPT as standard and they didn't know, but told me there would probably be a re-design next year. I've only seen the Yeti 1000 advertised at Costco for $999. If it was available for $800, that was prior to my interest. I am an REI member, but the closest store is 1.5 hours from me and they charge shipping. From my recollection, the 20% one full price item is only available at certain times of the year.

Another unit that piqued my interest was the MaxOak Bluetti 1500, but at ~$1200 it was getting closer in price to the Yeti 1400 and I really didn't want to spend that much.

I heard about the Delta on Will Prowse's forum, and it seems to address many of the shortfalls of various other units. Here's are the 4 things that to me, separate Delta from other brands (these are all tied to the Kickstarter campaign and may not be available afterward):
- 2 hours to full charge, 1 hour to 80%.
- Lifetime battery warranty.
- 7 day no questions return.
- Price; at $899 it's much less than a Yeti 1400 and about the same as a Yeti 1000.

There are definitely some differences in the number of inputs, outputs, etc. between GZ and Delta, and someone may place additional value on those differences, but at the end of the day the Delta provides everything I need at a great price point.

Hope this helps. If there's a glaring issue that I'm missing, I hope someone will point it out.

 

[audyssey]

Thanks! that's super helpful.

Does your use case plan to use the battery and fridge daily? Solar should be good way to balance out the fridge power consumption. On long stretches of low solar generation days, I'm not sure the 120V AC LC charger is up to the challenge to charge the battery. The LC AC outlet is only rated for 100W, so less than 1A. To get a 1-2H charge time, I'm expecting the Delta to want to draw 10A? 15A? of 120V AC. Some level of shore power may be needed to top off the Delta.

There's something to said about state of charge and not topping off batteries.. but that's an entirely different tangent to this debate discussion.

Lifetime batteries warranty is definitely nice. I wish I had that... I wonder with the limits of coverage will be. I've read reports that Tesla 2012 Model S have had battery capacity rates remain as high as 90% in the last 7 years. That would be great if we can get the same results from these portable generators.

The other thing I think is important as you live "Sunshine State" is the operating temperature of the unit. Like I stated before, the Delta has a higher operating temperature spec which is awesome if its true. Lithium batteries do not like heat and bad things (i.e. thermal events) will happen if it can't keep things cool.

 

[TeCKis300]

Good points all around. Some comments having had a GZ 1000 now for some time.

MPPT is all the rage and it would feel like one must have it. Same with faster wall charging. It would all seem very necessary, but I haven't found that to be the case. I use my GZ with nothing more than their $39 5/10amp 12V car charger. Generally on the 5amp charging position.

Even when significantly drained on the 5amp position, it will almost fully charge after a day of solar charging. On 10amps, it will definitely charge from zero to full in less than a day of sunlight. With solar, slow and steady wins the race. If you really find efficiency to be just short, then yeah, GZ offers a nice MPPT option.

I don't feel like I'm locked into the GZ ecosystem at all with Anderson and barrel connector options. I don't have any GZ solar panels. Yet I use my GZ with my 400W installed on the roof of my travel trailer. Or with a portable Rockpals 100W panels.

@audyssey , I'm not sure about the 104°F temperature limit you commented on earlier? From what I've read, the Yeti is good well past that with a staged limiter: stops accepting charge at 113°F, stops outputting power at 149° . These thresholds are well inline with most batteries. Though higher temperatures do accelerate wear.