The renewable energy experts at Jackery are up to their usual tricks and announced a new line of solar generator products on Jackery Day that open up a completely new range of possibilities.
They sent us their Solar Generator 1500 with two of their slick 100 watt folding Solar Saga panels to run through the paces. On paper, the new Jackery Explorer 1500 Portable Power Station battery was impressive, with its massive 1.5kWh capacity and increased power output capabilities.
Disclaimer: Jackery provided these products to the author free of charge for the purposes of this review.
The new unit can support sustained output loads of an impressive 1,800 watts with peaks of up to 3,600 watts. At those levels, this unit can support running the average household refrigerator for a full day as home units typically consume between 1,000 and 2,000 watts of power at startup and from 1-2kWh per day. Plugging the unit in to a pair of the solar panels
That’s perfect as a backup power supply for unplanned outages, as are increasingly popping up across California as utilities increasingly lean on the newly implemented Public Safety Power Shutoffs as a means of protecting against wildfires. We tested a range of appliances and devices with the Explorer 1500 and found it was more than up to the task.
With nearly 1.5kWh (41.3Ah) of storage capacity and such impressive power output ratings, the battery itself serves essentially as a replacement for any single circuit in a residential home. It can power refrigerators, lights, microwaves, laptops, modems, cell phones and other critical devices.
- Storage Capacity: 1,488Wh (41.3Ah) capacity
- Cells: Panasonic 18650 Li-ion batteries
- Power Output: 1,800W Average Power and 3,600W Peak Power
- Dual AC Port Fast Charging: Charging with 2 AC ports, the Explorer 1500 can be recharged from 0-80% in 2 hours
- Multiple Output Ports: The Explorer 1500 boasts multiple outlet ports including: PD 60W USB-C ports, 2 USB-A ports (including QC3.0), and 3 AC outlets. The Explorer 1500 can power 7 appliances simultaneously.
Screenshot courtesy: Jackery
Beyond simply powering the essentials, the Jackery Solar Generator 1500 opens up a range of new possibilities for recreational use. With the four fold out solar panels plugged in to recharge it, this kit could readily replace the generator in a recreational vehicle to power onboard devices like TVs, lights, microwaves, blenders and more. Jackery has a list of devices, their power ratings, and times they can be powered for using the Explorer 1500 battery for context.
In our time reviewing the power station, we took it with us on a road trip up to the mountains in Big Bear Lake, California and on a longer trip from Southern California halfway across the country to mountainous Colorado and it was a great way to keep all our devices powered up everywhere our trip took us.
Traveling by car, charging was primarily relegated to our phones, tablets, and laptops, but it was nice knowing we could even squeeze a few extra miles of charging out of the battery if needed. At around 4 miles, the 1.5kWh of storage in the battery only translates to around 6 miles of additional range, but it’s better than nothing in a pinch.
Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
In addition to daily use, the Explorer 1500 opens up a range of base camp uses for all sorts of electrified expeditions. It is well suited for ebike battery recharging, letting owners blast through far more miles per day with a quick recharge of the battery over lunch or coffee. We also found it useful for recharging our LED-equipped helmets for more miles of safety conscious city riding.
The same principle holds true for drone and RC car enthusiasts looking for a better way to stay at the track or on the field for more hours per day without having to return to the car to recharge.
On the solar side of the kit, we plugged our two Solar Saga 100 panels into the kit with one of Jackery’s Solar Panel Parallel Adapter cables that enables two panels to be plugged into a single port. These adapters are essential as the Explorer 1500 won’t charge with these panels plugged in directly.
Here in Southern California, we used the solar panels to take advantage of the copious amounts of sunshine we get to recharge the battery. With two panels connected, our battery charged up from near zero to full capacity in just under 10 hours. That’s an impressive feat for a portable kit and that gets cut roughly in half with the full 4 x 100 watt set of panels connected to the system. The battery can also be charged directly from an AC outlet in 6 hours with a single AC adapter or 3.5 hours with two AC adapters.
Recharge Times:
- 1x AC Adapter: 6 Hours
- 2x AC Adapter: 3.5 Hours
- 12V Car Adapter: 13 Hours
- 2x SolarSaga 100W Solar Panels: 9.5 Hours
- 4x SolarSaga 100W Solar Panels: 5 Hours
While the kit is super functional, the battery itself is a bit of a beast, tipping the scales at 33.1 pounds (15kgs).
Screenshot courtesy: Jackery
We had a blast with this new solar-powered kit from Jackery and I expect our readers have plenty more use cases in mind for this kit that I haven’t thought of. Deliveries of the new Jackery Explorer 1500 and the full solar generator kit officially launch on April 5th and they are offering some hot incentives for early birds.
Save $300 on the full solar generator kit with four Solar Saga 100 panels and the Explorer 1500 battery using discount code JACKERYS1500. If you just want the Explorer 1500 battery, you can also get $150 off that using discount code JACKERYE1500 through April 5th at 10:00 PST.
