How Much Do Solar Generators Cost?

Knowing how much solar generators cost can be quite beneficial when it comes to comparing different brands and technology. 

Why do some solar generators cost more than others, what factors determine overall costs? 

In this article we compare different brands and their cost, we also talk about what factors influence the cost of your purchase. 

What Determines Solar Generator Cost?

When it comes to buying a solar generator the main components that affect the cost are the following: 

• Capacity
• Battery Technology
• Inverter Technology
• Charge Controller Technology

Capacity

All solar generators come in different capacities. The capacity of your solar generator has perhaps the largest impact on how much your product will cost. 

This is mainly due to the fact that more capacity requires more technology, and more technology costs more than less technology. 

This trend can be seen in pretty every other market sector. Solar generators capacity is generally measured in watt hours or Wh. This unit of measurement shows you how much energy is stored in the battery. 

A Watt-hour is the voltage (V) the battery provides multiplied by how much current (Amps) the battery can provide for any given amount of time. Voltage * Amps * hours = Wh.

Battery Technology

Another incredibly important factor is the actual battery technology being used in the solar generators. For example, you may have two different brands who sell a solar generator with the exact same capacity, yet their price points are so very different. 

This generally comes down to the battery technology being used. Not all solar generators use the same type of batteries. The main battery types used in solar generators are:

• Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)
• Nickel manganese cobalt (NMC)

Inverter Technology

Most modern solar generators do use the same type of inverters in their products however it is worth noting that there are three main types, all of which have very different price points

Those are: 

• Sine Wave
• Modified Sine Wave
• Square Wave

Sine Wave or Pure Sine Wave inverters cost the most however also produce the cleanest AC electricity. 

Charge Controller Technology

Just like inverters, charge controllers are not all the same. The two main types are: 

• Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) 
• Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)

MPPT controllers are much more expensive than PWM controllers and are also the controller generally found in most modern solar generators. 

How Much Do Solar Generators Cost?

Now that we understand what affects solar generator cost, we have compiled a table for you to compare different brands with the same capacity.  

Please note, that the above capacities have been rounded of for ease of use sakes. Each brand has produces solar generators with slightly different capacities. However, they all fall within the same range.  

Is Buying A Solar Generator Worth It?

Determining whether a solar generator is worth the cost all comes down to preference. First and foremost, you want to insure that the product you go with only uses that latest technology. 

Do not be swayed by low upfront costs. 

For example, take a look at the data Climatebiz compiled on battery cost here: 

Notice at first how good of a deal lead-acid seems in comparison to lithium-ion? They are both the same capacities (100Ah or 1200Wh) yet lead-acid is so much cheaper.

Do not be deceived. Always work out the Levelized Cost Of Storage to determine a batteries (or solar generators) true cost. 

A Lead-acid battery may seem like the cheaper option at first, but theres a reason for that. 

See how overtime a lithium-ion battery is a whopping two times cheaper than a lead-acid battery over its lifetime? 

This is because lithium technology lasts longer, which means you will. get more out of your battery (or solar generators) before having to replace it. 

Final Thoughts

When deciding on which solar generator to purchase, we recommend taking a look at the capacity, battery type, total number of cycles and then cost. This will give you a better idea on whether or not you are getting a fair deal. 

For example, let's assume you have two solar generators with the exact same capacity, but both have different price points (one cheaper than the other).

Make sure to check what the estimated total life cycles are, one may have 500 more life cycles than the other but be slightly more expensive. To us, this would seem like the better buy.