Lithium battery generators for Dummies PLEASE!!!

[fried1765]

I have an Cummins Onan Quiet Diesel Generator, 7.5 KW that you can stand beside and easily have a conversation. REAL Generators that can run for days and days and days need not be noisy.

Much of the secret there is that it is an 1800 RPM generator.

 

[cqaigy2]

Yes, i had to do a search on lithium battery "generator" to find some DIY solutions. Im most cases, it looked to be fine for small scale applications, but like i said in the other thread linked here. I couldn't get the pencil to cooperate with the budget. I like the idea of something not so noisy, but those options add to the cost, regardless of the method used for electric power.

 

[k0ua]

First of all, it annoys me to see manufacturers reffering to batteries as "FUEL". Confuses people who dond't have a clue about energy even more. Or worse, calling a battery a "Generator".

Whole discussion about backup surrounds energy density and storage. What you never know in most outages is HOW LONG WILL THE POWER BE OUT? Anything with battteries is no good if you can't recharge it. Cell sites apparently found this out in TEXAS with rolling blackouts. The "ON" times were not long enough to recharge their batteries.

Agreed. It is stupid to call them Generators. THEY ARE NOT. The do not generate electricity, they store electricity. in other words a battery and an inverter to convert the DC electricity to AC electricity. Very small scale. A windmill generates electricity, a solar cell generates electricity a steam turbine hooked to a generator generates electricity. A diesel or gas engine hooked to a generator generates electricity, a water wheel hooked to a generator generates electricity. This thing stores electricity (DC) and converts it into another form (AC).

A gallon of gasoline or diesel can generate a heck of a lot of electrical power. And when that gallon is all gone, you have time to go find another one and pour it in. What are you going to do when your battery in your "generator" is done? Nothing, you are done.

 

[ernemats]

Ryobi is coming out with a 1800 watt generator run off 2 of their 40 volt batteries , no details about it on their web site yet, basically I would call it an inverter rather than a generator. It would be nice for running power tools, lights away from an electric source.4V 18 WATT POWER STATION / 4-PORT CHARGER | RYOBI Tools

 

[k0ua]

Ryobi is coming out with a 1800 watt generator run off 2 of their 40 volt batteries , no details about it on their web site yet, basically I would call it an inverter rather than a generator. It would be nice for running power tools, lights away from an electric source.4V 18 WATT POWER STATION / 4-PORT CHARGER | RYOBI Tools

It mentions in the manual the 1800 watt load is for 3 minuets maximum. it gave a couple of other run times, a 50 watt load for 8.4 hours, and a 200 watt load for 4.5 hours.

if we extrapolate out that 200 watt load to 1000 watt load (first lets convert 4.5 hours to minutes we get 270 minutes) we would get 270 divided by 5= 54 minutes. BUT you can't really do that because the battery discharge rates are not linear. I am guessing the 1000 watt load would be less than 30 minutes. This is true usable power, but a far cry from even a small 1000 watt gasoline generator that will run a 1000 watt load for hours on a gallon of gas. But it is quiet, and you can use it inside in the room you are in. You just can't use it very long. For small loads like a laptop, it could run it for according to their chart 8.4 hours. Of course the built in batteries of even my junky old laptop will run it for 12 hours.