Titan Solar Generator

[ebertoli]

I'd like to see what other people think about this generator. I like that you can charge and use it at the same time, that they have extra batteries that are stackable and that you can add your own battery setup as well. I'm a total noob, but it looks like a good start to an off grid system for a friend in rural Guatemala that I could actually carry by splitting it apart and sticking it into a couple of giant suitcases. It seems a bit expensive, but it seems pretty capable.

I'd like to get the opinions of other folks here about this generator. I'm not sure about the batteries or the cycles and that's a concern because I'd hate to hand a solution to free someone from the power grid just to have them get the benefit of it for a couple of years and then lose the ability to use it. I was thinking of the Delta 1300 (they will ship it to Guatemala) and then I ran across this one. Buying hundreds of dollars of replacement batteries is not an option for these folks. The solar panels are probably going to be a similar problem because carrying them in a suitcase down there is my best option due to shipping being off the charts and not necessarily reliable. I don't know enough to build a system for them from scratch, but I'd like to give them a powerful solution that they can use where they are and at a new place they are planning to move to.

There is a guy (Minute Man Prep) that has done some videos... I'm not sure about his relationship with the product though - he has 'managed to get special pricing from the manufacturer' which seems to be the same price that anyone can get through the manufacturer if they go directly there).

Please tell me what you think.

Titan Portable Solar Generator - Point Zero Energy

The Point Zero Energy Titan is the most versatile portable solar generator on the market and provides reliable solar backup for any situation.

www.pointzeroenergy.com

Edit to add other thoughts: I am not super excited about the AC plug for this system. I like that the Delta uses a regular wall plug

 

[ebertoli]

Would there be fewer crickets if I post the links to the minute man prep video about this solar power thingy? :D

His portable solar pricing deal: https://poweredportablesolar.com/product/titan-solar-generator-no-panels/

Anybody have anything to say about his comparison chart of the different makes and models of these things? Agree? Disagree?

https://poweredportablesolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Comparison-Chart.jpg

 

[pnwsun]

Interesting unit. And Expensive.

Since you want to compare this to the EcoFlow DELTA I will dive into that. However it should be noted that the Titan is kind of the next class size up as it is designed to be used with (2) of their battery packs. I will compare a 'base' unit with one battery pack. Both the Titan and the DELTA can be charged and used simultaneously. It should also be noted that this is a small company, the kind that is run out of a guy's garage. It seems like a good design and he knows what he is doing, however customer service, warranty claims, etc are unknown. I do have a little more faith in a company that is large enough (such as EcoFlow) to sell at Home Depot, Best Buy, Amazon, etc. Also, It says on the website that pictured is the prototype and a different unit may ship in Dec.


Titan 2000
AC Wall Charge Time - 4 Hours
3000W (6000W) AC (Single battery units such as this are recommended to be use only to 1500W)
6 AC Outlets
70 lbs (Top unit + 1 Battery, does not include weight of the large AC charge brick (another 2 - 5 lbs))
Solar Input: 35-145V, 30A Max (per battery module)
Availability: Dec 2019
$2,995


EcoFlow DELTA 1300
AC Wall Charge Time - 2 Hours
1800W (3300W) AC
6 AC Outlets
30 lbs
Solar Input: 10-65V, 10A Max
Availability: Dec 2019
$899 (Current Kickstarter Price)


One thing I really like about the Titan: Awesome solar charge input, best of any I have seen.

It is designed to use 'battery expansion' although the battery better come with its own BMS and be charged to identical levels of the first battery as there is no float charge/balance etc. Essentially it is designed to be used with their battery expansion only. An extra battery is $1,395. So to use the Titan as designed you are looking at $4,390 and a whopping 105 lbs (plus AC charge brick). Definitely pushing the limits of 'portable'. This is all before the cost of PV modules of course.

The EcoFlow DELTA, currently on kickstarter, is coming with a Lifetime battery warranty. You could currently buy 3 of them and still be $300 under the price of one single battery Titan.

ebertoli - Of course I don't know the situation of your friends in rural Guatemala. However I can tell you that using a unit like this for emergencies or camping is much different than full time off grid living. At some point with any of these solar generators, the batteries will wear out and need to be replaced depending on how and how much it is used. If I had the intention of a full time off grid living setup, I would do more research and build one that is designed to last (and be stationary). Most likely with LFP Battle Born batteries instead of NMC.

 

[ebertoli]

Thanks for your input. I figured building something would be better, but I don't know anything about it. I am also not sure about access to or cost of what I would need there in Guatemala either. I did think the Titan looked expensive, but I thought it was significantly more powerful than the Delta or Bluetti, and for some reason, I just really like the fact that it's expandable and the ways that it is expandable. The batteries seemed expensive to me, but they all do and I don't really have an idea yet what's expensive vs normal. Based on what you said, it seems it's not all that flexible outside of its own system though.

I just ordered Will's book and will try to learn what I can. I did see his video about the 'plug and play' inverter, controller option and that might be a good way to go since I know very little. My friend would benefit from one Delta and one panel as they are grid tied, but the grid drops regularly, sometimes for a half hour, sometimes all day. I'd like to completely eliminate the grid for him and the about $25/per month they pay for electricity. Sounds measly, but when you consider what they could use that $25 for - $0.25 for an order of fries in the market for instance (just a really inexpensive prepared food item I can remember the price of), it's significant. It probably would pay for one of his kid's monthly school tuition when they get there. Their usage is really low, but that's to save money. I'm sure they'd love to run a fan if they could afford to buy a fan and then afford to pay for the electricity to run it. They don't even have a refrigerator.

Maybe I'll see about ordering a Delta and a panel and send it to them since Delta says they ship worldwide. Shipping stuff there is a nightmare and super expensive. I think it's a risk to try shipping there, but I am not sure. He has never had anything shipped to him and that's one of the reasons I'd like to be able to carry it over in a suitcase. We've talked about loading up some beater car with solar panels and the parts and other stuff they could use and just driving it there and leaving it, but I'm not all that thrilled to drive through the entire country of Mexico to get it there - especially in a beater! :D

 

[MrWegas]

If it's good as it looks in Youtube videos, Titan is the new sherif in town.

 

[ebertoli]

Will recently reviewed it and seemed to think it's good. He plans on doing some long term testing on it.

 

[Jwolf]

This seems like it would be the perfect setup for my situation. I would like to have a home setup for emergencies that can be easily moved into my RV. I hope Will puts this unit to the test. I would love to see a tear down video.

 

[hhbuilder]

Since the Titan is fully self contained , and it can be loud when fans kick on, how can the unit be monitored or controlled remotely, especially since the battery terminals are not directly accessible? Any ideas?

 

[Supervstech]

This seems like it would be the perfect setup for my situation. I would like to have a home setup for emergencies that can be easily moved into my RV. I hope Will puts this unit to the test. I would love to see a tear down video.

 

[Watson]

It's not a Generac but it looks like it would be cheaper for most users. That you can add batteries or even connect another system if you need 240v is outstanding. Looking at the YT of the new Titan it doesn't have the AC charger brick. The AC cable plugs directly from the wall to the unit.

 

[Autobank]

Point zero energy .... does not answer their phone during stated business hours and does not return messages or answer emails....
they don't post an address... .... they say they what..... send them $3k and they will ship in maybe a month .....
any body out there ever talk to them ? Not saying this is a scam but if they don't perform is it not the same ??????

 

[g24i]

You will definitely like the power output, the sturdy build and the USB support that you get from the generator. It also comes ina budget price segment so that is always a good thing. The efficiency is also off the charts, the generator comes with a removable battery so, you can always keep a spare battery which is a good thing.

The thing I personally don't like about the titan generator is its so expensive.

 

[bdbugbee]

I purchased a Titan with an extra battery(two batteries total) and AC wall charger (two total) on November 30, 2019 and received it mid March 2020 just before the corona virus stuff really got bad. I ordered it from Ben Gilmore at poweredportablesolar.com. Ben always answered my emails during the time it was back ordered and gave me fairly accurate time frames for shipping. It ended up being about two weeks later than originally promised, but they did deliver an excellent product. I really like the unit. In the last two weeks I have used it at home to power my main TV, an 1800 watt deep fryer, and a portable refrigerator with no issues whatsoever. I also plan to use it when boondocking in my RV. I purchased 10-100 watt panels off of Amazon because the panels were significantly cheaper and use a ground based array in a 5S 2P configuration. IF/WHEN the sun shines here in Michigan, I get nearly full solar power input from the panels. With thick cloud cover I can still generate about 200-300 watts. The unit has a 3000 watt inverter (6000 watt surge) and can handle up to 2000 watts of solar input via two solar controllers capable of up to 145 Volts PV input. It will allow you to connect more than 2000 watts worth of panels if you want to try to harvest power on cloudy days, but the max input is 2000 watts. The AC wall chargers are capable of more than 500 watts each, and since I do live in Michigan, I have had to use them more than I would like. The two AC chargers can recharge the 4 kHr of batteries in about 4 hours from 0% to over 95%. If it had LiFePo4 batteries it would just about be perfect and I am told that LiFePo4 batteries will be available later this year. It's not cheap but it is competitive with individually sourced components, and the fact that it can be unstacked and moved fairly easily was a key selling point for me as I plan to use it for both home and RV.

 

[akagai]

Point zero energy .... does not answer their phone during stated business hours and does not return messages or answer emails....
they don't post an address... .... they say they what..... send them $3k and they will ship in maybe a month .....
any body out there ever talk to them ? Not saying this is a scam but if they don't perform is it not the same ??????

Yes,
I have emailed to/from several times.
Quick replies.

 

[KevinE]

Hello all- New member here and my first post. I'm also looking at the Titan as an option and have a question about the "Titan solar kits" you can order from them. The solar panels are flexible and I can't find any specific information about them on their site. My question is, if I were to go with a Titan system, should I get the flexible panels they're selling, or rigid panels from Amazon. I've read that the rigid panels have a much longer lifespan. Thanks for the help!

 

[Supervstech]

Hello all- New member here and my first post. I'm also looking at the Titan as an option and have a question about the "Titan solar kits" you can order from them. The solar panels are flexible and I can't find any specific information about them on their site. My question is, if I were to go with a Titan system, should I get the flexible panels they're selling, or rigid panels from Amazon. I've read that the rigid panels have a much longer lifespan. Thanks for the help!

Rigid are going to be more durable, and last longer. But if you need portability and easy setup, the kit may be the way to go.

 

[bdbugbee]

Hello all- New member here and my first post. I'm also looking at the Titan as an option and have a question about the "Titan solar kits" you can order from them. The solar panels are flexible and I can't find any specific information about them on their site. My question is, if I were to go with a Titan system, should I get the flexible panels they're selling, or rigid panels from Amazon. I've read that the rigid panels have a much longer lifespan. Thanks for the help!

I bought the Titan but I purchased HQST mono 100W rigid solar panels from Amazon. They were a lot cheaper and I am very happy with their performance. The person who could tell you more about the flex panels that come in the kit is Ben at info@poweredportablesolar.com. His website is at https://poweredportablesolar.com/shop/

By the way, the Titan is a beast and it has more than met my expectations for a portable all in one system. Planning to use it at home and on the RV.

 

[Boywinston]

I bought the Titan but I purchased HQST mono 100W rigid solar panels from Amazon. They were a lot cheaper and I am very happy with their performance. The person who could tell you more about the flex panels that come in the kit is Ben at info@poweredportablesolar.com. His website is at https://poweredportablesolar.com/shop/

By the way, the Titan is a beast and it has more than met my expectations for a portable all in one system. Planning to use it at home and on the RV.

I have called them and there is not even an answering machine there.

 

[Russ Hobbs]

It is difficult to reach point zero, but I left a message and received a call back within the hour. I do know that they are backordered and not shipping until July. I hesitated and missed the May cutoff. Really nice unit, and fits both the home back up and an extended boon docking stay, like Elk camp. The price is currently the same if you go through powered portable solar.

 

[SolarNew]

Has anyone bought the Titan recently? They are backordered until August. What to know how reputable the company is and their customer service. They quickly responded to my e-mails. ?

What about panels rigid or flexible? What was your preference and why? Thanks