Designing a Portable Solar Power Station for Outdoor Activities

Abstract

Portable solar power stations with compact solar panels and lithium-ion batteries are useful for outdoor activities like camping and hiking for clean and renewable energy. This paper presents the development of a backpack style portable solar power station with weight less than 6 kg, that delivers 500 W for 30 minutes after one charge. It uses a 100 Ah, 3.7 V, lithium-ion battery with foldable solar panels and delivers sinusoidal 230 V, 50 Hz, AC output through standard socket outlets. Multiple outputs are provided to enable several devices to take power simultaneously, for example charging multiple devices. Solar panel output is fed to a push-pull converter that produces constant 400 V DC voltage for an H-bridge inverter which is operated with sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) to produce sinusoidal, constant voltage, and constant frequency AC output. The overall design is compact, sustainable, and adaptable to various weather conditions, to provide a green option for outdoor enthusiasts for a better outdoor experience