Humless & Contractors

With increasingly strict emissions standards and noise ordinance clamping down on gas and diesel generator use, you might be looking for a cleaner, quieter alternative to power your jobsite.

When your site is forced to work without access to the power grid, the best alternative to your old power setup is renewable solar, hands down. With modern, highly efficient panels and the newest portable batteries, it’s never been easier to work off the grid.

But the solar industry is crowded, and picking the right setup can mean all the difference in the world, especially with tight deadlines. Here are a few tips to get you started on the path to solar energy for your next big project.

Which types of off grid batteries to choose?

Solar energy has two key components—the solar panel (or solar generator) and the rechargeable solar panel battery. But even with an ocean of solar panels, choosing the wrong solar powered battery can leave your project high and dry.

The two most common types of rechargeable batteries used today are made with either lead acid or lithium ion technology. Both types of batteries come with their own sets of problems—lead acid batteries can emit dangerous gas without warning, while traditional lithium ion batteries are the ones responsible for all those fire-causing phones you’ve read about recently.

As a contractor, you probably want to limit the amount of dangerous gas and fires on your jobsite, right? So what are the best batteries?

Humless’ portable batteries are built with much safer Lithium LiFe technology that doesn’t suffer from either of the dangerous side effects of last generation’s batteries, keeping you, your team and your project safe.

What is charge memory?

Another issue plaguing most rechargeable batteries is the phenomenon of charge memory. When a battery is recharged before being fully discharged, it “remembers” its previous charge level later. To put it simply, this can lead to batteries that are unable to achieve their previous manufactured charge capacity, significantly decreasing their shelf life.

Again, Lithium LiFe batteries like the ones found in Humless’ GO series tackle the issue of charge memory, meaning your solar battery will live far longer than traditional types of lead acid or lithium ion batteries.

Which type of portable battery lasts the longest?

How long do solar batteries last? And what’s the best solar battery? Good questions.

To put it simply, last generation’s rechargeable batteries needed to be replaced almost as often as your TV remote’s batteries. For claims of energy efficiency, these batteries were anything but efficient. Most solar panel batteries for sale just don’t cut it for extended use on the job. Most.

Not to sound like a broken record, but our LiFe batteries last 2-3 times as long as competing lead acid and lithium ion batteries, which translates to nearly ten years of daily full charges and discharges with our HOME series and roughly 7 years for our GO series. That’s a long time.

What’s the longest lasting solar panel?

All generators wear out eventually. Unfortunately, eventually comes much, much sooner for other types of portable generators than it does for solar panels.

With gas and diesel portable generators needing to be replaced so frequently, it might seem amazing that solar panels can last for decades—especially when you factor in that they can be used continuously with no drawbacks.

Among solar panels, Humless’ Solar GO series are made with highly efficient German-engineered monocrystalline cells, meaning they capture more energy than other types of panels.

With proper care, Humless solar panels will keep your project running all throughout the day...and our batteries will keep you chugging well through the night.

What is the best mobile solar setup?

Of course, the key to renewable, round-the-clock energy on your site is combining a solar generator setup with a portable battery system. Powering your lights and equipment without a solar battery bank means you’re wasting energy, and when night falls you’ll be out of luck.

But feeding your excess energy into portable rechargeable batteries means you can take the power of the sun wherever work takes you.

Humless solar is a clean, streamlined system to make off-grid easy, whether you’re powering machinery, keeping lunch cold, or lighting up the night.