This is the Goal Zero Yeti Portable Solar Power Station, it’s a compact option for people who need to create their own power when off-grid, and it includes both a two panel solar system and a LiFePO4 battery bank for storing power.
Portable solar generators like this have become increasingly popular in recent years as the battery bank can be charged from an AC wall socket, your car’s 12V accessory outlet, or your solar panels, so many charge it before leaving on their trip and then just progressively top it up using solar energy and/or the accessory outlet.
The Yeti 500 power bank has a series of power inlet and outlet ports on the front, as well as a display which shows you all the important information – the most critical of which is the current battery level.
Goal Zero was founded in 2009 by Robert Workman, some of the company’s first products were solar panels with batteries and LED lights that were given to remote communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, allowing villagers to have their own source of power and light for the first time.
At the time, the market for small, portable solar panels was minimal – but it showed great promise for growth. Hikers and campers don’t have the option of carrying generators with them, but with the increasing reliance people have on GPS, smartphones, etc there was an ever growing demand for power when in the wilderness.
The Goal Zero Yeti Portable Solar Power Station is the company’s most affordable solar array and battery bank, and it includes both the Boulder 100 Solar Generator and the Yeti 500 LiFePO4 battery bank.
The battery offers 499.2 Watt-hours of power and as noted above it can be charged via a wall plug, solar panels, or your cars accessory outlet. Charging time from 0-100% takes 85 minutes on AC power, 4.7 hours using an automotive accessory outlet, or 6+ hours using the solar panels in direct sunlight.
The soar panels come with a carrying case, making them easily portable when you’re moving camp, packing the 4×4, or just moving them to a better location in the direct sun.
The Yeti 500 battery bank has an IPX4 outdoor rating, meaning its highly water and dust resistant, and the panels have the same ability, meaning that if it all gets left out charging and some rain blows in it won’t destroy your only source of power.
The full kit is now being sold on the official Goal Zero Amazon store here, and there are a number of other kits with more solar panels and more battery power if you need to charge more devices.
Images courtesy of Goal Zero
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
