AirGradient Forum

Powering AirGradient One with solar panel & battery

#1

I’m deciding where to place my AirGradient One. My primary issue is power location as the one outdoor outlet is west facing. I do not have much, if any shade in this area and the unit would get direct sun, throwing off the temp sensor.

I have one of these for my weather station: Solar Power Pack for AcuRite Optimus, AcuRite Iris and AcuRite Atlas W

It’s a simple solar panel and battery and maybe I can find something to do similar for the AG One, except with USB-C output.

I found this: ToughTested 10,000 mAh Solar Charger IP44 Waterproof Rugged Power Bank

Would this be sufficient to plug into the AG One to power it 24/7? I’m in an area that rains infrequently and almost always sunny. There is a lack of solar panels with batteries for powering USB devices meant for mounting vs. camping, so figured I may be missing something with this type of solution.

Thanks.

#2

As fAr as the power output of that batter pack, it would be plenty to power up the device.

I have an aging 10,000 mah battery that is maybe at 60% capacity and I got just shy of 1 day on my indoor using which uses a bit more power due to the LED bar and display, so I expect you would be fine overnight.

I can’t say for sure if you could last multiple days without enough sun. Also not sure if that batter pack can both charge itself and provide output at the same time. Some devices have this in mind and others can only do one at a time.

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#4

Hi @nathanielh,

Thanks for joining and good question!

It’s hard to say with certainty, but I am worried that the ToughTested solar panel might struggle to power the ONE. Since the ONE is intended to be used with WiFi and a USB power source, it’s not optimised for efficiency, but rather regular readings for better accuracy. We tested the ONE and found it to use around 0.79W every 10 minutes which means the AirGradient ONE uses about 4.74Wh (per hour).

Based on the user manual for the solar panel, it takes around 5 hours to charge a smartphone to 30% (there is also one model that says 60%). This gives us a rough idea of its power output; even assuming a standard smartphone battery, this means the panel generates a fairly small amount of energy in that time. The manual also states that its solar charging is “for emergency purposes only,” which tells me it’s not designed for continuous, reliable power generation.

I wonder if it might be easier to find a solar panel and battery separately if finding them combined appears to be quite difficult.

Update: I’ve found much the same as @MallocArray in regards to how long a 10,000 mah battery can power the device. My worry with this panel is how slowly the battery charges. This definitely looks more intended towards being something that you charge up for a long time, and then only use in emergencies. Once the battery is depleted, I don’t think the power generation is enough for the ONE.

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