Goodbye Load Shedding, Hello EcoFlow Delta 2
Load shedding has been around for many years and doesn't appear to be ending any time soon. With current stages causing parts of the country to be without power for 8-10 hours, it has become even more important to find ways to keep the lights, computers, and Netflix turned on.
While there are many options out there to help with load shedding, such as solar panels and grid-connected inverters, sometimes you don't want a fully integrated system. Maybe you are renting, so having an inverter connected to the DB Board means you might have to leave it behind if you relocate, so portable might be the easier way to go.
EcoFlow entered the South African market recently, and it is gaining popularity quickly amongst South Africans. Its power stations are now compatible with South African outlets and officially provide South African-based support. Their official Facebook page has thousands of residents asking questions, sharing tips, and getting a quick response from the EcoFlow international admin.
Welcome to the EcoFlow Delta 2.
We recently purchased the new Delta 2 portable power station and gave it to our tech guy to try out. The Delta 2 comes with a battery capacity of 1 024 Wh, or 1 kWh, and is built with new lithium-ion phosphate (LiFePO4) battery technology, which means the life span of the batteries is much longer. Six times longer!
EcoFlow reports that the LFP battery chemistry will provide 3000+ full charges and 10 years of daily use prior to reaching 80% capacity, which means, much like your cell phone after two years, it works but doesn't last as long. EcoFlow even offers a 5-year warranty for the units. Did we mention it can also be charged directly via solar?
So why EcoFlow? Why not any other inverter on the market? Well, EcoFlow's X-Stream technology, which they claim is the quickest on the market, can be used to recharge its battery. It recharges from 0 to 80 percent in 50 minutes or from 0 to 100 percent in 80 minutes. This means the unit was always fully charged long before the power went off again.
So what can it do?
The device has several plugs and ports. At the back of the unit, there are two 3-prong plugs and two 2-prong plugs, and all four can be used at the same time! There are also two DC barrel ports and a DC car charger port. The front has four USB-A ports, two of which offer fast charging, and two USB-C ports, supporting 100 watts of charging each. What exactly does that mean? The USB-C ports kept our tech guys' MacBook Pro fully charged while working during a power cut.
We ran a test to see how far we could push the unit. The first test was running a MacBook Pro, a second computer screen, a VoIP phone, two desk lamps, a NAS storage device, and charging two iPhones. The results showed that after using the unit for 2 hours, we still had 12 hours remaining on the unit and about 88% battery remaining. So we decided to really push the unit for the second test. We powered everything from before plus 12 lights, two TVs, and two fridges, and the unit lasted close to 3 hours.
There are reports of the units powering microwaves, washing machines, and even hairdryers and kettles, thanks to its X-Boost technology, and we plan to test that out at some point.
They have an app.
The app is really handy to see how much power you have remaining on the unit. It also works out a rough time estimate to give you a better understanding. The app also alerts you when you have 20% battery remaining, and if you aren't home and want to save the remaining power, you can turn off the ports and plugs remotely.
Should you invest in a Delta 2?
The Delta 2 allowed our tech guy to continue working as normal during load shedding, and at night, he was able to watch Netflix and keep more than enough lights turned on. Weighting in at only 12 kilograms, it wasn't too difficult for him to move the unit between work and home. While the price for the EcoFlow Delta 2 is on the higher end, given the fast charging capabilities and being able to provide power to 95% of household appliances, we think it is a good long-term investment. With rumors going around of SA passing Stage 8 load shedding in winter, we are happy that the EcoFlow Delta 2 allows us to continue to live life almost normally.