Solar Panels Boost Video Village

In the past, portable location power was only possible using a generator but the latest AC batteries give a real emissions-free alternative for many applications.  Best of all, the addition of solar panel charging enables the batteries to be charged, even whilst in use, as Camera Assistant, Louis McCracken recently found out.

“We took an Ecoflow Delta Pro battery on set to power our video village on a recent Retriever commercial for Seresto, where we were far from mains power and the 3.6KWh capacity allowed us to power our monitors for the entire shoot with ease.

It was great fun to use them and everyone on set was really impressed with their performance.

I powered two large 17” monitors for entire days and whilst I had planned to recharge the battery overnight, the 400W EcoFlow solar panel that VMI provided was able to top up the battery during use.

It worked so well in fact, that there was no need to recharge the batteries in the evenings, because shooting during two really sunny days meant that the batteries recharged themselves. 

Camera Assistant, Louis McCracken

It worked so well in fact, that there was no need to recharge the batteries in the evenings, because shooting during two really sunny days meant that the batteries recharged themselves.  On the best day, the panel generated a sustained 260 watts, which was more than the power draw of both monitors so the battery actually charged whilst in use.  On the less sunny days, less power was generated than was being used but this meant that the battery discharged much more slowly than without using the solar panel being connected, so having it definitely extended the battery life.

I found that in cloudy conditions, the solar panel produced approximately 50W and then the sun came out and we were back up to 200W again.  Strangely, anything below 50W didn’t appear on the display as current generation which was perplexing at first and I was worried that the cable might be damaged but it seems it just requires a minimum amount of current before it can produce a charge.”

VMI’s new range of what it calls, “AC Power Stations”, now include both the Instagrid 2.1KWh battery and now also the EcoFlow Delta 3.6KWh.  These are robustly built batteries, which output 240V AC and are capable of outputting a sustained 3.5KW of power, so they can power a lot.  They offer a high degree of portability and weatherproofing, so whilst they can both power lights and heavier equipment, obviously their size and capacity dictate how practical they are to use.  However, the capability of being able to power an entire video village for a day and even charge up the battery using emissions-free sunlight whilst in use, seems a great option for many.

The top number shows that the solar panel was generating 246W and the bottom number shows that only 184W was being drawn from the EcoFlow battery.

The big number suggests that at this rate, the battery would power the monitors for a duration of 9 days!

Louis suggested that longer cables would be helpful to ensure that the shadow of the EZ up didn’t reduce the sunlight to the solar panel, which VMI has taken note of and will supply in the future.

When asked whether he would use it again?  He answered emphatically, “Absolutely!”