On December 31, 2008, I bought the XPower Powerpack Solar 400 from Canadian Tire at Canadian $179.99 plus tax because I wanted to go green and switch to solar power in the house if I could. Initially what caught my eye was a solar panel, which was on sale for just $40. But aside from being small, you would need to plug it to a car battery and derive solar power from there.

There was a much bigger solar panel, which was almost the size of a car door. This one was on sale for Canadian $200 plus tax. But then again, you will need a car battery or a power inverter for about $70.

So cost-wise, I chose the XPower Powerpack Solar 400 because it’s all in one. It comes with a removable solar panel and a power converter that takes care of the conversion to AC or DC power. I thought it was somewhat handy.

One drawback though is the size of the solar panel. It can only catch so much solar energy. Another drawback is the cord that connects the panel to the main body is very short. Hence, you can only move it so much when you are trying to catch the sun.

Another problem is that you have to leave it catching solar power all day in order to draw any useful amount of power at all. To-date, I don’t think I have recovered my initial investment yet when I consider how much I have been able to save as far as my electricity bills go.

The savings would probably be around $50 so far, since I bought this machine. One convenience is I can carry this device around even when I go to the beach. It’s neither heavy nor bulky. I don’t think the bus driver will complain since it’s only about the size of the bulkiest laptop computer around.

And maybe if I did, then it just might store up more solar energy for me. Because for now, I only get to use the stored power to light up my room at night. Mind you, this is already considerable savings when you think about it. The lighting power of this machine can last for two days without any replenishing.

I also use it to power my tiny table electric pan when it gets too hot in my room. On a full charge, I notice that the fan can run for two hours straight. If not, it only takes thirty minutes before the power runs out.

But here’s what’s so strange about this solar power generator. The lighting power just wouldn’t die off, no matter how little charge is left inside. Hence, if only as a substitute lampshade, it is well worth it.

The lighting is quite subdued too, so I don’t need a shade to kill off the brightness of the light. I estimate that I will be able to recover the full cost of this device in the next six months or so.

This generator is also easy to operate. You don’t even need to press anything when you want it to absorb solar energy. All you need is to have the panel facing the sun and it starts generating solar power immediately.

Since I am new to solar power, I could not understand why it does not fill up with the sun’s energy when it’s very sunny and hot. Yet it goes on absorbing power even when the sky is overcast or it’s too cloudy?

There is a blinking blue light that tells me if the device is storing up energy. When the machine itself gets exposed to too much heat, it seems to stop taking solar power.

Another thing I don’t like is that you cannot use a bigger solar panel. If I do, the manual of operations says that I will be voiding the warranty.

But for most intents and purposes, I do believe that this device works for the average proponent of solar energy. I hope though that it will generate more power for the appliances I use.