We've already reviewed several power stations that allow you to power your gear on the road or even your office at home. The solar generator we show you today goes beyond that. The Mango Power E has sufficient power and capacity for energy-hungry studios and demanding productions.
When Mango Power reached out to me, asking if I'd be interested in reviewing their newest power station, the Mango Power E, I was skeptical since I hadn't heard of the brand yet. But when I looked at the specifications and the used components, skepticism turned into curiosity.
The Mango Power E uses high-quality CATL LFP batteries that ensure state-of-the-art security and a long lifetime. Those batteries are often used in modern electric cars and can survive many recharge cycles. Mango Power states up to 6,000 cycles until the capacity drops beneath 70%. That's a lot more than for a typical LiFePO4 battery.
With a 3,500 Wh capacity, this device can provide enough energy for my whole apartment for one day. The inverter can deliver 3,000 W through its four AC outlets, which I'll never be able to max out with my devices. Even a microwave, a water boiler, or an oven isn't a problem for the Mango Power E.
But this is a photography and not a cooking site. The question is: How can photographers use such a device, and what kind of photographers need it? I'll try to answer it by discussing several use cases.
Backup System
If you experience frequent power outages where you live, the Mango Power E can ensure continuous energy delivery through its backup mode. In this mode, you connect it between the grid and your devices. During a power outage, the Mango Power switches to battery mode with a 20 ms transition time. It can help keep your servers running around the clock, which might be critical if you travel and want access to your files.
Be aware that using the Mango Power in this mode will increase your energy bill. Operating it requires cooling the system. For it, the Mango Power has a built-in fan. It will become active every few minutes to keep the station cool. You'll accumulate additional loss from the powerful inverter and the Wi-Fi module.
If your only use of the Mango Power E would be for backup, it might not justify the investment unless the grid is very unstable in your area. When I started writing this article, it was available for $3,199. Now, a few days later, a new discount is active, and you can pick it up for $2,699. On average, it sits around $3,000. It's all about timing when buying the Mango Power E.
Power Your Office
If you want to buy the Mango Power E, you should consider turning it into a solar generator by adding solar panels. My current setup uses the Mango Power E with two 200 W Mango Power Move solar panels. Each of those is portable and weighs just 10 kg. The 400 W I get on a sunny day is sufficient to power my office. I require just around 1,000 Wh per day, and even during March and April, I could generate enough energy. I only drain the Mango Power E if I get more than two days of rain and thick clouds.
If you have higher energy demands, you can extend the solar setup. The Mango Power E can be charged with up to 2,000 W of solar. To reach it, you can either use more or bigger panels. You also don't have to use the portable solar panels from Mango Power to charge the station. As long as you stay in the range of 60V - 150V with your solar setup, you can connect it via standard MC4 connectors.
When designing your system, you must account for the energy loss when operating the Mango Power E. As with all power stations, it's mainly caused by the inverter and the fan. If you use low-powered devices, such as I do in my office with less than 100 W, you will only achieve around 70% efficiency. It means that for 1,000 Wh, you must harvest nearly 1,500 Wh of energy from the sun. It's good to know that as your power needs increase, the efficiency also increases. As with all inverters, there's an efficiency curve that improves when using higher-powered devices.
By using the Mango Power E as a solar generator, you can reduce your energy bill. But, depending on the size of your solar setup, it will take a long time until you can equalize the investment.
If you just want to power your office with solar, there might be cheaper ways to do it. But, the Mango Power can serve multiple use cases, and you've now already learned of two: Backup when traveling and use as a solar generator during office hours.
Portable Solar Generator
A big selling point of such a power station is its portability. Although the Mango Power weighs more than 40 kg, you can still take it on the road. It has a handle and wheels that make this endeavor possible. Lifting the station around, on the other hand, is quite a workout.
The Mango Power can also operate in extreme conditions. The CATL batteries are designed to withhold temperatures of -20°C to 60°C.
If you have an RV, the Mango Power would likely be able to handle your energy needs for multiple days. But I see the best use with photographers running large productions outdoors. If you have to set up an outdoor studio that requires multiple lights, a charging station for your equipment, and a setup to review the results on a laptop and external monitor, the Mango Power E is a much quieter solution than a fuel-based power station. Depending on the required power supply and budget of such productions, you can even extend the Mango Power using the Big Battery Kit.
What I Like
The Mango Power E has many outlets, including four AC outlets, one 100 W USB-C port, one 65 W USB-C port, six 24 W USB-A outputs, a car power port, and two additional 12V/5A DC 5521 ports.
Quick charging is available with up to 3,000 W from the grid. The solar charging capabilities of up to 2,000 W are also great. Even though I don't fully use it now, it's good to know that I can extend it any time.
I also like the build quality, especially of the solar panels which I've set up more than 50 times over the last months. Those are easy to set up, IP 67 waterproof, and feel very robust. I've had them outside during a heavy downpour without problems.
What Could be Improved
You can control the Mango Power E via a mobile app. However, the setup experience needs some improvement. First, you must create an account, which is not the same as the one on the Mango Power homepage - at least, I couldn't use both interchangeably. Then, you must provide your Wi-Fi settings to the Mango Power E via Bluetooth. The Bluetooth connection alone does not allow you to control the unit. After you insert the network settings, the Mango Power E connects to Mango Power's servers, and you can control it via the mobile app. But all communication requires such a connection, and there's a delay when making a setting. Those should work directly via Bluetooth.
Since all communication happens via the servers, you'd expect more functionality in the app. It would be great to get statistics about the energy consumption, solar input at different times of day, and the efficiency of the system. It seems to be a low-hanging fruit and something Mango Power should add in the future.
Then I consider the fan too loud to have the Mango Power in a small office. Even with my low power consumption, the fan becomes active every few minutes. It's similar to the compressor of a small fridge, which can be annoying. That's why I positioned the Mango Power E in another room. It would be great if the mobile app allowed setting different fan modes to improve the noise level. A continuous mode at lower speed might provide the same cooling but generate less noise.
Conclusion
The Mango Power E is a powerful solar generator that has its price. Currently, Mango Power runs continuous discounts in the US, which makes the unit more affordable and even puts it beneath the cost of many of the competing power stations.
Above, I introduced some use cases, and especially for the last one, the Mango Power E can be an invaluable asset. As with any gear you buy, think about what problem you want to solve with such a device. The size of that problem will determine how much you're ready to invest in solving it. A photographer who requires a reliable power solution for large-budget productions on the road, for example, has another budget than a photographer who needs some energy on the occasional field trip.
But if you have high energy demands and need a portable and reliable solution, the Mango Power E provides a great package.
