Q: Can I use alternative power (solar and battery) to run a sensor remotely?

FAQ Sensors
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A: We have heard of a number of individuals running their sensors with solar power. However, we personally have not tested PurpleAir sensors using solar power in-house. That said, it seems reasonable that solar panels between 10W and 15W should be adequate to charge a battery pack to run a PurpleAir sensor. How quickly that battery pack recharges is situationally dependent and might take some experimenting on your part to fit the seasonal sun conditions. We expect that a 20AH (20,000mah) battery would be sufficient to keep things going for a few days.

Your solar power solution will need to provide 5V USB to power the PurpleAir, and that should be quite easy to implement from whatever battery setup you use.

When using alternative power, we also recommend following the steps in our Data Collection and Reliability guide.

Learn More

Learn more about the power consumption and data usage of PurpleAir sensors.
Learn more about using the sensor off grid.
FAQ How much power does a PurpleAir sensor draw, and how much bandwidth/data does it use.

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We need to speak to someone about SOLAR power or BATTERY Power for REMOTE LOCATIONS> around the world. SagientFuturist =[ Claire

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Another question on this topic: I run the outdoor sensor off AC. But the power in this location goes out at least once a day. Are there any battery packs that can trickle charge when AC is on, but automatically switches to the battery when AC power is lost?