Renogy Lycan 5000 Power Box Solar Generator

The Renogy Lycan 5000 Power Box is a solar generator designed to make your home grid-independent. This beast boasts 4,800Wh with 48V, 50Ah lithium iron phosphate batteries, along with a rugged design that ensures durability and longevity. In essence, it is a robust solution for those serious about off-grid and short and long-term emergency energy.

Practical Uses Easily integrated with house panel box Powerful enough to run many appliances Useful for UPS protection Useful for off-grid cabins Useful for outages and remote locations Useful for long-term emergency energy Environmentally friendly and quiet

When you need all the solar power you can get, the Lycan 5000 Power Box delivers - and then some. It is probably the largest and highest capacity solar generator on the market.

I am in no way affiliated with Renogy except that I purchase most of my solar equipment and supplies from Renogy only because their equipment and supplies is higher quality and dependable than most or all of their competitors. Recently, I was researching and investigating full house solar generators that could integrate with my existing full house solar system which is already hard wired into my house electrical panel box. My interest in a solar generator of this magnitude is for a secondary battery backup system in the event my full house solar system would malfunction for any reason. I plan to use my existing solar panels to charge the solar generator and plug the solar generator 30 amp outlet into my existing 30 amp outlet which is already hard wired into my house electrical panel box that was installed to accomodate a gas fueled generator, if needed.

Although this Renogy Lycan 5000 Power Box is definitely not beautiful or lightweight, it is definitely a work horse. Most, if not all, of the other solar generators I studied might be appealing to the eye, but fall short on performance in almost all categories. The Renogy Lycan 5000 Power Box is exactly as named, a "Power Box", make no mistake!

What Is the Renogy Lycan 5000 Power Box?

Renogy Lycan 5000 Power Box Key Features

The Lithium-Iron Core - The heart of the Lycan 5000 is a pair of 48V, 50Ah smart lithium iron phosphate batteries with a total of 4,800Wh. The batteries are rated for 4,500 discharge cycles at room temperature, after which the capacity drops to 80%. However, you can still continue to use the Power Box. The Lycan 5000 uses heated batteries so you can charge it down to temperatures of 14°F (-10°C). On top of the box, it has active cooling which allows you to use the Power Box up to 122°F (50°C). The built-in 4,800 watt-hours is a force to be reckoned with, but the Lycan 5000 can be expanded up to 19.2kWh by adding additional external Renogy Smart Batteries. In this category, this Lycan eats the competition for breakfast.

Built Like A Tank - The Lycan 5000 is like a 265 lbs elephant in the room. Something to think about twice before ordering. The size is royal as well - the whole box measures 33 x 20 x 29 inches. Wherever you decide to put this big boy, make sure you have plenty of space. In the looks department, the Lycan 5000 resembles a cast-iron wood stove. It is dark gray and has a glass door that swings open. This power station is made of what appears to be coated galvanized steel. The glass door protects all the switches and breakers from water, dust, and weather in general. Since the top is flat and made of steel, it makes for a great table. The unit comes with four caster wheels, you can move it around hard surfaces such as hardwood floors or concrete. All of the outlets are in sealed outdoor rated boxes, and the glass door has a rubber seal around it. The fan vents are on the bottom of the unit and the solar inputs are water resistant. The Lycan 5000 has the water and dust rating of IP55. It can be used outdoors without any problems. This solar generator comes with its own set of keys to lock the front and rear panels to prevent access by others.

Display Screen - Like most other all-in-one solar generators, the display is not so impressive. The appearance of the Power Box is like a large steel box full of off-the-shelf components from Renogy. Similar to a solar generator that someone would DIY in a garage. The Lycan 5000 includes a tiny screen with 4 buttons that allow you to scroll through different inverter settings. It does not display a state of charge or time to charge/discharge. Instead it displays watts and amps coming in and out making it a not so user-friendly or exciting interface.

Renogy DC Home App - The Power Box includes an App which could use some improvement. After you sync the Lycan batteries and have your Bluetooth turned on, you get the app main screen. You will see a small bar at the top of the screen that graphically shows you how much battery power is available. On the right side, it displays how long you can use the battery... only if the inverter is running. When a charge is detected, it displays approximately how long until a full charge is likely accomplished. In the left bottom part of the screen, it displays both batteries paired with the Lycan and their current state of charge in percentage. The lightning bolt symbol after the percentage indicates that it is charging and at what amperage although you would probably want to see watts opposed to amps. You will have to multiply the amps x 48 volts every time to get the watts. Not fun. The battery symbol displays a battery tab with a large gauge that tells you how much battery power is available and the maximum capacity - again in amp-hours, not watt-hours, also annoying. Actually, there's no single wattage information in the app whatsoever. You can swipe the screen left and right to switch between battery 1 or battery 2 information, the last of the usefulness of the app. In other tabs, there are some unnecessary social things like account information - because will you need to sign up to use the app.

Versatile Inverter - The Lycan uses a massive 3,500W pure sine inverter with a 7,000W surge, but only offers one 20A outlet and one single 30A outlet. Hard to believe this massive unit could not find room for at least 5 or 6 AC outlets. I hope Renogy is reading this at some point. The good news is that you can easily hard-wire the Lycan into your home breaker box using a transfer switch, without using a special converter box or expensive panel. Although the Lycan comes with the instruction manual to install this feature, you might need a licensed electrician to do the wiring for you. The Lycan 5000 cannot deliver 240 volts. It's strictly a 120V power box and you can not pair two of them in parallel to produce 240 volts.

The inverter has three modes of operation:

1. PV Priority - uses solar + battery to power the loads. Once the battery power drops low, the AC power will pass through to run the loads.


2. Utility Priority - works like a standard UPS (uninterruptible power supply). It uses AC to power the loads at all times, unless the AC shuts off. In that case solar and/or the battery takes over.


3. Raw Inverter Mode - powers the inverter only with the battery until the battery drops so low that AC power needs to pass through and take over the loads.

The third mode is useful for charging up the battery with solar and then using the battery at night to power the loads.

Charging: Two Ways - You can charge the Lycan 5000 in two ways:

1. AC charging


2. Solar charging

This power box does not support 12V charging by any means.

Charging: Four Modes - As both AC and solar charging are handled by built-in components, the Lycan 5000 offers four modes of battery charging:

1. PV Priority - Uses solar to charge during the day and switches to AC if there's no solar. Since solar charging power is maxed out as 4,400W, if you have perfect weather conditions, you can charge it for 0 to 100% in under 90 minutes.


2. Utility Priority - Uses AC power first, and then switches over to solar if AC is unavailable. Since the inverter can charge at 2,400W from AC power, in this mode you can have it fully charged in about 2.5 hours.


3. Hybrid Charging - Solar and AC work together to charge at a whopping power of 6,800W and speed of just 1.3 hours. That's super fast.


4. Solar Only - this mode ignores AC input even if it's plugged in and charges just using solar. Since solar charging voltage goes from 60V up to 145V it means you need a minimum of three 12V solar panels or two 24V residential solar panels. The more solar panels you have the better.

But what about the USBs, 12-volt output and cell phone charging? The Lycan 5000 doesn't deal in small potatoes! You will need a different solar generator if you want to run your 12V fridge or charge your cell phone.

Price and Warranty - The Renogy Lycan 5000 Power Box price is currently about $4,000. This is way out of budget for most people who need a solar generator for outdoor activities, although this generator is more practical for off-grid and emergency house power backup applications. The price for this unit is in line with compatible heavy-duty power stations, but this generator appears to offer more capacity and capability. Different vendors offer this unit for different prices, so do your shopping and comparing prices before you push the buy button. Renogy offers 3 years of manufacturer warranty for the Lycan.

Pro-Level Controls And Safety

• The Lycan 5000 is not your typical solar generator you can easily take to a beach party. This piece of engineering is for solar power enthusiasts who love to have full control of their power box. Behind the glass door, are breakers for Solar 1 and Solar 2 for two solar inputs. There is a shut OFF/ON breaker for the main battery supply and there are surge protectors which act as a lightning protection when using the unit outdoors. There are separate breakers for the 20A output and the 30A RV output as well as the AC input breaker which will trip in case of a short circuit to protect the generator. In peacetime, they all act as ON/OFF switches. In comparison, most portable power stations come with either fuses or automated overload shut off circuits. This is definitely a plus.


• The front and rear panel swings open and locks with a key making it easy to inspect all of the components inside. The inverter/charger is a standalone unit. If it ever breaks, you can easily replace it. There is bare wiring all down to bus bars. If the unit malfunctions, you can visually check for any damage to the wiring. However, as long as the unit is under warranty, it may not be a good idea to do any of your own electric work.


• Both the inputs and outputs are in watertight containers, weatherproof ports. You can plug in your cable, run the wire through the rubber grommet, and close the socket lid to make the connection waterproof. Therefore, you can leave the Lycan 5000 plugged in outside and it will not be a problem even in the rain. This solar generator comes with the grounding tab. In the event of a lightning strike or an electrical fault, you are protected from electric shock.

Renogy Lycan 5000 Power Box Shortfalls

• Very Heavy - This is a heavy-duty solar generator capable of powering an entire RV and the most demanding appliance or appliances in your home. But at the same time, this is the heaviest power box on the market and difficult to handle. Even on a polished concrete floor you have to push like a sumo wrestler to move this power box into place. It has wheels, but the Lycan 5000 is not a portable solar generator by any means.


• Only Two Outlets - The Lycan only comes with two AC outlets. This is not a portable solar generator you can use to charge half a dozen gadgets at the same time. For practical reasons, at least 4 weatherproof AC outlets would be a plus. If you plan to use this generator with an RV, more outlets would not be an issue because you can or will use your RV's internal wiring via the 30 amp outlet. But if you want to use this generator to power a wireless off-grid cabin, make sure you bring a 20 amp-rated power strip or a 30 amp to power strip adapter. If you want to use this generator to power a house in an emergency situation you might need a few power strips or you might have your house electrical box configured to switch over to 30 amp generator service.

The Renogy Lycan 5000 Power Box: Should You Buy It?

The Renogy Lycan 5000 Power Box is a serious piece of gear with an energy hungry user in mind. With super-fast solar charging and weather-resistant rating, this is a perfect option for off-grid living and overcoming power outages. There are just two AC outlets, but you can hard-wire it to your home's main switchboard and use your wall outlets. If 4,800Wh is not enough, you can buy extra batteries and expand the capacity to 19.2kWh. That's more than any solar generator I have seen or found. If you're looking for maximum AC power, fast solar charging, and an enormous battery that works in both freezing and desert-hot conditions, the Lycan 5000 is the generator for you.

The Renogy Lycan Pro 5000 Power Box

Renogy's Lycan solar generator series! Both the Lycan 5000 and Lycan Pro 5000 are powerful all-in-one energy storage systems designed for emergencies, off-grid living, and reliable backup power. However, they do have some key differences to consider, as outlined in the following comparison table:

To setup for continuous power, connect the LYCAN 5000 Power Box to the electrical panel to provide 24/7 uninterrupted power. Unless you are familiar with electrical installation, your installation should be completed by a licensed electrician with two additional accessories, a transfer switch and an adapter cable, which Renogy offers for purchase along with the LYCAN 5000 Power Box.

The Lycan 5000 and Lycan Pro 5000 are both solar generators from Renogy, designed for off-grid and emergency power needs. The Lycan Pro 5000 offers higher power output, allowing it to run heavier appliances. It also has a wider solar input voltage range and a higher maximum solar charge current. Additionally, the Lycan Pro 5000 can be used with grid-tied inverters, making it more versatile for different power setups.

Choosing the Right Lycan:

Lycan 5000: A great choice for powering essentials and most appliances during emergencies or off-grid living with moderate power demands.

Lycan Pro 5000: Ideal for powering a wider range of appliances, including heavy-duty ones, with its higher continuous and peak power output. It's also a good option if you anticipate needing significant off-grid power for extended periods, thanks to the flexibility to expand the battery capacity.