Portable Power Stations: Sizing, Brands, Backup and Charging

A portable power station, often sold as a solar generator, is a battery and inverter you recharge from a wall outlet or from solar panels. Pick one by energy first: add up the watt-hours your loads need, allow for inverter losses, then check that its rated output and surge can start your largest appliance.

The guides in this section take you from that first number to a model, a battery type and a way to charge it. Start with sizing, then read the page for your use. Panels for charging one are in the solar panels section, and lights that charge themselves are under outdoor solar.

How to size a power station

Capacity in watt-hours sets how long a unit runs. Rated output in watts sets what it can run at once. Our sizing method multiplies each load’s watts by its hours, adds the results and divides by about 0.85, close to EcoFlow’s own estimate that 80 to 90% of capacity reaches AC outlets.

Power for home backup and outages

A power station keeps critical loads going, such as the fridge and router, plus a CPAP. It will not run a typical whole house. The U.S. Energy Information Administration puts average home use at about 29.6 kWh a day, while most portable units store 1 to 5 kWh. Our home backup guide shows which loads to keep and when expansion batteries or a transfer switch make sense.

A gas generator runs longer on fuel but makes carbon monoxide. CPSC says to run one outside only, at least 20 feet from the house, while a battery unit can sit beside the fridge. The trade-offs are side by side in solar generator vs gas generator.

Compare brands and battery types

Brand pages list specs in different ways, so compare them on the same lines. In EcoFlow vs Jackery vs Bluetti, Jackery’s Explorer 2000 v2 stores the most watt-hours per pound by our math from listed specs, while EcoFlow stands out for surge and fast AC charging. Bundled kits such as the 4Patriots solar generator are compared against those brands on their published specs and warranty terms.

Battery chemistry decides how many cycles a unit is rated for. Makers rate LiFePO4 units for thousands of cycles, while Jackery rates its NMC Explorer 2000 Pro at around 1,000. LiFePO4 vs NMC compares cycle life and weight, and sums up the thermal runaway research.

Price per watt-hour and refurbished units

Prices change too often to quote, so compare listings by price per watt-hour. How much a solar generator costs explains what pushes the number up: capacity and output first, then battery type and any bundled panels or home wiring.

A refurbished unit is a good buy when the warranty is real. EcoFlow says its official refurbished units carry the same warranty as new, and eBay Certified Refurbished listings in the eBay Refurbished program carry a 2-year warranty serviced by Allstate. Check the rest in are refurbished solar generators worth it.

Buying for someone else? Solar generator gifts sorts ideas by how the person spends time, from tent campers to balcony renters.

Popular power station guides

Best solar generatorsCapacity, output, battery type and warranty across the main brands.

Run a refrigeratorDaily watt-hours, startup surge and panel math for a fridge and freezer.

Solar or gas for an outageExhaust, fuel, runtime and where each one can safely run.

LiFePO4 vs NMCCycle life, weight and safety research on the two battery types.