Do you need one?
Experts are clear: for a normal outage, a power bank for your phone and a battery radio are enough. A makes sense if:
- Someone at home depends on powered medical equipment: an oxygen concentrator, a CPAP machine or an insulin fridge. This is the clearest case.
- You live in an area with frequent or long outages.
- You work from home and need to keep your router and laptop running.
- You want to keep your fridge going for a while during a long outage.
How to calculate capacity
Capacity is measured in watt-hours (). Expect to use about 85% of the rated capacity, because energy is lost converting the current.
| Device | Approx. consumption | With 1,000 usable Wh |
|---|---|---|
| One phone charge | ≈ 15 Wh | ≈ 60 charges |
| Wi-Fi router | ≈ 10 W | ≈ 4 days |
| Laptop | ≈ 50 W | ≈ 20 hours |
| Household fridge | ≈ 1–1.5 kWh per day | ≈ 1 day |
| CPAP without humidifier | ≈ 30–60 W | Several nights |
Also check the output power in watts (W): it must exceed that of the most demanding device you'll plug in. For fridges and other motor-driven appliances, leave a margin for the startup surge.
What to look for
- battery (lithium iron phosphate): safer and rated for thousands of charge cycles, versus a few hundred for conventional lithium.
- Pure output, needed for sensitive electronics.
- Your country's outlets: 120 V in the US and much of the Americas, 230 V in Europe. Buy the version for your region.
- function if you want it to kick in automatically when the power goes out. Check the switchover time: desktop computers need it to be very fast.
Two balanced options
Jackery Explorer 100 Plus: ultra-compact
About 100 Wh with a LiFePO4 battery. Enough for phones, a radio, lights and the router for a while. Small enough to carry in one hand.
Anker SOLIX C1000: for the home
About 1,000 Wh with LiFePO4 chemistry. Enough to keep a fridge running for a day or small medical devices for several nights.
Foldable solar panel
Lets you recharge the station during a long outage. A 100 W panel in good sun produces roughly 300 to 500 Wh per day.
Safety and maintenance
- Store it at around half charge if you won't use it for months, and top it up every three months.
- Don't open it: it voids the warranty and there's a risk of shock and fire.
- Unlike a fuel generator, it produces no fumes, so it's safe to use indoors.
DIY version: a solar battery from parts
With separate parts you can build a system with more capacity per euro than a commercial power station, and expand it over time. This isn't a tutorial: 12 V batteries and mains AC carry a real risk of fire and shock. If you have no experience, have an electrician check it.
Resources
- Wiring Unlimited, a free book by Victron Energy (victronenergy.com) on wiring, fuses and cable sizes.
- The manual of your charge controller: it says which panel and battery it supports.
Parts
- 12 V LiFePO4 battery with a built-in .
- charge controller: gets more out of the panel than a PWM one.
- Rigid solar panel of 100 W or more.
- A pure sine wave inverter if you need mains sockets, and a 12 V USB outlet for everything else.
- Fuses, correctly sized cable and a main switch. Don't skip them.
- 12 V 100 Ah LiFePO4 batteryView on Amazon ↗ (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20View on Amazon ↗ (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Renogy 100 W 12 V solar panelView on Amazon ↗ (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
Affiliate links: as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.