A plug-in solar system paired with a portable battery station creates a self-contained energy loop. During the day, your solar panels generate power — some goes directly to your home circuits, the rest charges the battery. At night or during an outage, the battery powers your critical devices.
Your plug-in solar panels convert sunlight to electricity. Power flows into your home circuits, reducing your grid draw. Excess power charges your battery via a solar input port.
The battery station stores energy as DC power. Most portable stations accept 200–1,200W of solar input and can be fully charged in 2–6 hours of peak sunlight.
When the grid goes down, plug your critical devices directly into the battery station. It provides clean AC power — no noise, no fumes, no fuel required.
Select the appliances you want to keep running during an outage, set how many hours of backup you need, and we'll recommend the right battery size.
All devices run at the same time, the entire duration — worst-case estimate.
Select appliances above to see your battery recommendation
This estimate assumes all selected devices run simultaneously and continuously. If devices are used at different times or intermittently, your battery will last significantly longer.
Estimates assume 80% battery depth of discharge and 90% inverter efficiency. Real-world results vary.
How long can each battery size power common appliances? These estimates assume 80% depth of discharge and average appliance wattage.
| Battery Size | Fridge Only | Fridge + Lights | Fridge + Laptop + Lights | Est. Price | Example Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500Wh | 2.7h | 2.0h | 1.5h | ~$350 | Entry-level portable |
| 1,000Wh | 5.3h | 4.0h | 3.0h | ~$700 | Mid-range portable |
| 1,500Wh | 8.0h | 6.0h | 4.5h | ~$1,100 | Mid-range with battery |
| 2,000Wh | 10.7h | 8.0h | 6.0h | ~$1,500 | Premium plug-in solar |
| 3,000Wh | 16.0h | 12.0h | 9.1h | ~$2,200 | High-capacity system |
| 5,000Wh | 26.7h | 20.0h | 15.1h | ~$3,500 | Large portable / stackable |
| 10,000Wh (10kWh) | 53.3h | 40.0h | 30.2h | ~$6,500 | Whole-room backup / modular |
Estimates assume 80% depth of discharge (DoD). Fridge = 150W avg. Lights = 50W (5 LED bulbs). Laptop = 65W. Actual runtime varies by appliance age, temperature, and usage patterns.
Plug-in solar panels can recharge your battery during the day, making your backup system self-sustaining during extended outages. The formula is simple: divide your battery capacity by your panel wattage times peak sun hours.
A 400W plug-in solar array generates roughly 1,600–2,000Wh on a sunny day (4–5 peak sun hours). That's enough to fully recharge a 1,000Wh battery and offset $0.30–0.50 of grid electricity simultaneously.
Peak sun hours vary by location: 3–4h in the Pacific Northwest, 4–5h in the Midwest, 5–6h in the Southwest. Use the higher end for summer estimates.
Now that you know your battery size, use the Buyer's Guide to compare systems spec by spec — or jump straight to the Savings Calculator to see your payback timeline.