How long does a power station actually run?

Capacity divided by output, for every station on this site. The answer is more consistent — and shorter — than the marketing suggests.

Every figure here is taken from the manufacturer’s published listing and measured against the rest of the group. We do not test power stations. Where a listing is silent, this site prints not stated rather than a plausible default.

What this group looks like

The middle-half column spans the 25th to 75th percentile, so it describes where most of this group sits rather than being pulled about by one unusual unit.

The runtime figure is arithmetic, and it is optimistic. It is the published capacity divided by the published output, which is the best you could ever get. Real inverters are 85 to 90% efficient, so the usable figure is lower — and no listing on this site states its inverter efficiency, so we do not estimate it. Treat the number as a ceiling and a way to compare like with like, not as a promise.

Against the market as a whole this group runs about as long at full output as average — a median of 51 min against 51 min overall.

What these listings publish

Specification coverage is uneven, and knowing where it runs out is part of shopping honestly.

What they cost

Bands, not prices. Panels, where you need them, are almost always a separate purchase.

The finding, first

Across every output class on this site the median station runs about fifty minutes at its own rated output. Not the small ones for less and the large ones for more: about the same, because capacity and output rise together as you go up the range. A bigger station does not buy a longer run at full tilt. It buys the ability to run more things, or bigger things, for about the same hour. Only in the largest capacity band, where batteries are sized for endurance rather than peak draw, does that break — and there the median runs over three hours.

Why the two numbers on the box mislead

A station advertises watts and watt-hours side by side and explains neither. Watts are a ceiling: below an appliance’s draw, the station will not start it for one second whatever the battery holds. Watt-hours are a budget: they say how long, once running. Buyers routinely solve a watts problem by buying watt-hours, which does not work and is expensive.

How to use the figure

Divide your ACTUAL load into the capacity rather than the rated output. A 1,000 Wh station running a 60 W fridge cycle is not doing an hour, it is doing most of a day. The runtime figure on each result is the full-output case, which is the worst case and the only one that compares like with like.

It is arithmetic, and it is optimistic

Published capacity divided by published output is the best you could ever get. Real inverters lose 10 to 15% turning DC into AC, and not one listing in this corpus states its inverter efficiency — so we do not estimate it. Read the number as a ceiling.

Where the missing watt-hours go

Runtime is capacity divided by draw, and the answer is always optimistic. The inverter converting DC to mains loses a share as heat, typically something like a tenth. Most stations reserve part of the pack rather than discharging it flat, because running a lithium cell to zero shortens its life. Between them, planning on around eighty per cent of the nameplate capacity is closer to what is delivered, and that adjustment matters more than the difference between two stations of similar size.

Why the manufacturer’s runtime figures look generous

Published runtimes are usually calculated rather than measured, at a constant draw, at room temperature, on a new pack. Real loads are not constant: a fridge cycles, a laptop varies with what it is doing, and a power tool draws in bursts. A cycling load also keeps the inverter running through its idle periods, and inverter idle draw is a real and rarely stated cost — enough to empty a small station over a long enough period with nothing plugged in doing anything.

Doing the arithmetic before buying

Take the running watts of what you want to power, add the hours you want it for, and multiply. Then add a quarter for conversion and reserve. That number is the capacity to shop for, and it is separate from the continuous output rating, which must independently exceed the running watts and whose surge must exceed the starting draw. Two devices at once means adding the watts, not the watt-hours, and it is the addition people forget.

Measuring what you actually draw

The arithmetic here is only as good as the wattage that goes into it, and most people take that number from a label describing the maximum the device can draw rather than what it usually does. A plug-in energy meter costs very little and turns a guess into a measurement, and the answer is frequently far below the label — a fridge rated at a few hundred watts averages a fraction of that across a day because the compressor is off most of the time. Measuring the actual load is the single change that makes every other figure on this page useful.

Before you buy

Check watts before watt-hours

A station rated below your appliance’s draw will not start it for one second, whatever its battery holds. Establish the output ceiling you need first; the capacity question only matters once the appliance runs at all.

Find the surge rating

Anything with a motor or compressor draws several times its running wattage for a fraction of a second at startup. Where a listing does not state a surge rating, this site says so rather than assuming it is generous.

Treat marketing language as a claim

“Solar generator”, “whole-home backup” and “portable” are positioning, not specifications. Look for the number behind each: a solar input in watts, an output in watts, a weight in kilograms.

Compare them

The finder below is already filtered to this group. Every result carries its runtime at full output.

Your requirements

Clear all

How much energy do you need stored?

Watt-hours decide how LONG it runs. Watts — the next question — decide WHETHER a given appliance runs at all. They are different numbers and the box prints them side by side without saying so.

A weekend of phones and lightsunder 500 Wh · 42 statedA camping trip or a CPAP night500 – 1,200 Wh · 40 statedA fridge through a short outage1,200 – 2,500 Wh · 20 statedA day of essential circuits2,500 – 5,000 Wh · 19 statedMulti-day home backup5,000 Wh and up · 12 stated

What can you spend?

A ceiling, not a band — each option includes everything cheaper. Budget for panels separately if you need solar; they are rarely included.

Up to $20062 at or belowUp to $40092 at or belowUp to $800130 at or belowUp to $1,500152 at or belowNo limitall 170 products

What do you need to run?

This is the ceiling, not the runtime. A station rated below an appliance's draw will not start it at all, however large its battery.

Phones, laptops, lightsunder 600 W · 64 statedA fridge or a TV600 – 1,500 W · 25 statedMicrowave or power tools1,500 – 2,500 W · 46 statedHousehold circuits2,500 W and up · 33 stated

How long should it last?

LiFePO4 cells take roughly 3,000 charge cycles before dropping to 80% capacity; older lithium-ion chemistries manage a few hundred. On a station charged weekly that is the difference between a decade and about three years.

LiFePO4~3,000 cycles · 109 statedLithium-ionfewer cycles, lighter · 14 stated

Any brand in particular?

Only brands with at least eight power stations in this corpus are offered — a filter that returns three products is not a filter. Unlike every other question here, this one excludes power stations whose listing does not name a brand: a seller who did not say who made it has not made a GRECELL.

GRECELL16 power stationsBLUETTI16 power stationsJackery14 power stationsEcoFlow14 power stationsAnker13 power stationsDaranEner11 power stations

Must recharge from solar

Shows only stations that publish a solar input rating. Panels are almost always sold separately, and a station that accepts 200 W of panel will not recharge meaningfully in a day.

Yesonly power stations that state it

170 power stations match

Sort results Best documented first Largest capacity Smallest capacity

UDPOWER S2400 Portable Power Station(Solar Panel Option), 2083Wh LiFePO4, 2400W (Surge 3000W) UPS, 6 AC Outlets, Solar Generator for RVs Camping Emergency, Home Backup (One Unit(AS2400))

High outputLiFePO4Solar input$400–800

At full output

52min

Continuous output

2400W

Surge

3000W

Cells

LiFePO4

Solar input

440W

Weight

41lb

Check price on Amazon

Capacity

2,083Wh

High output · 1,200 – 2,500 Wh · 20 power stations

Energy per kilogram

112Wh per kg

+31% vs the 86 median — more energy for the weight than most of its class

Capacity is +3% against the class median of 2,016.

UDPOWER S1200 1190Wh Solar Generator Kit with 120W Panel, 1200W Power Station, for Home Backup RV Outdoor, Emergency Power Backup

ApplianceLiFePO4Solar input$400–800

At full output

60min

Continuous output

1200W

Surge

1800W

Cells

LiFePO4

Solar input

120W

Weight

26lb

Check price on Amazon

Capacity

1,190Wh

Appliance · 500 – 1,200 Wh · 40 power stations

Energy per kilogram

102Wh per kg

+15% vs the 88 median — more energy for the weight than most of its class

Capacity is +19% against the class median of 1,000.

Jackery Solar Generator 1000 v2 and 200W Solar Panel,1070Wh,1500W AC

High outputLiFePO4Solar input$400–800

At full output

43min

Continuous output

1500W

Surge

3000W

Cells

LiFePO4

Solar input

200W

Weight

24lb

Check price on Amazon

Capacity

1,070Wh

High output · 500 – 1,200 Wh · 40 power stations

Energy per kilogram

99Wh per kg

+12% vs the 88 median — more energy for the weight than most of its class

Capacity is +7% against the class median of 1,000.

BLAVOR Portable Power Station 1600W (Peak 3200W), Built-in Solar Panel, 1024Wh LiFePO4 Battery, 100W USB-C Fast Charge, Solar Generator for Home Backup, Camping, Power Outages & RV

High outputLiFePO4Solar input$400–800

At full output

38min

Continuous output

1600W

Surge

3200W

Cells

LiFePO4

Solar input

40W

Weight

26lb

Check price on Amazon

Capacity

1,024Wh

High output · 500 – 1,200 Wh · 40 power stations

Energy per kilogram

87Wh per kg

-2% vs the 88 median — typical for its class

Capacity is +2% against the class median of 1,000.

VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1000 Portable Power Station, 828Wh LiFePO4,1000W output

ApplianceLiFePO4Solar input$200–400

At full output

50min

Continuous output

1000W

Surge

2000W

Cells

LiFePO4

Solar input

400W

Weight

32lb

Check price on Amazon

Capacity

828Wh

Appliance · 500 – 1,200 Wh · 40 power stations

Energy per kilogram

58Wh per kg

-35% vs the 88 median — heavier than most of its class for the energy

Capacity is -17% against the class median of 1,000.

DaranEner Portable Power Station 600W (1200W Peak), 576Wh LiFePO4 battery with 100W Solar Panel, Fast Recharge AC/Car/Solar, 3 AC Outlets, USB-C PD for Camping, RV, CPAP, Emergency Backup

ApplianceLiFePO4Solar input$200–400

At full output

58min

Continuous output

600W

Surge

1200W

Cells

LiFePO4

Solar input

100W

Weight

14lb

Check price on Amazon

Capacity

576Wh

Appliance · 500 – 1,200 Wh · 40 power stations

Energy per kilogram

93Wh per kg

+5% vs the 88 median — typical for its class

Capacity is -42% against the class median of 1,000.

Jackery Solar Generator 300 and 40W Solar Panel,292Wh,300W AC

EssentialsLiFePO4Solar input$200–400

At full output

58min

Continuous output

300W

Surge

600W

Cells

LiFePO4

Solar input

40W

Weight

13lb

Check price on Amazon

Capacity

292Wh

Essentials · under 500 Wh · 42 power stations

Energy per kilogram

50Wh per kg

-33% vs the 74 median — heavier than most of its class for the energy

Capacity is +23% against the class median of 237.

ALLWEI Portable Power Station 300W, 256Wh Solar Generator LiFePO4 Battery

EssentialsLiFePO4Solar inputUnder $200

At full output

51min

Continuous output

300W

Surge

600W

Cells

LiFePO4

Solar input

100W

Weight

6lb

Check price on Amazon

Capacity

256Wh

Essentials · under 500 Wh · 42 power stations

Energy per kilogram

88Wh per kg

+19% vs the 74 median — more energy for the weight than most of its class

Capacity is +8% against the class median of 237.

300W Portable Power Station 80000mAh LiFePO4 Battery

EssentialsLiFePO4Solar inputUnder $200

At full output

51min

Continuous output

300W

Surge

not stated

Cells

LiFePO4

Solar input

100W

Weight

6lb

Check price on Amazon

Capacity

256Wh

Essentials · under 500 Wh · 42 power stations

Energy per kilogram

87Wh per kg

+17% vs the 74 median — more energy for the weight than most of its class

Capacity is +8% against the class median of 237.

MARBERO 237Wh Solar Generator with Solar Panel Included Portable Power Station 300W Pure Sine Wave with Foldable Solar Panel 60W Set for Camping Outdoor Hiking Fishing Emergency

EssentialsLi-ionUnder $200

At full output

47min

Continuous output

300W

Surge

375W

Cells

Lithium-ion

Solar input

not stated

Weight

9lb

Check price on Amazon

Capacity

237Wh

Essentials · under 500 Wh · 42 power stations

Energy per kilogram

58Wh per kg

-22% vs the 74 median — heavier than most of its class for the energy

Capacity is 0% against the class median of 237.

Portable Solar Generator, 300W Portable Power Station with 40W Solar Panel

EssentialsLi-ionSolar inputUnder $200

At full output

44min

Continuous output

300W

Surge

600W

Cells

Lithium-ion

Solar input

40W

Weight

not stated

Check price on Amazon

Capacity

220Wh

Essentials · under 500 Wh · 42 power stations

Energy per kilogram

Weight not stated, so energy per kilogram cannot be computed.

Capacity is -7% against the class median of 237.

DaranEner 300W Portable Power Station, 192Wh LiFePO4 Solar Generator

EssentialsLiFePO4Solar inputUnder $200

At full output

38min

Continuous output

300W

Surge

600W

Cells

LiFePO4

Solar input

60W

Weight

6lb

Check price on Amazon

Capacity

192Wh

Essentials · under 500 Wh · 42 power stations

Energy per kilogram

74Wh per kg

0% vs the 74 median — typical for its class

Capacity is -19% against the class median of 237.

Show more (158 remaining)

Related

• The full power station finder — unfiltered, every output class.
• How we compile these figures.

Computed from the corpus on 2026-08-29.