Outages and off-grid

Portable Power & Generators

A generator and a power station solve different outages. One burns fuel outside. The other sits indoors and runs until the watt-hours are gone.

Research grades use the Graded Home rubric.How we grade

Roundup

Best Portable Power Stations and Backup Generators

Research grades for the Westinghouse 12,500W dual-fuel generator, the Jackery 1000 v2 bundle, the Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2, and the Jackery Explorer 300.

This hub covers two kinds of backup power: an open-frame dual-fuel generator for a larger home, and lithium power stations for quiet loads such as a refrigerator circuit, a CPAP, a router, and phones.

Watt numbers on the box mix peak and running power. The useful number for an all-day load is running watts, or watt-hours for a battery. The roundup below keeps those figures side by side and sends you to Amazon for the live price.

What to weigh

Add up the running watts of what must stay on. A microwave and a well pump are a different project from a fridge and a laptop.
Fuel generators stay outdoors, away from doors and windows, because of carbon monoxide.
LiFePO4 packs in this guide carry a longer cycle rating than the older NCM Explorer 300.
A solar panel only helps if you have sun and a place to put it. The Jackery bundle includes a 200W panel. The Anker station does not.