What Can a Solar Generator Run?
What a solar generator can run depends on two numbers: its rated output in watts, which caps what you can plug in at once, and its capacity in watt-hours, which sets how long. Divide usable watt-hours by a load's watts to get hours. This page works that sum, using our 85% usable assumption.
The two numbers that decide it
A solar generator, which is the common name for a battery power station that can take solar panels as one way to recharge, is described by two figures on the maker's page. Jackery, for example, lists each model with a capacity in watt-hours (Wh) and a rated AC output in watts (W).
- Rated AC output (watts) is how much you can draw at one moment. Add up the watts of everything you plug in. If the total is above the rating, the unit cannot run that load.
- Capacity (watt-hours) is the stored energy. A load of 100 W running for one hour uses 100 Wh.
Run time is therefore: capacity in Wh, times the usable share, divided by the load in W. The usable share is the part of the label capacity that reaches an AC outlet. Jackery does not publish one, so this site uses 85% as a planning assumption of its own. It is our assumption, not a maker figure. Inverter losses and battery limits mean the full label figure is never delivered to an AC load, and your unit may do better or worse. Every run time on this site is capacity, times 0.85, divided by watts, rounded.
Worked example for the Jackery Explorer 300, which Jackery lists at 293 Wh and 300 W: a 10 W LED bulb draws 10 W. The run time is 293 times 0.85 divided by 10, which is 24.9 hours.
Loads in watts, and what each figure is
Every load here is a sample from a source we read on 2026-11-02, and several are a single model. Your device will differ, so read its label.
| Load | Watts used | What the figure is |
|---|---|---|
| LED bulb | 10 W | DOE FEMP lists 5.9 to 10.5 W for an 800-lumen LED, the equivalent of a 60 W incandescent; we use the top of that range |
| Wi-Fi router | 12 W | Netgear's energy sheet lists 12.40 W idle for one model, the Nighthawk BE17000; other routers differ |
| Phone charger | 20 W | Apple recommends a 20 W adapter or higher for some iPhone models. That is a rating, not a measured draw, so real phone charging will usually draw less |
| Refrigerator, average | 76 W | Our arithmetic: ENERGY STAR lists 665 kWh a year for one GE Profile 22.2 cu ft model, and 665,000 Wh divided by 8,760 hours is about 76 W on average |
| 55-inch TV | 103 W | ENERGY STAR lists 103.1 W on-mode for one LG OLED model |
| Space heater | 1,500 W | A CPSC recall notice describes 1,500 W ceramic tower heaters; 1,500 W is the common rating |
| Microwave oven | 1,583 W | A 2017 DOE document lists 1,582.7 W average microwave-only cooking power |
Run times on four Jackery sizes
These are our run times at the 85% assumption. "Over rated output" means the load is above the unit's rated AC output, so that unit cannot run it at all.
| Load | Explorer 300 (293 Wh, 300 W) | Explorer 1000 v2 (1070 Wh, 1500 W) | Explorer 1000 Plus (1264 Wh, 2000 W) | Explorer 2000 v2 (2042 Wh, 2200 W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LED bulb, 10 W | 24.9 hours | 91.0 hours | 107.4 hours | 173.6 hours |
| Wi-Fi router, 12 W | 20.8 hours | 75.8 hours | 89.5 hours | 144.6 hours |
| Phone charger, 20 W | 12.5 hours | 45.5 hours | 53.7 hours | 86.8 hours |
| Refrigerator, 76 W average | 3.3 hours | 12.0 hours | 14.1 hours | 22.8 hours |
| 55-inch TV, 103 W | 2.4 hours | 8.8 hours | 10.4 hours | 16.9 hours |
| Space heater, 1,500 W | over rated output | 36 minutes | 43 minutes | 1.2 hours |
| Microwave, 1,583 W | over rated output | over rated output | 41 minutes | 1.1 hours |
The Explorer 1000 v2 is listed at 1024 Wh in Jackery's headline and 1070 Wh in its US spec table. This table uses the 1070 Wh figure; the Explorer 1000 page lays out that disagreement. The sizes themselves are on their own pages: Explorer 300, Explorer 1000 and Explorer 2000.
Adding up several loads
Watts add. A router at 12 W, a phone charger at 20 W and two LED bulbs at 10 W each add up to 52 W. That total is well under the 300 W rating of a 300-class unit, so the output limit is not the problem; the hours are, and you get them by dividing usable watt-hours by 52.
The same method works in reverse. Pick a time you need to cover, multiply by the combined watts, and you have the watt-hours of usable energy needed. Divide that by 0.85 to see the label capacity to look for. Eight hours of the 52 W load above is 416 Wh of usable energy, and 416 divided by 0.85 is about 489 Wh on the label. That is between Jackery's 300 class and its 1000 class.
Refrigerators: average draw versus startup
The 76 W figure is an average over a year, not a startup draw. A refrigerator's compressor cycles on and off, and when it starts it draws more than its running power. GE's support pages put start-up amps and watts at about three times running in one place and about two times in another, and say the surge lasts a second or two. Whirlpool's generator guide says start-up doubles the running wattage for a few seconds, and lists about 1,000 running watts for a refrigerator or freezer as an estimate. Doubling Whirlpool's estimate gives 2,000 W, which is our arithmetic and not a statement from either maker about any power station.
Two things follow:
- The unit's rated output must clear the startup, not just the average. A 300 W unit is below Whirlpool's 1,000 W estimate. A 1,500 W unit is above the running estimate but under the doubled figure. Jackery lists the Explorer 1000 Plus at 2000 W and the Explorer 2000 v2 at 2200 W. Whether a particular unit starts a particular fridge is a question for the fridge's rating plate and the power station's maker; this page cannot answer it.
- The average sets the run time. With the 76 W average, the 2000 v2 gives about 22.8 hours and the 1000 v2 about 12.0 hours at our assumption. Your fridge may average more or less. A different ENERGY STAR model we read, an 18.1 cu ft top-freezer, lists 363.5 kWh a year, which is about 41.5 W on the same arithmetic, so size and design change the number a lot.
How long food keeps without power
FoodSafety.gov says food in an unopened refrigerator is kept safe for about 4 hours during an outage, after which perishable items such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers should be discarded. It says a full freezer holds for up to 48 hours with the door closed, and a half-full freezer for 24 hours. Ready.gov gives the same 4 hours and 48 hours. Both say to keep doors closed and to use a thermometer, with the refrigerator at 40 F or below and the freezer at 0 F or below. FoodSafety.gov also says never to taste food to judge whether it is safe.
Put next to our run times, the Explorer 300 is under that 4-hour window on a refrigerator alone (3.3 hours), while the 1000 v2 at 12.0 hours and the 2000 v2 at 22.8 hours are above it. Those are the average-draw figures. They say how long the battery would last, not whether the food is safe, and nothing here is a promise of either.
CPAP and other medical devices
No CPAP running-watt figure appears on this page, because none from a maker's page was read in a form we can cite. ResMed's pages carry no watt figures, and its manuals did not open for us. Philips lists an 80 W power supply for its DreamStation; that is a supply rating and not the machine's draw. React Health's manual gives only an amp limit for one model.
So the method for a CPAP is yours to follow:
- Read the label on the machine and on its power supply.
- Ask the maker for the running watts with the humidifier and heated tube you use, because those add to the draw.
- Use the same sum: capacity, times 0.85, divided by watts.
Ready.gov says to talk to your medical provider about an outage plan for electric medical devices and for refrigerated medicines. This guide gives no medical advice. It does not say that any power station will keep a medical device running, and Jackery's pages do not say so either. Ask the device's maker before you depend on any battery.
What else the arithmetic leaves out
- Heating and cooking loads are large. At 1,500 W, a space heater empties a 1000-class unit in well under an hour. If a fuel-burning generator is under consideration instead, see solar generator vs gas generator.
- Recharging by solar is not covered by the table. Jackery's solar-time figures vary within its own pages and omit the number of panels in some places.
- Pumps and other motors are not in the table because we read no usable watts for them. A sump pump's nameplate lists amps, which gives a ceiling, not a running draw.
- A laptop is not in the table for the same reason: we read adapter ratings, not a draw.
Where to go next
For a light load, the Jackery Explorer 300 covers phones, lights and a router. For weekends away, see solar generator for camping and RV. Our best solar generator hub compares the sizes, and the Jackery review covers the maker. Water is the other dependency: the gravity water filters page is a start. The 72-hour emergency kit checklist puts power in context.
FAQ
How do I calculate how long a power station will run something?
Multiply the unit's capacity in watt-hours by 0.85, our usable-share assumption, then divide by the load's watts. The result is hours.
Can a solar generator run a refrigerator?
Often, if its rated output clears the compressor's startup draw. On a 76 W average, a 2042 Wh unit gives about 22.8 hours at our assumption. Startup is higher than the average, so check your fridge's rating plate.
What does "over rated output" mean?
The load is bigger than the unit's rated AC output in watts. The unit cannot run it, whatever its capacity.
How many watts does a CPAP use?
We did not read a maker figure we can cite, so we give none. Read the label on your machine and its power supply and ask the maker.
Is 85% a Jackery figure?
No. It is our planning assumption, used in every run time on this site.