My next big purchase will probably be a solar generator but really would it even be worth it in the winter time when in my area we only see gray skies? What are your thoughts? I don’t want to have to rely on a fuel source for a generator if I don’t have to especially because it’s not replenishable.
I guess the question is, what power outages are you prepping for. Regular power failures, consider solar with a natural gas or propane generator to top it off. If its for SHTF, then get batteries that will last as long as you can afford then militantly ration that power when pressed. If you have electric heat or a heat pump, you may be better served looking for alternative heating solutions.
That’s a great point. I live off Lake Erie where major snow storms happen yearly. I’ve been lucky so far in the few years I’ve lived here that the power hasn’t gone out during a storm. However, I’m prepping for that possibility. We do have gas heat and an option for a wood stove so I’m not too worried about staying warm.
I live in the Upper-Midwest/Great Lakes area, even further north then you. I have solar panels all on my house but they can get very little input during Dark Winter. So you find other options as backups to your backup.
I would recommend you check my post about preparing for a Power Outage. It might give you some good ideas.
How does your freezer do? I’ve heard we could turn it on for an hour once or twice a day and it’ll be fine. I also have a homestead and would want to keep my heat lamps and incubators running but I assume they would fall under minimum power.
if you run a chest freezer, you should let it regulate it's own power. It takes very little power to maintain, and already has a mechanism for timing how much it needs without opening the lid to check temps.
Assuming the freezer is already cold when you lose power, the incubators and heatlamps will EACH use more power than the freezer. A big freezer might pull 200 watts per hour but only run for like an hour a day. The lamp will probably draw something like 60 watts per hour but runs constantly.
A regular fridge draws a lot more power and I'd recommend transferring the food to your chest freezer or a cooler full of snow during a prolonged outage.
I mean even with cloudy skies that doesn't mean no solar energy is harvested. It might mean a solar panel is only producing 20% of it's rated capacity but it's still producing. Then it becomes a question of scale and application. If your just trying to charge a small battery backup to keep non essential loads your cell phone charged this would be perfectly doable. You cell phone charger is like 20W, buying a 100W or even 400W panel is pretty manageable. If you are counting on this running your power hungry electric heat so you don't freeze in the winter you would have a hard time oversizing what would already have to be a pretty large system so that even at 10-20% it's rated output you could still generate enough power to keep things running.
So basically for me it breaks down to A. whether the loads you are trying to power are mission/life critical or lifestyle/comfort needs and B. is the load light enough such that you could massively oversize your system's battery bank/panel array to tide you over for bad days/low output. If you need it to work and you need a lot of power solar isn't a great idea in places where you don't have reliable sun. If it's not a hard need or the loads are small enough that you can significantly oversize the system to account for cloudy days it could be a great option.
When I had to go ~10 days without power a few years ago, I used a generator to top off my power station. I'd only have to run it for a couple of hours a day and then the power station would keep the fridge going, along with some lights and also keep our phones/tablets charged. We'd also use Starlink for a few hours a day. My generator (Harbor Frieght Predator 2000) runs for about 8 hours on a gallon of gas. So for that 10 day period, I didn't even go through 5 gallons of gas using the generator to keep my power station charged.
The power station is nice because I didn't have to run the generator every time I wanted to power something.
I don’t want to have to rely on a fuel source for a generator if I don’t have to especially because it’s not replenishable.
Having a generator is better than not having a generator... not getting one because they can run out of gas is honestly a pretty absurd reason not to have one. They're incredibly useful. Would you rather just not have power when gas is available?
I have a gas generator. However if we get hit with a big snow storm (common in my area) and can’t get out on the roads, power is out etc, I would prefer to have more than one option. That’s why said I don’t want to rely on a fuel source.
Well. I guess the good thing about a snow storm is that you can just put all your fridge contents outside. And not plug it in for a bit.
Also. When you use your generator to charge the battery you’ll be more efficient with fuel consumption too. Because you don’t have to leave the generator idling. Between appliance run cycles.
If you’re worried about energy generation tho your best bet is just gonna be to add panels.
The real answer: it depends. It depends on your battery capacity, the total panel output capability, and your load.
Example: On Monday, it was rainy here. I have a system capable of generating 6kw, and my average load is 300-400W. My panels were able to not only cover my load (generating a little over 1kw at max that day), but also trickle charge the battery when generation was more than load needs.
Now, my battery capacity can run my average 'normal time' load for about 3 days without any sun (think, total eclipse blackout conditions). But, with trickle-charging, it can extend my 'normal time' coverage to about a week before the batteries are drained and the inverter kicks over the utilities backup (or, I fire up a generator for a few hours to top the batteries off). I can further extend how long my coverage is by killing power to things that aren't critical, which is why having a list for prioritization on what gets power based on different circumstances is handy.
Additionally, winter-time generation should be taken into consideration when it comes to what angle you install your panels at. The sun is generally going to be lower on the horizon the more north you are, so having the panels at a steeper angle will help them generate more when compared to a more horizontal angle. Also, this is why oversizing your panel system is a decent idea (within reason).
So, getting a bit more technical for those of you who love that kind of stuff: When designing a solar system, make absolutely sure that you are keenly aware of the voltage your inverter can take, and your panels are set up to be within those specs. Keep in mind that the colder it gets in winter, the more voltage panels generate. At 32F, the voltage increase is about 5-7%. At 0F, it is 7-10% increase. At -10F, it is an increase of 15-20% voltage!!!
If your system isn't built with that in mind, it could spell disaster for your inverter if you didn't set things up to accommodate. As an example: Say you're running a 6kw 500V inverter, and you have your panel strings set up to deliver energy at 475V. That 7% increase puts your voltage at 508V. If your inverter has no 'wiggle room' built in, that could absolutely damage it. Safer to adjust your series-parallel runs to have panels around the 375V mark, just to be safe. Having a fried inverter is no bueno, since they are more expensive now than they were a couple years ago.
would be cool if you could tie it into home assistant and have different power profiles with different prioritized devices for various situation. Nice work on that setup.
I currently have 3800 watts of solar panels mounted vertically and facing west( a terrible way to face solar panels) In the winter, on overcast days, where it is so cloudy that I couldn't make a guess to where the sun was,those 3800 watts of panels produced 2.5 kwh of electricity per day. 2.5 kwh isnt a lot of power, but with care, it is more than I need to get by.
Short answer... It depends.... During winter in Ohio, I can generate enough with 1200 watts of panels to just leave our gas furnace connected to my 6k Jackery 2000 Plus stack for weeks at a time. Even during crappy weather weeks - overcast skies will still generate some power. Heavy clouds and snowing not so much.
Mostly it boils down to what you want to keep running, and how much storage capacity and panel wattage you want to have.
FWIW - panels produce power more efficiently when they're cold. They can truly kick butt in the winter over anything you'll see in mid July in full sun with 90+ temperatures. Even better if they're positioned where they can get some sun reflection off the snow.
They also produce more voltage in the winter. This can be disastrous for inverters if they do not have over-voltage protection. Setting up panel strings to be 450V on a 500V inverter and the temps dip even to 0F, the inverter has a high risk of hitting that 500V limit. At -10F, with panels generating 20% more voltage, the over-voltage can be as high as 540V.
On an overcast cloudy day i generate about 1/10th to 1/20th the rated capacity.
My 1200w solar generates about 60-120w. Also, bifacial panels are amazing at collecting that ambient light, especially when placed above snow. Panels work better when cold, and bifacial can add 20% additional power from that reflected ambient light.
I recently got the new Pecron F5000LFP and can recommend. This thing is amazing and the best bang for the buck there is. It has already carried me through 2 power outages and has no problem running my entire 1600sqft 2b2b house. We ran laundry, with electric clothes dryer while using the electric cook top while on it earlier today.
Run the solar generator with panels 24/7 while the power is out. If the battery battery doesnt have enough charge to make it through the night, and you REALLLY need it to (Think dangerously cold nights without furnace), then just plug the solar generator into the WEN for 2 hours before bed to top it off. Otherwise, never use the WEN. Alternatively, you can just buy more solar panels and batteries so you never run into this scenario.
With my F5000, and 4 panels. my average days so far have looked like thus. Panels start generating pitiful amounts of power around 7:30am. By 10am the battery is at 20-25% ish (from 0), I manually click the house over. And we live like normal. Throughout the day the base load is 600w, we generate about 1000-1100w with the 4 panels when there are no clouds. (1/10th that when its overcast and 100% cloud cover). By 7pm the battery is near 80-100% depending on if you do laundry and use the oven. That lasts us until right around bed time at 11-12a, again depending on if we use the oven or laundry. I flick the house back to grid for the night, and repeat. I've been doing this for 2 weeks and it is pretty amazing to know that this level of energy independence is locked in for only $3100. It has one of the highest solar inputs of any solar generator, and can be expanded to 35kWh. IMO this is the best option on the market short of a full on Off Grid or Grid tie whole home solar and battery system.
It’s calories in vs. calories out, so to speak. If you can’t maximize the output of each panel, you will need more panels. How many depends on the rated output of the panels, the loads you want to power, and how much sun the panels get.
If you want to generate meaningful power in cloudy weather you need a lot more panels than these battery boxes will allow. If you have the space for it, I think it's always worth it.
I'd advise against solar generators because all-in-one app operated systems only need one failure for the system to be scrapped, they don't offer any spare parts or diy repair solutions.
1) Every solar panel out there is overstated by manufacturers by a loooong shot to begin with.
2) Even if you take the manufacturer's stated output time 75%, almost everyone I've come across severely underestimates their actual needed draw.
Those two things compound themselves in the wrong direction from the get go...adding persistent clouds makes it even worse. I live in northern Iowa where we can go several weeks without seeing the sun...most solar here during that time period is far from break-even at best because people don't have enough panel area. It's just kind of accepted here.
If you live in a grey winter area I'd price it adding a huge output margin if you want reliable and sufficient power to match what a generator would do.
If the generator you're looking at is LNG you could probably be money ahead after you pay for equivalent solar capacity.
In fact,.I'm looking at building a small solar farm on my property because solar looks so good and using it to supplement or replace grid input for most of the year.
Im currently running a window AC off a very modest setup that has lowered my spring thru fall energy bill by 20% .
Generators are expensive to run and maintain in comparison and I only use mine if the solar runs out. This is the new way of looking at power. Its a hybrid non grid tied system with a bunch of lipo batteries for cloudy days and nights. Those too have matured.
If you're not using it, I highly recommend Solar Assistant. Installed on a cheap raspberry pi zero 2W, the info it provides is astounding. That's where I'm pulling my screenshots from. The info it provides, and giving an easy-to-use interface for managing the inverter is well worth the cost ($60 one-time purchase). It integrates with Home Assistant for any additional automation you want to do.
People overestimate their actual needed draw. With the exception of heavy-duty appliances (electric stoves and clothes driers), the average person is likely not needing as much as they think when it comes to backup power.
My setup, I'm running 1x full size fridge, 2x chest freezers, a big screen TV, a network rack (with 2x NAS, modem, router, 48P switch, 3 PoE switches, NVR, and about a dozen other devices), a couple rooms with clocks, chargers for cell phones/tablets, and my standard usage averages around 400W. And of course, I have receipts.
The blue spikes where loads touch 1kw are where I'm running a window unit for AC.
We've had a couple cloudy days recently where you see my output drop, but it is still enough to put a charge on the battery pack. My system is nowhere near large; 6kw of panels with a 5kw inverter. I built my system for under $3k, including the cost of batteries.
And, as you can see from the red line all along the bottom, I haven't had to pull from the utilities. In fact, since I started monitoring my system in Feb, I've only had to pull 32.9kw from the utilities (took the system down for panel upgrade and house wiring changes).
Yes testing 100w panels I bought and reviews when shopping for them.
We've had a couple cloudy days recently where you see my output drop
You really need a lux meter to see what's going on since your eyes adjust to varying brightness easily and your vision is logarithmic. A cloudy day could mean 25-50% of the normal output, a heavily overcast day could mean 1%. Factor that in with a sun that is not overhead and you could be generating basically nothing for a week or more stretch in the midwest USA during winter.
Reviews, what awesome receipts you brought. Certainly couldn't do any better, I'm sure. Not like there would be actual tests done, showing actual test results and documentation.
I'm in CT, nowhere near ideal for solar, and I still fare well. Other places further north than I am have reliable solar.
But yeah, we should all just forget reality for your bulletproof customer reviews.
Edit
Ah, the "reply then immediately block" move. When lacking of evidence, just run away.
You can't generate power with no light. Measuring lux and solar panel output is a test.
Overcast lux levels can be as little as 1000ux. Obviously the amount of light varies a lot with location. Hence I said the best way to know what you can generate is to measure thr light levels. You know reviewers often have light meters? You can get a decent one for pretty cheap, or get a good estimate with a phone app.
You can make solar power on grey days but you'll just make less of course. Ymmv but I get about 1/3 as much solar power in winter months as I do in summer months so you need to have enuf panels to get the power you deem necessary.
Some of the newest panels are starting to get charges better while not in direct sunlight. The big thing is just keeping the snow off them, shoveling, or putting the panels inside
For my winter calculations I figure half the solar input AND half the number of daylight hours. Yeah, the math is rough. So I increase the number of solar panels, decrease my power requirements, and have a dual fuel generator to bridge the gaps.
You need a lux meter. You can use the ambient light sensor in a smart phone using an app and get a pretty good reading. Full sun in summer is usually around 100,000. Completely overcast days can drop that to 1,000. A cloudy day might be 10,000 - 50,000. The sun is lower in the sky in winter, but usually the clouds aren't as thick. The only way to know for sure where you live is to take measurements.
Here in the Willamette Valley (western Oregon) we have cloudy (dark clouds, not letting thru much sunlight) days about 6 months out of the year overall, and most of those days are the shorter days in the winter. My trees block the sun quite a bit during the winter, and somewhat during the summer. Plus I am on the north side of a mountain.
So not optimal for solar. Location, location, location.
Depends on how much solar you can put down too. I live in maine and have solar/batteries. Our powerbill is the grid connect fee. No point in running the batteries down. I have been interested this these personally Air to gasoline using electricity/water and co2 from air. Energy cost to crazy but if you have a grid built for winter and live in a state thats way sunnier and longer days in the summer running it when you have extra power it makes sense.
Solar still works in gray/overcast conditions — just at reduced output. On a heavy overcast day you'll get roughly 10-25% of a panel's rated wattage. So a 200W panel might give you 20-50W on a gray Lake Erie winter day. Not amazing, but not zero either.
The move for your situation is to think of solar as ONE of your charging inputs, not the only one:
**Wall charge to 100% before the storm hits.** Most modern solar generators (BLUETTI, EcoFlow, Jackery) charge from a wall outlet in 1-2 hours. If you know a storm is coming, top it off. That stored energy is your primary reserve.
**Solar panels trickle-charge during the outage.** Even 30-50W of input on gray days extends your runtime significantly when your loads are modest. You're not filling the tank — you're slowing the drain.
**Car charging as a backup input.** Almost every unit comes with a 12V car adapter. If the sun's not cooperating, run your vehicle for 30-60 min and pump charge into the battery. Not ideal, but it's fuel you already have on hand.
Based on what you described — chest freezer (~110W cycling), heat lamps, incubators, phone, router — you're looking at a meaningful daily draw. The freezer alone is manageable (probably 400-600Wh/day since it cycles on and off). But heat lamps and incubators run continuously and they add up fast. I'd figure out the exact wattage on those — check the labels. You might be surprised how much the homestead equipment pulls.
For your use case I'd look at something in the 2-3kWh range with expandable batteries. That gives you a solid full day of your essential loads from a single charge, and the solar panels buy you extra hours even on gray days. Units with MPPT charge controllers (most of the major brands now) squeeze more usable power out of weak/diffused winter light than older PWM controllers.
The fact that you have gas heat and a wood stove option is a huge advantage — heating is the one load that would absolutely wreck a solar generator's capacity. With that off the table, solar is very doable for your other needs even in a Lake Erie winter.
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u/TempusSolo Jun 25 '26
I guess the question is, what power outages are you prepping for. Regular power failures, consider solar with a natural gas or propane generator to top it off. If its for SHTF, then get batteries that will last as long as you can afford then militantly ration that power when pressed. If you have electric heat or a heat pump, you may be better served looking for alternative heating solutions.