Solar Gear Spot

Portable power and small solar

Calculate the setup before you buy the gear.

Free planning tools for power-station runtime, outage loads, panel compatibility, and solar recharge. The useful assumptions stay visible so you can replace them with measurements from your own equipment.

Calculate runtimeBrowse all tools
Formulas shownSources datedNo sign-up required
Portable solar panel and power station on a practical work surface

Start with the job

Choose the number you need

Each path begins with a load, runtime target, or hardware limit. That keeps the result tied to a real buying decision.

Power station runtime

Turn battery watt-hours and a measured device load into a realistic runtime range.

Fridge and freezer backup

Estimate outage runtime from running watts, compressor cycling, surge, and usable battery energy.

Panel compatibility

Compare panel voltage and current with a power station's documented solar-input limits.

Solar recharge time

Check whether the panel, battery, input ceiling, and available sun fit the same plan.

Starlink backup

Estimate battery runtime and daily recharge needs from the power draw you actually enter.

CPAP outage backup

Estimate overnight runtime from your machine's draw, humidifier settings, and usable battery capacity.

Complete outage loads

Build a load list for lights, communication, refrigeration, and other essentials before shopping.

Core buying guides

Understand what changes the result

View all guides
Portable solar panels set up outdoors for charging a power station.Solar recharge

Will a 100W Solar Panel Recharge a Power Station?

Calculate how long a compatible 100W panel may take to recharge a 300Wh, 500Wh, or 1000Wh power station in your available sun.

Read guide
Portable power station, lantern, phone, notebook, and charging cables on a workshop bench.Outage backup

What Size Power Station Runs a Refrigerator During an Outage?

Size refrigerator backup from measured daily kWh or the exact EnergyGuide label, then check compressor output, reserve, recharge, and food temperature.

Read guide
Portable folding solar panels set up at a campsite near a small power station.Solar panels

100W vs 200W Solar Panels: Which Size Do You Need?

Compare 100W and 200W portable solar panels by daily energy, recharge time, input limits, portability, and the battery size you need to refill.

Read guide
Portable power station, lantern, phone, notebook, and charging cables on a workshop bench.CPAP backup

Can a Portable Power Station Run a CPAP Overnight?

Use this four-check test to see whether a portable power station can run your exact CPAP setup for one night without relying on a vague runtime claim.

Read guide

How to use the tools

From an appliance to a defensible plan

Calculator defaults are starting points. Better inputs produce a better answer, and the final hardware limits still come from the current manual.

  1. 1

    Measure the load

    Use a watt meter, EnergyGuide label, or current manufacturer documentation instead of a category guess.

  2. 2

    Run the numbers

    See the formula, losses, reserve, and uncertainty instead of getting a mystery recommendation.

  3. 3

    Verify the hardware

    Check surge output, solar-input limits, connector details, and the current manual before buying.

See the calculation and sourcing methodology

Affiliate note: Some pages contain tagged shopping links. Calculator results do not change based on commissions.

Read the disclosure