Power Station Calculator

Multiply each appliance's wattage by the number of hours you plan to use it per day, then add all the results together. For example, a 60W laptop used for 4 hours equals 240Wh. Add a 20% buffer for safety and 15% for inverter efficiency loss. The calculator above handles all of this math automatically.

For light weekend camping (phones, LED lights, small fan), a 300-500Wh unit is sufficient. For car camping with a 12V fridge and multiple devices, aim for 500-1,000Wh. For extended trips or running high-draw appliances like a coffee maker, look at 1,000Wh or higher.

Divide your daily watt-hour usage by the average peak sun hours in your area (typically 4-6 hours in the US). For example, if you use 500Wh per day and get 5 peak sun hours, you need at least 100W of solar panels. We recommend adding 20-30% extra capacity for cloudy days and efficiency losses.

Watts (W) measure the rate of power consumption -- how much energy a device uses at any given moment. Watt-hours (Wh) measure total energy consumed over time. A 100W TV running for 3 hours uses 300Wh. Power station capacity is rated in watt-hours, which is why it's the key number for sizing your unit.

A 20% buffer accounts for real-world variables: batteries degrade slightly over time, ambient temperature affects capacity, and most manufacturers recommend not fully depleting LiFePO4 batteries to maximize cycle life. The additional 15% covers inverter conversion loss when converting stored DC power to the AC power most appliances need.