Power stations, solar power generators, inverters, oh my! Jumping into this world of backup power feels a bit overwhelming at times, doesn’t it? Like you almost need a degree just to get started?

You browsed a few websites, signed up for a few emails, and now your social feeds and inbox are running over with ads, offers, and voices shouting everything from limited time offers to blatant fear mongering. Specs and product details swirl about in your mind.

All you wanted was some basic info. You are a noob, a beginner, not ready to purchase yet. Can someone just please help you out?

I gotcha. I’ve been there and it takes guts to admit that.

Let’s start at the basics. I remember when I first got into this field, I didn’t know a watt from my elbow. So I see you and know that overwhelmed feeling. 

Let’s start at one of the most basic yet most important concepts you need for understanding backup power, power stations, solar generators, and their distant cousins and relations.

That concept is Watts and Watt Hours. 

Understanding Watts and Watt Hours.

Cutting it to the most basic explanation, Watts measure how much power your devices draw and how much power your power station can supply while Watt Hours how long the power station can produce that amount.  

Think of it this way: you are going for a jog. Watts would be your pace and watt hours how long much energy you have to keep that pace up. The faster your run, the quicker your energy is used up. The slower you run, the longer you last. 

To round out this analogy, many batteries also have a surge rating measured in Watts. Surge rating means the maximum power spike a power station can supply for a very short time.

Keeping with the jogging comparison, if the neighbors' dog begins to chase you, surge rating is the sprinting you do in that situation. You can’t keep it up for long but you can for just long enough for them to call off the dog. 

Or for you gym bros who can only count in 45s, 35s, 25s, and 10s (no one uses the 5s, bruh!), Watts is how much you can bench and Watt Hours is how many reps you can do. Surge rating is the extra ego lift reps when you perform gym crush walks in. 

Let me repeat since repetition breeds mastery.

Watts are how much power a battery/station can produce and Watt Hours is how long it can produce that amount of power. A watt surge rating is how much power a power station can handle for a short time span. 

Got it? Great, let’s apply it to a real life portable power station. 

Watts and Watt Hours in the Wild

Grabbing an Anker SOLIX C300X Portable Power Station, we see that it is rated for 300W (600W Surge) and 288wh. Let’s explain this practically.

Each device you want to charge has a power demand. For example, a common laptop charger is rated 65W meaning your power station MUST have 65W or higher to power it. Since the Anker SOLIX is rated for 300W, that is no issue. We can also plug in our cell phone charger (10W) and our Nintendo Switch (18W).

In this scenario where we plug in a laptop charger, cell phone charger, and Nintendo Switch, all together, our energy demand is 65W + 10W + 18W = 93W. The Anker SOLIX 300X Power Station is rated for 300W thus it can easily handle that power demand. 

The next question is how long can it charge these devices. The 288WH rating means it can theoretically power our 93w needs for about three hours. We discover this by dividing the WH by W. In this case, 288WH / 93W = 3 hours.

Another way to look at it is that it has a total energy capacity of 288 watt-hours—enough to supply 288 watts for one hour, or less wattage for more time.”

Now, of course there are some wiggle room with that number since most portable power stations lose power due to inefficiencies. Using your AC ports will also more quickly drain your battery. Also, we are assuming everything stays plugged in the whole time. But what we can clearly determine is that the Anker SOLIX is made to be portable thus it is not made to handle big power drains for long periods of time (to learn more about sizing up your power station for your needs, click here). 

The Power Station Winning Formula

Here is a formula you can follow to figure out if a battery will fit your needs. Add up all the Watts you will be plugging into it and divide the Watt Hours by the Watts, giving it a bit of cushion for a bit of power loss due to heat or other inefficiencies. 

For example. If we wanted the Anker SOLIX 300X for an off grid gaming setup, we would not be happy since our Xbox One S (55W) , 32 inch LCD screen (75W), and Starlink internet set up (75W) would require approximately 205W to power. The battery would die in less than hour and a half (288WH / 205W = 1.4 hours with losses) and most, as life goes, would die during a team slayer match where you were actually kicking butt for a change. 

For an off grid set gaming set up, we would recommend at least Ecoflow RIVER 2 for about 2 hours of gaming or for longer sessions, an Anker SOLIX F1500 would cover you for 6+ hours

Next Steps for Beginners

So there you have the basics and are one step closer power station mastery. Rather than hitting you up with a sales pitch, I encourage you to read our applicable guides as they will help you round out your knowledge. That way, when you reach for your wallet, you can hit that Buy Now with confidence.

Got questions? Shoot us an email or drop us a chat on our socials!