16 days without electricity! Power Station / generator help!

[AgileEagle]

After the recent storm in Ireland I was without power for 16 days.
I live rurally but I really struggled, even though I thought I was prepared I actually wasn't.
I obviously never want to go through that again and am trying to be more prepared.
I'm looking at a power station or generator. I know nothing about invertors but heard it mentioned somewhere. Any advice for a novice?

Ok first thing you need to think about is what do you need to power and for how long? Are you hoping for full replacement of your usual electrical usage or are you thinking more something as a backup to power the essentials?

This guides what sort of system you want to look at. You also need to think about budget.

Hopefully these will give you some ideas of what's possible and what it will actually do for you:

Under €1000:
A power station (e.g. a Jackery or Bluetti) recharged on the mains is a good option for short term e.g. a power cut lasting 1 day. It won't be able to power a fan heater or kettle so you'll need alternatives for heating and cooking, e.g. a gas cartridge stove for cooking (but can be hard to find the gas cartridges in Ireland, IME) or a full-on cylinder gas system for cooking. Without a way to recharge it, it's only really going to be good for recharging phones, laptops, etc. We did try running our chest freezer off one while moving house and it worked ok for a couple of hours but it depends on the wattage and output of power station that you get.

A power station combined with a small solar panel is a good option for medium term low energy usage but you need the UV index to be decent. When I lived in Donegal, for example, I found it took a ridiculously long time to get my solar panel to charge my power station outside of the mid-summer weeks.

Try to avoid dodgy unknown brands of power stations. Cheap ones that are badly made (usually with weird names) can be a fire risk.

Over €1000:
Full size solar panels either on the roof or in your garden (or both), with a changeover switch, leisure batteries (the sort for motorhomes) and a total system is the "gold" standard. It's still not a perfect solution depending on where you live though.

Wind turbine (check if this is permitted development, you may need planning consent in most areas of Ireland) with leisure battery system.

The second family featured in this article may also give you an idea of what's possible: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnvqr4v6539o

There are lots of reviews of power stations on YouTube and also people living "off grid" if you need more inspo for your specific situation.

You also might find this thread helpful on conventional generators: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/preppers/5226529-generators-for-power-cuts-any-buying-tips

Thank you @Preppercorn that's really helpful

The BBC link from Preppercorn was very interesting - thank you :-) it mentioned that the Wilkinson family have YouTube videos but I haven't been able to find them. Does anyone know what I should search for?

DH has just mentioned getting one as well (I've wanted one for years), and for the same reason, seeing how difficult it was for many after Eowyn.

But he thinks an EcoFlow is too big (I was showing him a Delta 2).

Think about what you depend on electricity for and how long you think you need to use it. Can you power up by solar or just from plugging in before an issue happens? Do you have an alternative for heating, lighting , cooking etc that is not electrically powered? (Wood burning stove or super see heater, candles and torches and solar lamps, gas cooker or BBq or camping stove etc).

Would love to hear what you find.

Oh sorry, I could've sworn there was a link in the BBC article, I've just looked and looked and it's not there. I've done some hunting on YouTube and I think this is them because I think one of their videos has the same photo of the battery system that's in the article: https://www.youtube.com/@ourkilkennyhomestead2006 but I'm not 100% sure it's the same family and I can't put the sound on to watch any videos right now.

A very belated thank you for the link @Preppercorn - I don't know how I missed your post until today

I was in a similar spot last year and ended up getting a power station – super easy to use and no noise like a regular generator. Definitely worth a look if you're just starting out, they’ve got solid gear.

Not a lot of use on its own if your power is out for days though.

Totally fair point – a single power station will only last as long as its battery, so for multi‑day outages I’d pair it with a portable solar panel (you can grab one at an outdoor online store). It might save us on a couple of long blackouts.

Good luck charging anything up with a portable solar panel at the start of February.

We have an off-grid solar setup with a battery and we have to resort to a generator in the winter months.

Still, nearly six months on, I expect the OP is sorted by now.

Totally agree, battery limits how long a power station lasts, so a solar panel is a perfect backup for longer outages. Nice that you can easily add one from an outdoor gear shop.

Being without power for 16 days is tough – it's great you're planning ahead now. Here's a quick breakdown:
– Power stations are portable batteries – quiet, user-friendly, perfect for phones, lights, or laptops.
– Generators run on fuel – good for heavier loads but noisy and need ventilation.
– Inverters provide “clean” power – important for sensitive electronics.
Ideally, have both: use the station for light needs, and the generator for extended or high-power use.

They are easily available, but you really need to pay attention to the weather conditions. Have you ever chosen such equipment? Do you have any recommendations?

I am sorted now.
Bought a 8kwa generator and had a changeover switch fitted so hopefully will be in a much better position if it happens again

I’m wondering if some people know what an inverter is or does.

It is device that converts direct current (DC) electricity to alternating current (AC) electricity. It is useless on its own without a source of direct current electricity. A battery, solar panels or a generator, for example.

The so called power stations incorporate a battery and an inverter, most modern generators incorporate one too, as do solar panel setups that generate mains electricity.

There are two types of inverter: the relatively crude cheap and cheerful modified square wave type that are definitely not handy for sensitive electronics, and the the more sophisticated (and expensive) pure sine wave type that are suitable for use with sensitive electronics.

Agreed - solar panels are a smart backup, especially in spring/summer. I’ve used the Bluetti 120W foldable panel with decent results on clear days. Not a full solution, but enough to keep essentials topped up.