A San Diego Reddit user who has spent years stockpiling food and water for emergencies decided it was time to protect themselves even further by adding a solar-powered generator.
They said their budget topped out at $3,000 to $4,000 and that they were considering an Anker SOLIX 3800 with three 400-watt solar panels for "cooking a couple times a day, charging devices, possibly for one fridge."
Here's what to know
The discussion played out in a Reddit thread, where the original poster explained, "I have been prepping food/water for many years, but finally need to pull the trigger on a solar-powered generator. It would just be for emergencies/the grid going down." They added, "To be honest, I've tried understanding a lot of these different options, but it's all a bit overwhelming."
Much of the advice focused less on San Diego's solar resource and more on the power draw from meal prep. One commenter wrote, "In SD with that much sun, you're not gonna be hurting for power," but also cautioned, "If you're trying to cook twice a day on electric you might want to double-check the wattage on whatever you're using. Induction cooktops pull 1800W easy."
The most common recommendation was to size the backup around lower, steadier necessities — refrigeration, lights, phones, and internet — rather than treating it as a full stand-in for the grid, and then use a different fuel source for cooking.
Cost was another theme in the replies, with several people saying separately purchased panels can be a better deal than first-party bundles if buyers carefully match voltage, current, and connectors.
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More background
Watt-hours and surge ratings can be hard to translate into day-to-day use. A fridge may cycle on and off in a relatively predictable way, but devices such as induction burners, kettles, microwaves, and toaster ovens can burn through stored power quickly.
For families preparing for multi-day outages, a system that looks large on paper can feel much smaller once high-draw appliances are involved, especially if solar-charging conditions are not ideal or panels cannot remain deployed throughout the day.
One commenter captured the tradeoff directly, saying: "For emergency prep with kids, I'd personally prioritize runtime and redundancy over having one giant system that does absolutely everything."
What can be done?
First, estimate the daily energy use of only the most essential loads: fridge, lights, phones, Wi-Fi, and medical or communication devices. That gives shoppers a baseline before they add higher-demand appliances.
Electric meal prep was repeatedly treated as a separate planning issue. Multiple commenters suggested keeping a small propane stove on hand so the battery system can be reserved for refrigeration and electronics. One commenter wrote, "For cooking I would get a Coleman stove and 25lb propane tank."
Where can I learn more?
These articles look at home solar setups, portable backup batteries, and the trade-offs homeowners can face.
• In Australia, a homeowner said a 20kW solar setup made blackouts effectively invisible.
• A tech expert showed a portable energy source powering a microwave and grill during outages.
• In the Rocky Mountains, a family showed 1,000 watts of solar powering their off-grid home.
• In Ohio, a homeowner learned a $50,000 solar setup might not erase utility bills.
• One homeowner skipped the battery, added an EV charger, and kept solar simple.
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