Winter outages get all the sympathy - cold, wet, dark, repair crews stuck in slush. But summer blackouts are the sneaky villains of the power world, striking more often thanks to air conditioners running at full blast, transformers melting like popsicles, and power lines sagging like a tired old clothesline. Oh, and the entire US power grid was designed back when nobody owned a second refrigerator and 'extreme weather' meant a mild breeze.
Even if the grid holds together, utility companies may just turn off the lights preemptively with Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) to avoid accidentally starting a wildfire. Because nothing says 'safety' like cutting power in 100°F heat. And yes, parts of California, Nevada, and Arizona are expected to hit triple digits for the first time this summer - so get ready for a perfect storm of sweaty misery and flickering bulbs.
For ZDNet's own portable power enthusiast, gas generators are out - they smell like a lawnmower's armpit, emit noxious fumes, require constant maintenance, and can spontaneously combust if you look at them wrong. Instead, the smart money is on portable power stations and solar panels: a box you can plug into the grid or the sun, no explosions required.
First, figure out your 'critical loads' - the stuff you actually need to keep running. That's lights, fridge, internet (obviously), medical devices, phone charging, and maybe a fan so you don't become a puddle of despair. Anything beyond that - like a margarita blender - is luxury. You don't need a bottomless budget; you need a calculator. EcoFlow offers one online, or you can do the math yourself like a grown-up.
Average power outages last about six hours per year, but that's like saying the average person has one leg - major disasters like floods or hurricanes will laugh at your averages. So plan for the worst, hope for the best, and maybe buy a backup for your backup.
Jackery's spokesperson recommends two types of users: those who want a simple plug-and-play unit, and those who want to go full off-grid with expansion batteries. Your humble author is assembling a Bluetti Apex 300 with B300K expansion batteries totaling 12 kWh, plus an Elite 400 for portable needs. Solar panels - flexible or rigid - let you harvest free energy whether the grid is up or down. A 200W panel generates about 0.8 to 1.2 kWh per day (290-440 kWh per year), but the average US home uses 30 kWh per day, so you'll need either a lot of panels or a very small home.
Pro tip: use Time of Use (TOU) rates to charge your power station when electricity is cheap, then drain it during peak pricing. It's like buying low and selling high, except with electrons and no stockbroker. Many modern power stations let you schedule charging windows - just check with your power company to see if they offer TOU rates.
If you're not ready to drop thousands on a full system, start small: a beefy power bank like the Anker Solix C300 packs 288Wh, a 300W AC outlet, and an emergency light. Or just keep a power bank on continuous standby for your phone - because you'll need to tweet about the blackout. If you drive an EV with vehicle-to-home (V2H) capability - like a Ford F-150 Lightning, Nissan Leaf, or Tesla - you can turn your car into a giant battery on wheels. Just get a professional V2H system installed, or at least a vehicle-to-load converter.
Bottom line: from a few hundred bucks for emergency basics to a few thousand for full-day home backup, there's an option for every budget. Just remember - the sun is free, the grid is not, and summer is coming.