What can a 300-watt power station run?
A 300-watt power station runs small electronics and low-power appliances under 300 W: phones, laptops, a Wi-Fi router, LED lights, a TV, fans and a slow cooker. It won't run a fridge, microwave, coffee maker, kettle or space heater. On a 300 Wh battery, about 252 Wh reaches the outlet: enough for a Wi-Fi router for about 8 to 14 hours or a laptop for about 3.6 to 7.2 hours.
"300-watt" can mean the battery (watt-hours, how long it lasts) or the output (watts, what it can run). Stations sold as 300 Wh class, like the Goal Zero Yeti 300, are rated 350 to 600 W of output, so this page covers both.
What runs on a 300-watt power station, and for how long?
Everything below runs on a 300 W output. Runtimes are on the Goal Zero Yeti 300 (297 Wh, about 252 Wh at the outlet at our 0.85 efficiency assumption), from the highest sourced wattage to the lowest.
| Appliance | Running watts | Runtime on 297 Wh |
|---|---|---|
| Phone charger [10][11] | 5 to 20 W | about 12 to 50 h |
| LED bulb (60 W equivalent) [12] | 8.8 W | about 28 h |
| Three LED bulbs [12] | 26.4 W | about 9.5 h |
| Wi-Fi router [8][9] | 18 to 30 W | about 8.4 to 14 h |
| Laptop [13][14] | 35 to 70 W | about 3.6 to 7.2 h |
| Ceiling fan [14][15] | 31 to 175 W | about 1.4 to 8.1 h |
| TV [8][14][16] | 63 to 150 W | about 1.6 to 4.0 h |
| Box fan [8][17] | 85 to 200 W | about 1.2 to 2.9 h |
| Slow cooker [8][18] | 200 to 250 W | about 1.0 to 1.2 h |
Each wattage comes from a cited source on our appliances list. Runtimes are rounded down the same way the calculator rounds them. Try your own devices in the runtime calculator.
How is the runtime worked out?
runtime = Wh x efficiency / load W. For a Wi-Fi router on the Yeti 300: 297 x 0.85 / 30 = 252.45 / 30, about 8.4 hours. At the low end of the router range, 252.45 / 18 is about 14 hours.
The inputs:
- 297 Wh is Goal Zero's published capacity for the Yeti 300.
- 0.85 is the share of battery energy we assume reaches the AC outlet. Goal Zero doesn't publish an inverter efficiency, so we use the site default and say so. How we got these numbers.
- 18 to 30 W comes from NETGEAR's adapter ratings (12 V x 1.5 A to 12 V x 2.5 A). NETGEAR says a router's draw doesn't exceed its adapter rating, so this is a ceiling.
What won't a 300-watt power station run?
Anything with a heating element or a big motor. These draw more than any 300 Wh class station is rated for:
| Appliance | Running watts | Starting watts |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator [8][14][18][19] | 700 to 725 W | 2,200 to 2,900 W |
| Microwave [8][14][18][20] | 750 to 1,480 W | not listed |
| Coffee maker [8][14][18] | 900 to 1,500 W | no motor start |
| Space heater [14][21][22] | 750 to 1,500 W | no motor start |
| Electric kettle [23][24] | 1,500 W | no motor start |
| Sump pump [8][18][25][26][27] | 800 to 1,200 W | 1,300 to 3,200 W |
A fridge is the one most people ask about. Its average draw is low, 52 W for the median ENERGY STAR full-size model, so the battery could hold about 4.8 hours of it on paper (252.45 / 52). But the station has to carry the running load and the starting surge, and by generator wattage charts those are 700 to 725 W and 2,200 to 2,900 W. A 300 Wh class station would shut off or refuse it.
Can boost modes run a kettle or heater?
Some small stations have a boost mode that runs heating loads above the rated output at reduced power, but we don't count it. EcoFlow says X-Boost on the RIVER 3 Plus runs heating devices up to 1,200 W, and BLUETTI says Power Lifting on the Elite 30 V2 runs pure resistive loads up to 1,500 W. The appliance heats more slowly, and a 1,500 W load would empty the Elite 30 V2 in about 10 minutes (259.2 / 1,500).
Which 300 Wh class stations are there?
Three stations in our data sit in the 300 Wh class. Two of them have 600 W of output, more than the 300 W the name suggests:
| Station | Battery | Rated output | Surge | Usable at the outlet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus [3] | 286 Wh | 600 W | 1,200 W | about 243 Wh |
| BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 [4][5] | 288 Wh | 600 W | not published | about 259 Wh |
| Goal Zero Yeti 300 [1][2] | 297 Wh | 350 W | 600 W | about 252 Wh |
The BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 gets more usable energy from a smaller battery because BLUETTI publishes an inverter efficiency of over 90%, so we use 0.9 for it instead of 0.85. The RIVER 3 Plus is also expandable to 858 Wh with EcoFlow's add-on batteries. Full specs are on the stations list.
Does 600 W of output change what it can run?
A little. A 600 W station also covers a blender at Champion's 300 W chart figure, which needs 650 W to start. That is over the Yeti 300's 600 W surge but under the RIVER 3 Plus's 1,200 W. Bigger kitchen and heating loads still need a station rated 1,000 W or more.
How long does a 300 Wh power station take to recharge?
From solar, about 1.4 hours at best for the Yeti 300: 297 Wh / 200 W of rated solar input. Real panels rarely hold their full rating, so expect longer.
From the wall, Goal Zero rates the Yeti 300's fast charge at 420 W (140 W by default). EcoFlow lists 380 W of AC charging and 220 W of solar input for the RIVER 3 Plus; BLUETTI lists 380 W AC and 200 W solar for the Elite 30 V2.
Who is a 300-watt power station for?
People who need to keep small electronics going: phones and a laptop on a camping trip, a Wi-Fi router and lights through a short outage, or a TV for an evening. It weighs 9.48 to 13.7 lb across these three models, so it is easy to carry. If you need a fridge, a microwave or a sump pump, start at the 1,000 Wh class, like the Goal Zero Yeti 1000 (998 Wh, 2,000 W rated output, 3,600 W surge).
What should I read next?
Quick answers
What can a 300-watt power station run?
Small electronics and low-power appliances under 300 W, such as phones (5 to 20 W chargers), laptops (35 to 70 W), a Wi-Fi router (18 to 30 W), LED bulbs (8.8 W), a TV (63 to 150 W), fans and a slow cooker (200 to 250 W).
How long will a 300 Wh power station last?
A 297 Wh Goal Zero Yeti 300 delivers about 252 Wh at the outlet (297 x 0.85). That runs a Wi-Fi router about 8.4 to 14 hours, a laptop about 3.6 to 7.2 hours, a TV about 1.6 to 4.0 hours and an LED bulb about 28 hours.
Can a 300-watt power station run a refrigerator?
No, by our sources. Generator wattage charts put a fridge at 700 to 725 W running and 2,200 to 2,900 W to start, well above the 350 to 600 W rated output of 300 Wh class stations.
Can a 300-watt power station run a microwave or coffee maker?
No. Microwaves draw 750 to 1,480 W and coffee makers 900 to 1,500 W by our sources, more than any 300 Wh class station is rated for.