Emergency Power & Solar for Crises

How much power do you need? Calculate demand correctly

The most important step comes before purchase: calculate your daily demand in watt-hours (Wh). Multiply each device's power rating (watts) by the hours it runs per day and add everything up. A refrigerator is a special case – its compressor runs only about one-third of the time, so count actual daily consumption, not rated power.

For beginners: focus on essentials – charging your phone, some LED lighting, and a radio. A few hundred watt-hours per day is usually enough. Cooling, cooking, and heating consume far more energy and quickly overwhelm small batteries.

Expert tip: Plan capacity using the formula 'required nominal capacity = (daily demand × autonomy days × reserve) ÷ (usable discharge depth × inverter efficiency)'. For a power station, expect roughly 85% practical efficiency (10–15% conversion and standby losses) and – for LiFePO4 – approximately 80–90% usable capacity. Older lead batteries provide only about half their rated capacity usably. Add a safety margin.

1. List devices that must truly run during an emergency (phone, lighting, router, possibly refrigerator or medical device)
2. For each device: watts × daily operating hours = watt-hours per day
3. Add all daily consumption in Wh
4. Multiply by desired autonomy (days) and a safety margin
5. Divide by usable discharge depth × efficiency (for LiFePO4 power station roughly by 0.7–0.8) – this gives required nominal capacity
6. Also check the peak/startup power of the strongest device (refrigerator, kettle)

Power bank, power station or generator – which do I need?

Power banks, power stations, and generators serve different purposes. The key feature of a power station is not capacity but a built-in inverter with a real 230-volt outlet – it powers household appliances, while a power bank only charges USB devices and small gadgets via DC.

For power station batteries, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4/LFP) is now standard. Compared to conventional lithium-ion (NMC), LiFePO4 lasts many times longer (roughly thousands of cycles instead of hundreds to one thousand) and is far more thermally stable: thermal runaway occurs only at clearly higher temperatures. The downside – lower energy density, more weight – barely matters for stationary backup use.

A combustion generator provides virtually unlimited power as long as fuel is available – but only outdoors (carbon monoxide; see safety section). For sensitive electronics, an inverter generator is essential: it produces a clean, mains-like sine wave with very low distortion (THD under 3%), while a simple generator outputs speed fluctuations directly as voltage and frequency variations.

For beginners: for most households, a power station with LiFePO4 battery plus a foldable solar panel is the simplest, quietest, and most maintenance-free solution – no fuel, no emissions, usable indoors.

Expert tip: For generators, distinguish between continuous power ('running watts') and startup/peak power ('starting/surge watts'). Motors and compressors draw roughly 2 to 3 times their running power briefly at startup. Size according to the startup power of the strongest load, not the sum of continuous loads.

How much do solar panels yield in Switzerland?

A foldable solar panel makes the power station rechargeable and viable for long outages. Realistic expectations are critical: printed rated power in watt-peak (Wp) applies only under lab conditions (STC: 1000 W/m² irradiance, 25°C cell temperature). In practice, a panel delivers roughly 60–85% in good sunlight, often only 30–50% in clouds or winter.

In Switzerland, seasonal variation is large: winter insolation is roughly four times lower than summer (MeteoSwiss). Plan solar not as complete winter supply but as autonomy extension – for winter, generously plan more panel area or longer charge times.

For beginners: buy panel and power station as a matched set or carefully check that plugs and voltage match. Aim the panel as perpendicular to the sun as possible – flat orientation loses 30–50% yield.

Expert tip: Choose an MPPT charge controller instead of PWM. MPPT extracts roughly 15–30% more from the same panel; in cold and weak light up to 40% – exactly the Swiss winter scenario. Good MPPT controllers achieve ~97–98% efficiency. For exact, site-specific yield data, query the EnergieSchweiz solar calculator or PVGIS with your coordinates.

1. Panel rated power: realistically only ~60–85% of Wp in good sun, much less in winter
2. Choose MPPT over PWM charge controller (more yield in cold/low light)
3. Match plug, voltage, and connector type to the power station
4. Aim panel perpendicular to the sun; don't lay it flat
5. In winter, plan more area or longer charge time

Safety: the three most dangerous mistakes

Backup power is fundamentally safe – if three rules are followed. Violations lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, battery fires, or serious harm to others.

Safety note: This guide does not replace professional electrical advice. Fixed installations and grid switchovers require licensed professionals in Switzerland.

1. Carbon monoxide: Never run combustion generators indoors, in garages, basements, or under overhangs – even with an open window or door. Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, tasteless, and can reach lethal concentrations in minutes. US safety agency CPSC recommends at least roughly 6 meters distance from the building, exhaust away from windows and vents. Additionally use a CO detector. (Switzerland has no official distance specification; this value is from CPSC.)
2. Battery charge and storage: Never charge LiFePO4 batteries below freezing – below 0°C metallic lithium deposits ('lithium plating') permanently damage the battery and pose a safety risk (modern devices often block this automatically). For long storage, keep partially charged (~40–60%), cool and dry, not in heat; recharge every few months.
3. No backfeeding: Never connect a power station or generator to the home wiring without proper grid isolation. Unintended backfeeding ('backfeeding') places lethal voltage on supposedly de-energized lines and endangers grid workers. In Switzerland, permanent connection to the home grid requires a licensed installer (NIV/ESTI). For individual devices: plug directly into the power station outlet, not into the home grid.

Swiss specifics: outlets & electricity shortage

Swiss household outlets follow standard SN 441011 (type J). Common are T13 (10 amperes) and T23 (16 amperes) – a 16-A outlet accepts T13 plugs, but not vice versa. The flat Europlug (type C) fits all Swiss outlets without an adapter.

Important for buying: many power stations have Schuko outlets (type F, German standard). A German Schuko plug does NOT fit a Swiss wall outlet – a travel adapter is needed. Conversely, a three-pin Swiss appliance plug (type J) does not fit properly into a Schuko outlet on the power station. Devices with Europlug (type C) work fine on Schuko outlets. If you want to run many three-pin Swiss devices, choose a power station with CH or universal outlets, or plan appropriate adapters.

An important case in Switzerland is electricity shortage. When supply runs short over time, escalation follows several stages: first appeals to save, then consumption restrictions and bans, then rationing of large consumers, and – as last resort – cyclical grid shutdowns. Partial grids are each shut down for roughly four hours, then back on; depending on required savings, shutoff and supply phases alternate. Critical infrastructure (hospitals, emergency services, water, communications) is exempted where technically possible. A power station bridges exactly these plannable shutoff windows.

For beginners: Before buying, check what outlet types the power station has and whether your devices (Europlug vs. three-pin Swiss plug) fit directly.

Expert tip: During an announced cyclical shutdown, fully charge the power station in the supply phase and use the solar panel for recharging – so you bridge the 4-hour windows repeatedly without needing fuel.

Worked example: What 1 kWh delivers

A power station with roughly 1 kilowatt-hour (1000 Wh) usable capacity is a common entry size. With ~85% practical efficiency, roughly 850 Wh is available at the 230-volt outlet.

Common mistakes

1. Wanting to run a refrigerator, oven, or space heater continuously on a small power station – consumption quickly exceeds capacity
2. Focusing only on continuous power and forgetting startup/peak power (compressor, motor)
3. Taking panel rated power (Wp) as actual yield – in Swiss winter the panel delivers only a fraction
4. Running a gas generator in a garage, basement, or by an open window (carbon monoxide – lethal)
5. Charging LiFePO4 battery in freezing conditions or storing it for months fully or fully empty in heat
6. Connecting power station or generator to home wiring without professional isolation (backfeeding endangers grid workers)
7. Buying a power station with Schuko outlets without checking whether your Swiss plugs fit

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• EnergieSchweiz Save power & solar
• OSTRAL / FONES Electricity shortage in Switzerland
• Guide: Surviving a power outage Basic preparedness without power
• Guide: Emergency supplies Foundation of preparedness
• Guide: Getting around in an emergency E-car/battery charging – know capacity limits
• Scenario: Energy shortage Understanding planned shutdowns
• Scenario: Solar storm When the grid fails broadly
• Radio: Satellite communication Starlink requires backup power/solar – watt planning & Iridium as power-efficient alternative