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What size solar generator do you need to run a refrigerator?

The most common question during a blackout is: “How do I keep my food from spoiling?”
Running a full-size kitchen refrigerator off a battery is possible, but you cannot use a small “phone charger” sized unit. You need a generator that can handle the massive Surge Wattage when the compressor kicks on.

To run a standard fridge for 10–24 hours, you generally need a unit with at least 1,000Wh of capacity and 1,500W of AC output.


Fridges pull 3x–4x their rated power when the motor starts (Surge).

Standard fridge consumption: ~50–100 watts per hour (averaged).

Minimum Battery Size: 1000Wh (Delta 2 or Jackery 1000).

The “Compressor Surge” Trap

Your fridge might say “Rated Current: 1.5 Amps” (about 180 Watts). However, for a split second every time the cooling cycle starts, it can spike to 1,200 Watts.

If you buy a small 500-watt generator, this spike will trip the overload protection and shut the unit down instantly. You must buy a generator with a high AC Inverter rating (1,500W+) to absorb this spike safely.

How long will it run?

A modern Energy Star fridge uses about 1,000 to 1,500 Watt-hours per day.

1,000Wh Battery: Runs a fridge for 10–14 hours.

2,000Wh Battery: Runs a fridge for 24–30 hours.

Tip: If you keep the door closed and only run the generator for 45 minutes every 3 hours, you can double these times.

Best Units for Kitchen Backup

The 24-Hour Solution: EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max

2,048Wh capacity. This unit is the sweet spot. It will run almost any fridge for a full day and night without needing a recharge.

The 10-Hour Solution: EcoFlow DELTA 2

1,024Wh capacity. Enough to get you through an overnight outage or keep the fridge cool while you recharge via solar during the day.

The Heavy Duty: Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus

Massive capacity and wheels to move it around. If you also want to run a microwave or coffee maker, get this one.

Related pages

Jackery vs. EcoFlow

Comparing the brands behind these generators.

Portable Solar Panels

You need at least 200W of solar input to keep up with a fridge’s power usage.

Gas vs. Solar

If the outage lasts a week, a gas generator is much cheaper to run.

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