Can a Power Station Run a Microwave?

A microwave’s advertised wattage is its cooking power. A typical “1,000-watt” model pulls about 1,500 W from the outlet. So you need a power station with at least that much continuous output, and ideally some headroom.

Energy isn’t the problem: a 1,000 Wh station gives about 34 min of cooking, enough for many meals.

Running1,500 Wtypical range 1,300–1,500 W
Starting (surge)1,500 Wno startup surge
Average1,500 Wwhile on
Per day0.4 kWhat 0.3 h/day

Runtime by power station

Nonstop runtime for one microwave at 1,500 W average, with 85% inverter efficiency. Models that can't supply its running or starting power are listed separately below.

How long each power station runs a microwave
Power stationBatteryRuntimeBar
Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus5,040 Wh2.9 hours
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 34,096 Wh2.3 hours
Goal Zero Yeti PRO 40003,994 Wh2.3 hours
Anker SOLIX F38003,840 Wh2.2 hours
Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus3,840 Wh2.2 hours
EcoFlow DELTA Pro Older3,600 Wh2 hours
Anker SOLIX F30003,072 Wh1.7 hours
BLUETTI Elite 3003,014 Wh1.7 hours
BLUETTI Apex 3002,765 Wh1.6 hours
BLUETTI Elite 200 V22,074 Wh1.2 hours
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max2,048 Wh1.2 hours
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max Plus2,048 Wh1.2 hours
EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max Older2,048 Wh1.2 hours
BLUETTI AC200L2,048 Wh1.2 hours
BLUETTI AC200MAX Older2,048 Wh1.2 hours
Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 22,048 Wh1.2 hours
Anker SOLIX F2000 (767) Older2,048 Wh1.2 hours
DJI Power 20002,048 Wh1.2 hours
Jackery Explorer 2000 v22,042 Wh1.2 hours
Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Older2,042 Wh1.2 hours
BLUETTI AC200P Older2,000 Wh1.1 hours
Jackery Explorer 1500 v21,536 Wh52 min
Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra1,536 Wh52 min
Goal Zero Yeti 1500X Older1,516 Wh52 min
Goal Zero Yeti 15001,505 Wh51 min
Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus1,264 Wh43 min
Anker SOLIX F1200 (757) Older1,229 Wh42 min
BLUETTI AC1801,152 Wh39 min
Jackery Explorer 1000 v21,070 Wh36 min
Anker SOLIX C10001,056 Wh36 min
EcoFlow DELTA 31,024 Wh35 min
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus1,024 Wh35 min
EcoFlow DELTA 2 Older1,024 Wh35 min
BLUETTI Elite 100 V21,024 Wh35 min
Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 21,024 Wh35 min
DJI Power 10001,024 Wh35 min
Goal Zero Yeti 1000998 Wh34 min

Models that can't run it

Power stationOutputSurgeWhy
Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro1,000 W2,000 WToo much power
Jackery Explorer 10001,000 W2,000 WToo much power
EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro800 W1,600 WToo much power
Anker SOLIX C800 Plus1,200 W—Too much power
BLUETTI EB70S800 W1,400 WToo much power
Goal Zero Yeti 700600 W1,000 WToo much power
DJI Power 5001,000 W—Too much power
Jackery Explorer 300 v2300 W600 WToo much power
Anker SOLIX C300300 W600 WToo much power
EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus600 W1,200 WToo much power
BLUETTI EB3A600 W1,200 WToo much power

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Tips

Questions

What size power station do I need for a microwave?
At least 1,500 W continuous output for a typical 1,000 W microwave. Battery size matters less. Even 500 Wh gives about 15–20 minutes of cooking.

Related

Sources

Wattage figures are typical values from the sources below. Your appliance may differ, so check its label or measure it with a plug-in watt meter.

  1. powerequipment.honda.com/generators/generator-wattage-estimation-guide
  2. dam.generac.com/ImConvServlet/imconv/b807fd2cc096c5464d1d28bc6f16d391f50…
  3. waterrights.utah.gov/sustainability/Appliances.pdf