The numbers
| Per day | 0.3–1.5 kWh |
|---|---|
| While running | 400–1,800 W (a drill up to a circular or miter saw) |
| Starting surge (plan for) | up to about 3,600 W |
Big watts in short bursts. Saws can pull about twice their running watts as they spin up, so the inverter's surge rating matters more than battery size.
Tip: An air compressor starts hardest: a 1 HP one can need about 4,500 W for a moment.
Answer a few taps in a guide and every page like this shows the numbers for your own setup. Start
Running it on solar
At typical use (about 0.9 kWh a day), it takes about 2 panels (400 W each) to keep up through a dark winter, plus batteries for the nights.
Sized for a dark winter. Set your location · Size a whole system
How long a battery runs it
On its own, at typical use:
Questions people ask
How long will a power station run a power tool?
A 2 kWh power station runs it for about 1.8 days on its own, at typical use, if it can start it: check that its output covers about 3,600 W for a moment. Bigger batteries scale up from there.
How many solar panels does it take to run a power tool?
About 2 panels (400 W each) keep up with typical use (0.9 kWh a day) through a dark winter, on its own, plus batteries for the nights.
How big a battery runs a power tool for a day?
About 1.1 kWh of battery covers a full day at typical use (0.9 kWh), allowing for losses.
Power it for good
Want it running through outages, or off-grid for good? The guides size everything around what you run.
Typical ranges for planning, from US Department of Energy appliance estimates, nameplate ratings and owner measurements. Your model's label or a plug-in meter gives your exact number. More: How much power do you use?