Illinois power outages: what size power station you need (IL)
In 2025, the average Illinois electricity customer lost power for 2.4 hours, across 0.87 outages (EIA). To keep a fridge, router and lights running through one average outage you need about 346 Wh.
One average Illinois (IL) outage lasted 2.8 hours (144.5 SAIDI minutes divided by 0.87 SAIFI interruptions). Covering Illinois's full 2.4-hour annual outage total without recharging requires 302 Wh. Excluding major storm events, Illinois customers averaged 1.0 hours (62.1 minutes) across 0.70 non-storm interruptions, ranking #43 of 51 states for total outage duration (compared with 2.6 hours in 2024).
Three lowest $/Wh stations covering an average Illinois outage (346 Wh)
| $/Wh | Price | Capacity (Wh) | Output (W) | Chemistry | Product | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.08 | $149 | 1,920 Wh | 2,500 W | LiFePO4 | ALLPOWERS R2500 V2 + SE160 160W Solar Panel Solar Generator Kit | Buy at ALLPOWERS Store for $149 |
| $0.29 | $899 | 3,072 Wh | 3,600 W | LiFePO4 | Pecron F3000LFP Portable Power Station 3600W 3072Wh | Buy at Pecron Store for $899 |
| $0.31 | $629 | 2,048 Wh | 2,400 W | LiFePO4 | FOSSiBOT F2400 Portable Power Station | Buy at FOSSiBOT Store for $629 |
Illinois residential electricity price and 1,000 Wh grid recharge cost
Illinois residential electricity averaged 19.32 cents per kWh in August 2026 (EIA), ranking #18 of 51 US jurisdictions (compared with 18.03 cents per kWh in August 2025). At Illinois's 19.32 ¢/kWh tariff and 85% AC charging efficiency (22.73 ¢ per stored kWh), fully recharging a 1,000 Wh power station from a Illinois wall outlet costs $0.23.
Solar panel output near Chicago, IL and 200 W recharge time
1 kW of fixed panels near Chicago makes about 2.38 kWh per day in December and 4.49 in June (NREL PVWatts). Recharging a depleted 1,000 Wh power station from a 200 W solar panel near Chicago, IL (41.88°N, -87.63°W) at 90% MPPT charge efficiency takes 2.3 days in December (429 Wh/day net solar harvest, ranking #35 of 51 for winter sun) and 1.2 days in June (809 Wh/day net solar harvest).
Monthly solar yield near Chicago, IL (1 kW DC array)
| Month | Chicago 1 kW monthly (kWh) | Chicago 1 kW daily (kWh/day) | 200 W panel net harvest (Wh/day) | Days to refill 1,000 Wh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January (Chicago, IL) | 83.4 kWh | 2.69 kWh/day | 484 Wh | 2.1 d |
| February (Chicago, IL) | 100.5 kWh | 3.59 kWh/day | 646 Wh | 1.5 d |
| March (Chicago, IL) | 118.4 kWh | 3.82 kWh/day | 687 Wh | 1.5 d |
| April (Chicago, IL) | 128.8 kWh | 4.29 kWh/day | 773 Wh | 1.3 d |
| May (Chicago, IL) | 131.7 kWh | 4.25 kWh/day | 765 Wh | 1.3 d |
| June (Chicago, IL) | 134.8 kWh | 4.49 kWh/day | 809 Wh | 1.2 d |
| July (Chicago, IL) | 148.9 kWh | 4.80 kWh/day | 865 Wh | 1.2 d |
| August (Chicago, IL) | 138.1 kWh | 4.45 kWh/day | 802 Wh | 1.2 d |
| September (Chicago, IL) | 129.3 kWh | 4.31 kWh/day | 776 Wh | 1.3 d |
| October (Chicago, IL) | 108.6 kWh | 3.50 kWh/day | 631 Wh | 1.6 d |
| November (Chicago, IL) | 86.3 kWh | 2.88 kWh/day | 518 Wh | 1.9 d |
| December (Chicago, IL) | 73.9 kWh | 2.38 kWh/day | 429 Wh | 2.3 d |
Data sources and verification dates for Illinois
- Illinois outage duration and frequency: EIA Electric Power Annual, Table 11.3 (2025 and 2024) (Illinois SAIDI with major events: 144.5 minutes; SAIFI with major events: 0.87 interruptions; 97% of Illinois customers reported; fetched 2026-11-06).
- Illinois residential electricity price: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (August 2026) (Illinois residential retail rate: 19.32 cents per kWh in August 2026; fetched 2026-11-06).
- Chicago, Illinois solar irradiance and DC yield: NREL PVWatts V8 (NSRDB PSM V3 GOES tmy-2020 3.2.0) (reference city: Chicago, IL at 41.8781°N, -87.6298°W; fetched 2026-11-06).
Compare Illinois against all 50 US states and DC on the state outage and solar hub.