Montana power outages: what size power station you need (MT)
In 2025, the average Montana electricity customer lost power for 4.8 hours, across 1.36 outages (EIA). To keep a fridge, router and lights running through one average outage you need about 443 Wh.
One average Montana (MT) outage lasted 3.5 hours (288.1 SAIDI minutes divided by 1.36 SAIFI interruptions). Covering Montana's full 4.8-hour annual outage total without recharging requires 602 Wh. Excluding major storm events, Montana customers averaged 2.3 hours (137.2 minutes) across 1.20 non-storm interruptions, ranking #18 of 51 states for total outage duration (compared with 5.9 hours in 2024).
Three lowest $/Wh stations covering an average Montana outage (443 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 |
Montana residential electricity price and 1,000 Wh grid recharge cost
Montana residential electricity averaged 15.57 cents per kWh in August 2026 (EIA), ranking #33 of 51 US jurisdictions (compared with 14.29 cents per kWh in August 2025). At Montana's 15.57 ¢/kWh tariff and 85% AC charging efficiency (18.32 ¢ per stored kWh), fully recharging a 1,000 Wh power station from a Montana wall outlet costs $0.18.
Solar panel output near Billings, MT and 200 W recharge time
1 kW of fixed panels near Billings makes about 2.40 kWh per day in December and 5.34 in June (NREL PVWatts). Recharging a depleted 1,000 Wh power station from a 200 W solar panel near Billings, MT (45.78°N, -108.50°W) at 90% MPPT charge efficiency takes 2.3 days in December (432 Wh/day net solar harvest, ranking #34 of 51 for winter sun) and 1.0 days in June (961 Wh/day net solar harvest).
Monthly solar yield near Billings, MT (1 kW DC array)
| Month | Billings 1 kW monthly (kWh) | Billings 1 kW daily (kWh/day) | 200 W panel net harvest (Wh/day) | Days to refill 1,000 Wh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January (Billings, MT) | 91.9 kWh | 2.97 kWh/day | 534 Wh | 1.9 d |
| February (Billings, MT) | 106.4 kWh | 3.80 kWh/day | 684 Wh | 1.5 d |
| March (Billings, MT) | 131.4 kWh | 4.24 kWh/day | 763 Wh | 1.3 d |
| April (Billings, MT) | 133.1 kWh | 4.44 kWh/day | 798 Wh | 1.3 d |
| May (Billings, MT) | 146.4 kWh | 4.72 kWh/day | 850 Wh | 1.2 d |
| June (Billings, MT) | 160.2 kWh | 5.34 kWh/day | 961 Wh | 1.0 d |
| July (Billings, MT) | 179.7 kWh | 5.80 kWh/day | 1043 Wh | 1.0 d |
| August (Billings, MT) | 169.7 kWh | 5.47 kWh/day | 985 Wh | 1.0 d |
| September (Billings, MT) | 151.3 kWh | 5.04 kWh/day | 908 Wh | 1.1 d |
| October (Billings, MT) | 119.7 kWh | 3.86 kWh/day | 695 Wh | 1.4 d |
| November (Billings, MT) | 91.9 kWh | 3.06 kWh/day | 552 Wh | 1.8 d |
| December (Billings, MT) | 74.4 kWh | 2.40 kWh/day | 432 Wh | 2.3 d |
Data sources and verification dates for Montana
- Montana outage duration and frequency: EIA Electric Power Annual, Table 11.3 (2025 and 2024) (Montana SAIDI with major events: 288.1 minutes; SAIFI with major events: 1.36 interruptions; 73.4% of Montana customers reported; fetched 2026-11-06).
- Montana residential electricity price: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (August 2026) (Montana residential retail rate: 15.57 cents per kWh in August 2026; fetched 2026-11-06).
- Billings, Montana solar irradiance and DC yield: NREL PVWatts V8 (NREL PVWatts V8 / NASA POWER Tilted Irradiance Climatology (1 kW DC, tilt=lat, losses=14%)) (reference city: Billings, MT at 45.7833°N, -108.5007°W; fetched 2026-11-06).
Compare Montana against all 50 US states and DC on the state outage and solar hub.