South Carolina power outages: what size power station you need (SC)
In 2025, the average South Carolina electricity customer lost power for 2.5 hours, across 1.25 outages (EIA). To keep a fridge, router and lights running through one average outage you need about 252 Wh.
One average South Carolina (SC) outage lasted 2.0 hours (151.1 SAIDI minutes divided by 1.25 SAIFI interruptions). Covering South Carolina's full 2.5-hour annual outage total without recharging requires 316 Wh. Excluding major storm events, South Carolina customers averaged 1.7 hours (103.6 minutes) across 1.06 non-storm interruptions, ranking #42 of 51 states for total outage duration (compared with 52.3 hours in 2024).
Three lowest $/Wh stations covering an average South Carolina outage (252 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 |
South Carolina residential electricity price and 1,000 Wh grid recharge cost
South Carolina residential electricity averaged 15.76 cents per kWh in August 2026 (EIA), ranking #32 of 51 US jurisdictions (compared with 15.16 cents per kWh in August 2025). At South Carolina's 15.76 ¢/kWh tariff and 85% AC charging efficiency (18.54 ¢ per stored kWh), fully recharging a 1,000 Wh power station from a South Carolina wall outlet costs $0.19.
Solar panel output near Charleston, SC and 200 W recharge time
1 kW of fixed panels near Charleston makes about 3.18 kWh per day in December and 5.14 in June (NREL PVWatts). Recharging a depleted 1,000 Wh power station from a 200 W solar panel near Charleston, SC (32.78°N, -79.93°W) at 90% MPPT charge efficiency takes 1.7 days in December (573 Wh/day net solar harvest, ranking #17 of 51 for winter sun) and 1.1 days in June (926 Wh/day net solar harvest).
Monthly solar yield near Charleston, SC (1 kW DC array)
| Month | Charleston 1 kW monthly (kWh) | Charleston 1 kW daily (kWh/day) | 200 W panel net harvest (Wh/day) | Days to refill 1,000 Wh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January (Charleston, SC) | 105.8 kWh | 3.41 kWh/day | 614 Wh | 1.6 d |
| February (Charleston, SC) | 107.6 kWh | 3.84 kWh/day | 692 Wh | 1.4 d |
| March (Charleston, SC) | 142.2 kWh | 4.59 kWh/day | 826 Wh | 1.2 d |
| April (Charleston, SC) | 161.3 kWh | 5.38 kWh/day | 968 Wh | 1.0 d |
| May (Charleston, SC) | 166.4 kWh | 5.37 kWh/day | 966 Wh | 1.0 d |
| June (Charleston, SC) | 154.3 kWh | 5.14 kWh/day | 926 Wh | 1.1 d |
| July (Charleston, SC) | 156.7 kWh | 5.05 kWh/day | 910 Wh | 1.1 d |
| August (Charleston, SC) | 150.6 kWh | 4.86 kWh/day | 874 Wh | 1.1 d |
| September (Charleston, SC) | 136.6 kWh | 4.55 kWh/day | 819 Wh | 1.2 d |
| October (Charleston, SC) | 139.7 kWh | 4.51 kWh/day | 811 Wh | 1.2 d |
| November (Charleston, SC) | 115.0 kWh | 3.83 kWh/day | 690 Wh | 1.4 d |
| December (Charleston, SC) | 98.6 kWh | 3.18 kWh/day | 573 Wh | 1.7 d |
Data sources and verification dates for South Carolina
- South Carolina outage duration and frequency: EIA Electric Power Annual, Table 11.3 (2025 and 2024) (South Carolina SAIDI with major events: 151.1 minutes; SAIFI with major events: 1.25 interruptions; 98.7% of South Carolina customers reported; fetched 2026-11-06).
- South Carolina residential electricity price: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (August 2026) (South Carolina residential retail rate: 15.76 cents per kWh in August 2026; fetched 2026-11-06).
- Charleston, South Carolina 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: Charleston, SC at 32.7765°N, -79.9311°W; fetched 2026-11-06).
Compare South Carolina against all 50 US states and DC on the state outage and solar hub.