What Can a 10000-Watt Generator Run and How Much It Costs

What Is A 10000W Generator?

Natural disasters can happen anytime, from a storm lasting for a few days to a hurricane damaging the infrastructure in the area. While we cannot control these natural calamities, a reliable 10000-watt generator can help you keep appliances charged for long hours. There are different types of generators available, including gas, propane, and solar.

The 10000-watt gas or propane generators emit noise and toxic fumes while working — and are less preferred. On the other hand, solar generators use clean and safe energy. They do not emit any toxic fumes or noise, which is why solar generators can be used both indoors and outdoors. The watts of the generator will directly depend on the type and number of appliances that need to be charged.

Starting Watts: Sometimes called surge watts, it is the amount of power an appliance requires to start. It's typically higher than running watts.

Running Watts: Also called rated watts, it is the amount of power needed to keep appliances running.

Surge Wattage: It is typically the highest amount of wattage that the generator can produce. The Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Double Kit has a high surge wattage that's double its rated wattage to charge heavy-duty appliances efficiently.

Watt-Hour: It is the amount of power generated by the generator. Mathematically, one watt-hour equals one watt of output generated in one hour.

What Size Generator Do I Need?

If you've ever wondered what size generator do I need, the first step is to figure out how much power or wattage you need. This includes the power required to start the equipment (starting wattage) and keep it running for a relatively long time (running wattage). Here are the simple steps to size the generator:

Step 1: To begin with, choose and list the essential appliances that you'd like to power with the generator. You can find the watts on the user manual or the appliance itself. Note the running and starting wattage consumption of all the devices you want to charge.

If you cannot find an appliance's wattage consumption, multiply volts by amps to get watts.

Step 2: Next, add all the running wattage of the appliances you are planning to charge at the same time. This number will be the total running watts the generator needs to deliver to the appliances.

Step 3: Choose the device with the highest starting wattage and add that number to the total running watts. The obtained number will be the minimum starting wattage of a generator.

Here's the wattage chart that reveals common appliances that you need to charge with the generator.

What Can a 10000-Watt Generator Run?

A 10000-watt inverter generator falls into the category of large generators and can run several large appliances, such as heaters, several lights, well pumps, sump pumps, refrigerators, air conditioners, and kitchen appliances like toasters or coffee makers. Here, we will reveal what a 10000W generator can run in different scenarios.

Will a 10000-watt Generator Run a House?

Yes, a 10000-watt generator for a house can handle many home appliances in the event of a power outage, like a modem/router, refrigerator, lights, window AC, TV, computer, phone charger, etc. In general, this unit can handle most household appliances, power tools, and camping appliances for a relatively longer time.

Work Site

A 10000-watt running generator can also supply enough power to most portable or contractor-duty electric tools, including circular saws, table saws, portable air compressors, bench grinders, electric leaf blowers, and electric drills. If you want to run multiple power tools simultaneously, it is essential to consider the surge power required by the power tools.

Off-Grid Living

10000 watts is a lot of power — and the unit can help you charge many off-grid appliances like refrigerators, stoves, heaters, TVs, well pumps, etc. On average, an off-grid home uses around 5000-7000 watt-hours per day. For this reason, a 10000-watt generator is enough to meet the needs of most off-grid homes.

Jackery 10000W Generator

Jackery does not offer a 10000W or 10kW system, but there's an expandable Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Portable Power Station that can meet your power needs. It has a battery capacity of 2042.8Wh and can be expanded up to 24kWh with Jackery Battery Pack 2000 Plus. You can build up to a 6000W generator by combining two Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Portable Power in parallel. If you want to expand the battery backup further, you can attach 5*Jackery Battery Pack 2000 Plus to each Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Portable Power Station and build a 24kWh solar generator.

Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Double Kit (6000W/240V/4kWh)

The Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Double Kit combines 2*Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Portable Power Station to obtain a power capacity of 4085.6Wh and a rated capacity of 6000W. It has a LiFePO4 battery with a 10-year lifespan, so you can enjoy free solar power for years. When you purchase this Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Double Kit, you get the parallel connector to combine these batteries and supply continuous electricity.

Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit (3000W/120V/6kWh + 2*SolarSaga 200W Solar Panels)

The Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit (6kWh) combines 1*Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Portable Power Station, 2*Jackery Battery Pack 2000 Plus, and 2*Jackery SolarSaga 200W Solar Panels. It has a power capacity of 6128.4Wh and can charge 99% of home or worksite appliances. Whether you want to power appliances during extended blackouts or off-grid living, the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit (6kWh) has covered your needs.

Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit (3000W/120V/24kWh + 6*Jackery SolarSaga 200W Solar Panels)

The Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit (24kWh) combines 2*Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Portable Power Station, 10*Jackery Battery Pack 2000 Plus, and 6*Jackery SolarSaga 200W Solar Panels. This unit has around 24kWh capacity and supports two weeks of home backup. It is ideal for home emergencies and off-grid living. With a 20ms EPS, most essential appliances like CPAP machines and refrigerators stay charged in the blink of an eye during an extended power outage.

Customer Review

"I purchased this for my camping needs when power is unavailable at campsites for use with my Class A, pop-up, and truck camping. The Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus powered me through the night with the heat, general lighting, and power to spare the following morning. Once noise restrictions were lifted, I could recharge plug into my RV with the generator running in less than the 2 hours expected and or recharge and maintain with the 2 panels that came with my system." — Chris K.

How Many Appliances Can a 10000-Watt Generator Run?

A 10000-watt generator can run most large appliances at home or a wide range of power tools on a job site. But what will a 10000-watt generator run? You can operate the freezer, refrigerator, lights, sump pump, and window AC, which typically require high power. However, the total number of appliances you can run at the same time will depend on the wattage consumption of each. The simple way to calculate how many appliances a 10000-watt generator can run is by adding all the running wattage and the highest starting watts of the devices you plan to use at the same time.

How Long Will a 10000-Watt Generator Run on Propane?

A 10000-watt propane generator burns 34,000 BTU per hour when working at full output. If you are not using the 10000-watt dual fuel generator at full output all the time, the consumption and electricity use will be slower. A 20 lb propane tank might last for about 9.5 hours.

How Many Amps Is a 10000-Watt Generator?

A 10000-watt generator rental provides approximately 83.3 amps at 120V or 41.7 amps at 240V. If you want to calculate the amps of the generator, you can divide watts by volts.

Amps = Watts (W) / Volts (V) 

Let's take the Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Portable Power Station as an example to understand better:

It has a battery capacity of 2042.8Wh and is operated with a voltage of 44.8V DC. The amp-hour can be calculated as follows:

Amp-hour = 2042.8Wh / 44.8V = 45.6Ah.

How Many Solar Panels Are Needed for 10000 Watts?

The number of solar panels needed for a 10000W system will depend on their size. If you've smaller solar panels in watt size, you'll need more panels for a 10000W system. For example, if it is a 200W solar panel, the required number will be:

Number of Solar Panels = 10000W ÷ 200W = 50 panels

If you have a small space, it's best to pick a solar generator instead of a solar panel system. Jackery Solar Generators consist of high-quality Jackery Explorer Portable Power Stations and Jackery SolarSaga Solar Panels. If you want to build a larger solar generator, consider the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit (6000W/240V/24kWh + 6*Jackery SolarSaga 200W Solar Panels). This solar generator unit can be expanded to 24kWh by connecting the 10 Jackery Battery Pack 2000 Plus with the Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Double Kit.

How Much Does a 10000-Watt Solar System Cost?

The price of the best 10000-watt generator ranges anywhere between $20000-$35000, depending on the state you live in. Here's a table revealing the cost of different solar generator components:

Source: Based on a 2021 study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

The Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit with 6kWh capacity costs only $6,499. If you want a larger solar system, consider the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit with 24kWh capacity, which costs around $22,499. These units are affordable compared to purchasing different components of a 10kW solar system.

Conclusion

A 10000-watt generator can run several appliances simultaneously to power an entire home. Since purchasing a 10000W generator can be a considerable investment, you'll need to consider a few factors like capacity, input/output ports, weight, and size to choose the solar power system that meets your needs.

A 10kW generator is a decent-sized generator for camping, residential, and worksite applications. If you want a decent solar generator for your home or outdoors, the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit (6kWh) might be the right fit.

On the other hand, if you wish to choose the larger power solution for various scenarios, the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit (24kWh) is great. They can charge 99% of home or outdoor appliances for a relatively long time.