"Solar battery backup" spans a wider range of products and price points than most buyers realize — from a fully installed whole-home system down to a large portable power station paired with foldable panels.
Tesla Powerwall 3: the installed benchmark
At 13.5kWh and fully integrated with home solar, the Powerwall remains the system most other installed batteries are measured against — see our full cost breakdown for how it and its installed alternatives compare.
Jackery HomePower 3000: the portable alternative
At a fraction of an installed system's cost, a large portable power station paired with solar panels covers essential circuits without permitting, electrical work, or a multi-week installation timeline — the tradeoff is lower total capacity and no permanent whole-panel integration.
Which one is right for you
Go installed if you want automatic whole-home coverage and already have (or plan) rooftop solar; go portable if you want a faster, cheaper path to real backup for essential circuits, or you're renting and can't install a fixed system. Run your essential-circuits list through our wattage calculator to size either option correctly.