An alternative to generators: Ukrainians turn to portable power stations en masse. Demand, prices, availability in stock

Placing a generator in an apartment is not a very good idea. First, the problem with the removal of exhaust fumes from the room needs to be solved. Second, the noise level of this working gadget is simply sky high. A more convenient alternative for use in apartments may be portable charging stations. In theory. And what happens in practice? Are these gadgets really in great demand among Ukrainians now? How much has the cost "rocketed"? Are there enough goods in stock now? When does it make sense to buy a power station and how to pick the right one for your personal needs? Mind asked experts of three retail chains – Epicentr, ALLO and Citrus –  to explain all this. The editors have also monitored the prices of the most popular models in Ukraine and abroad.

What is it actually? In layman's terms, a portable power station (PPS) is a powerful power bank with a capacity of 50,000 to 1 million mAh. Unlike a conventional power bank, the PPS has both USB ports and 220V sockets. That is, you can charge not only smartphones, but also house and computer equipment, routers, flashlights, etc.

"The power station is needful in cases when you need to recharge several pieces of equipment and when everything at home is ‘bound’ on electricity. After all, gas boilers, electric kettles, laptops, water heaters, etc. can be connected to it. This is to avoid being left not only without lights, but also without heat and basic comfort during rolling or emergency power outages", explains Valentyna Komarova, Marketing Director at Citrus.

How is the power station powered itself? Depending on the model, it can be charged from a socket or solar panels. You can also use the car cigar socket at worst.

How much has the demand for portable power stations has risen in retail chains? Oleksandr Velychko, Director of the СeTe appliance centres of the Epicentr chain, says that the demand increased significantly after 10 October when bombardments of the Ukrainian energy system began: "Virtually all the stock in our network was sold out. And the demand has soared more than 30 times compared to 2021. However, I would like to note that last year the Ukrainian consumer was not so aware of this category of goods so far. Power stations is a very 'young' group of products, a noticeable demand for which has emerged only now."

In Citrus, the first peak surge in sales also occurred after the 10 October attack. "Back then many energy facilities were damaged, rolling blackouts were set up and many people faced the need to adjust to the new conditions. Over the past month, the demand for this group of goods has increased by more than 200% and is still at a high level", said Valentyna Komarova.

ALLO has been recording a significant growth in sales since July. "The demand for power stations on our marketplace appeared this year –  exactly during the war. Previously, Ukrainians used mostly power banks. Customers began to buy charging stations in May 2022, and a rapid surge in sales occurred in November: in less than a month, twice as many have already been sold as in October. In July, sales increased 2.7 times compared to June, and in September – almost 4.5 times compared to August," explains Denys Koretsky, Head of Marketplace Department at ALLO.

What is the size of this market in Ukraine today? Retail chains have not publicised the total number of PPSs sold and the turnover yet. "No analytical company currently collects sales data in the Ukrainian market," explains Oleksandr Velychko.

Who is the buyer and for which purposes? Epicentr says that charging stations were positioned as a camping product prior to the war. It was convenient to put the gadget in the car and fully use all your devices outdoors.

Now the user profile has changed. "There are several categories of consumers who are interested in buying charging equipment. Electricity outages affect both residents and businesses. The main needs in the residential sector are providing lighting to the room, charging gadgets, kettles, refrigerators, boilers, TV sets and routers. Quite a large amount of products is also used to support the viability of the business. Chargers are bought for offices to ensure the work of staff," Oleksandr Velychko explains.

ALLO specifies: power supply units are most often purchased in Kyiv (more than half of the orders), Kharkiv is second, followed by Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa provinces. 83% of buyers are men; 67% of sales account for customers aged 24-38.

Is there enough product in stock now? Citrus says they analyse the demand and try to keep the situation under control to avoid deficits. "All the merchandise is supplied, but we advise to pre-order," Valentina Komarova said.

Epicentr says there is really a shortage of goods. "To meet the demand, we look for new manufacturers, expand the range of stations and accessories (additional batteries, solar panels). We receive a large number of tender and corporate requests. Therefore, it is not uncommon for goods to be purchased in the course of transit to the shopping mall," explains Oleksandr Velychko.

What is in the selection of portable power stations? According to Hotline, over 10 brands are currently available in Ukraine: Bandera Power (Ukraine), Dzherelo (Ukraine), Bluetti (Germany), Jackery (USA), EcoFlow (China), Xtorm (Netherlands), DEDRA (Poland), Goal Zero (USA), Anker (China), Flashfish (China), WellCharger (China).

Only three foreign manufacturers (Bluetti, Jackery and EcoFlow) have official suppliers in our country. Epicentr is going to expand this list: "As a result of active search, we found solutions that were recently presented as novelties at international exhibitions. Therefore, the number of suppliers and brands on our shelves will increase." The name of the brand(s) has not been made public yet.

So, how should a consumer pick up the appropriate PPS depending on the number of devices to be charged and the time of rolling blackout? For not to "blow your mind" when choosing, experts advise to pay attention to several parameters. "Power stations have three most important characteristics: built-in battery capacity, maximum and peak output power. You should also consider the type of batteries, plugs and charging time," explains Valentyna Komarova.

Epicentr suggests using a formula for calculation. "In order to properly select the charging system, you should first decide what exactly you plan to connect to it and how long it should juice up your devices. The wattage a device consumes per hour is indicated on it. Summing up the wattage in the apartment will give you the total amount of electricity consumption. By dividing the battery capacity by the total power consumed by your devices, you will get the time the charging station will last for",  Oleksandr Velychko explains.

Citrus has produced a particular video manual for selecting a power station for the specific needs of the consumer

So, the power stations can be divided into three categories:

Low-power (up to 700 watts). They are good for powering devices that "eat up" little energy: laptops, routers, refrigerators, TVs, gas boiler pumps, LED lamps, etc. If it is important for the client to use also an electric kettle, for instance, that consumes about 2000 W, such a PPS will not work. Although now there are "energy-efficient" 700-watt kettles .

Medium-power (up to 2 kW). These stations are able to power more "voracious" electric kettles, water heaters, microwaves, washing machines, etc.

High-power (up to 5 kW). This is an all-inclusive of sorts: you can maintain a lot of equipment at once.

And the running time of these devices depends on the amount of amperes (battery capacity). For example, according to a review by a user, his 57,600 mAh PPS can juice up a laptop (30-50 W) and a 4K monitor (30 W) for 3.5-4 hours.

	Model	Power, W	Capacity*	Minimal price in Ukraine, UAH	Price at manufacturer's site/Polish marketplaces
	Dzherelo 186	200	186,000 mAh or 660 Wh	21,400	no data
	DEDRA DEZS0300	300	20,000 mAh	23,299	$451
Low-power	Xtorm Power Station XP300U 300W 281Wh	300	78,000 mAh	23,600	$420
	Goal Zero Yeti 500X	300	505 Wh	50,500	$545
	Jackery Explorer 240EU	400	no data	21,795	$298
	Bandera Power 180	500	180000 mAh	26,770 (для ЗСУ – 20,865)	same
	Bluetti EB3A Portable Power Station	600	268 Wh	24,300	299 euros
Medium-power
	Bluetti PowerOak EB70 Portable Power Station 1000W 716Wh	1,000	716 Wh	47,900	699 euros
	Jackery Explorer 1000EU	1,000	no data	60,984	$1,339
	Xtorm XP1300 1300W 1254 Wh	1,300	392000	69,500	no data
	Goal Zero Yeti 1000X	1,500	983 Wh	115,800	$1,299
	Bandera Power 225 S	1,500	225,000	39,690 (29,518 for the military)	same
High-power
	Goal Zero Yeti 1500X	2,000	1,516 Wh	130,000	$1,799
	Bluetti EP500	2,000	5,100 Wh	240,000	4,599
	Jackery Explorer 2000 Pro	2,200	no data	114,954	$2,298

* Some manufacturers indicate the capacity in mAh, others in Wh

** The minimum price is not constant. Mind observed the price of some models increasing in the course of the monitoring

Source: Hotline, data by manufacturers

Will prices for power stations continue to rise? Hotline says, this year's price hikes coincide with the rise of the currency exchange rates and surges in demand for these gadgets.

Source: Hotline

Valentyna Komarova from Citrus says that prices have increased by about 20% over the past 10 months: "The dollar has increased significantly since the beginning of the war and logistics is very complicated in the current conditions, and all the merchandise is 100% imported."

Epicentr also says that prices have risen given the increase in foreign exchange rates, because power stations are imported to Ukraine: "For our part, we negotiate with suppliers to keep prices at an affordable level."

Since 8 November, prices for some models in the Hotline monitoring have started to fall. On this day, the Cabinet of Ministers resoluted to free generators, transformers, heaters and other goods important for the heating season from VAT and import duties. Therefore, we can expect "discounts" on new consignments.

Source: Hotline

Read also: Buying a generator: Types available, difference between diesel and petrol ones, comparing them, their prices and capacity

Therefore, Poland is probably the most optimal and cost-effective choice of the supplier country, which has offices of Ukrainian postal operators. You can calculate the approximate cost of delivery on this service Nova Poshta Shopping. For example, delivery of cargo weighing 5.5 kg (this is the smallest PPS weight) will cost about 1200 UAH. The Mist Express rates are slightly lower: about 10 euros for 5.5 kg.