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Buying guides & research
Our buying guides are produced by the editorial team. We compare market prices, cross-check manufacturer and standards data and verified customer reviews, and — where we say so explicitly — test devices ourselves, with our own photos and measurements. Links marked (*) are affiliate links; purchases help fund our work without influencing our recommendations.
12V or 24V for a 2000W inverter? We compare current draw (~170A vs ~85A), cable gauge, cost and efficiency — and when 12V is fine vs. when 24V is the clearly better choice.
May 28, 2026
How much battery for a PSPS outage? Shutoffs run 24–72 hours. We size it by load — fridge (~1–2 kWh/day), essentials, whole-home — and explain why solar recharge matters for multi-day outages.
May 28, 2026
What cable size for a 2000W inverter? At 12V the real draw is ~180–200A — we show why 1/0 AWG is the bare minimum (2/0 AWG is safer), how to size the fuse and voltage drop, and how to avoid cable fires.
May 28, 2026
MPPT or PWM? We explain the difference, the efficiency (PWM roughly ~70% vs. MPPT up to ~98%) and when the pricier MPPT controller is worth it — including the important V_OC × 1.25 sizing rule.
May 28, 2026
NEM 3.0 explained: California's Net Billing Tariff (since 2023) pays roughly $0.05/kWh for exported solar but charges up to ~$0.60 at peak. We break down what changed and why a battery now makes the difference.
May 28, 2026
My 2000W DIY solar setup with LiFePO4 battery, MPPT charge controller and a 400 W foldable panel — built for expandable capacity and more kWh per dollar as you scale, not for beating a pre-built on a 2 kWh sticker price. Complete bill of materials, step-by-step wiring, and a side-by-side with EcoFlow DELTA Pro and Jackery Explorer 2000 v2.
May 21, 2026
How my ~$1,800 portable home battery setup works with California's NEM 3.0 export rates, shifts evening Time-of-Use peak usage off the grid, and provides essential-load backup during PSPS outages — without an electrician or utility paperwork.
May 21, 2026