Indiana is one of the few states split down the middle by two different grid operators: much of it falls under MISO, while a slice sits in PJM, the seam running right through a state where a single line of storms can hit both. The state found out just how bad that can get on 29 June 2012, when a fast-moving derecho tore across the Midwest and knocked out power to about 177,000 Duke Energy Indiana customers, more than a third of the utility’s entire customer base, in a matter of minutes, with no warning beyond a line of thunderstorms on the radar. AES Indiana, NIPSCO, and CenterPoint crews faced their own damage that same night. If you’re comparing Indiana solar quotes, it’s worth knowing that a grid-tied rooftop system shuts off in that outage too, unless you also have battery storage, so keeping the essentials on comes down to having the right backup on hand.
The June 2012 derecho, and what it left behind
The storm that hit Indiana that night was part of the same Ohio Valley/Mid-Atlantic derecho that eventually knocked out power to roughly five million people from Chicago to the mid-Atlantic coast. In Indiana, Duke Energy alone reported 177,000 customers dark, more than 150 miles of damaged line, and over 200 utility poles snapped or destroyed. Fort Wayne recorded the highest wind gust ever measured there in June or July, a sign of how unusual the intensity was for a storm with no rotation and no hurricane behind it. Restoration stretched over several days in the worst-hit neighborhoods, and it landed during a summer heat wave: the same combination that made the same derecho dangerous in Ohio and Maryland that week.
Storms from every direction, all year
The 2012 derecho is the standout, but it’s one entry in a long list. Spring and summer bring thunderstorms, tornado outbreaks, and fast-moving derechos that flatten trees onto lines across the flat farmland, while winter ice storms coat conductors and snap limbs from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne to Evansville. There’s no single season to prepare for and no one utility that gets you back faster, so it helps to plan for a few days on your own rather than count on how quickly a crew can reach your street. Our Ohio and Kentucky guides cover the same seam-state weather pattern in the neighboring states.
What it takes to keep the core of your home on
Most homes overestimate the job. A refrigerator runs around 150W, ten LED bulbs about 50W together, a router near 10W, and phone charging about 20W. Add a fan or a couple of chargers and you’re near 300W of steady draw: enough to keep food cold, phones alive, and a room lit through the worst of an outage.
HomePower 3000 (panels included): current price at Jackery
How long each Jackery runs an Indiana home’s essentials
Size against energy per day, not the wattage on the label.
| Load | Typical draw | Energy per day |
|---|---|---|
| Fridge/freezer | ~150W running (cycling) | ~1,200Wh |
| Furnace blower + ignition (winter) | ~400 to 600W while running | ~2,500 to 4,000Wh in cold weather |
| Wi-Fi router | ~10W | ~240Wh |
| LED lights (ten bulbs) | ~50W | ~300Wh (6 hrs) |
| Phone and laptop charging | ~20 to 60W | ~150 to 250Wh |
| Box fan (summer derecho aftermath) | ~60 to 100W | ~500 to 800Wh |
| Window AC (summer outage) | ~900 to 1,200W running | ~4,000 to 6,000Wh |
| Space heater | 1,500W | Not recommended |
Fridge, Wi-Fi, lights, and phones come to roughly 1,900Wh a day. Add a furnace blower in winter, or a window AC after a summer derecho, and the day runs closer to 5,000 to 6,000Wh.
HomePower 3000. At 3,072Wh it covers fridge, Wi-Fi, lights, and phones for one to two days per charge, plus whatever a clear day puts back through the included panels. It is 120V only and not expandable.
HomePower 3600 Plus. 3,584Wh and 3,600W, expandable to 21kWh, which gives enough stored energy for a multi-day derecho or ice-storm outage, even with the furnace blower or a window AC running.
Solar Generator 5000 Plus. 5,040Wh, 7,200W, 120V and 240V, expandable to 60kWh: the only one of the three that runs central AC or a 240V well pump.
| Unit | Capacity / output | Best for in Indiana | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomePower 3000 | 3,072Wh · 3,600W · panels included | Essentials for 1 to 2 days of a derecho, tornado outbreak, or ice storm | Check the price |
| HomePower 3600 Plus | 3,584Wh · 3,600W · to 21kWh | A multi-day outage like the 2012 derecho, furnace on a transfer switch | Check the price |
| Solar Generator 5000 Plus | 5,040Wh · 7,200W · 120V/240V · to 60kWh | Central AC or a well pump on a rural feeder that's last to be restored | Check the price |
HomePower 3600 Plus (expandable to 21kWh): specs and price at Jackery
How a battery compares with a gas generator
A gas generator is the familiar choice, but it has real drawbacks in an ice-bound Indiana winter or after a derecho that leaves the whole street without fuel for days. It runs at 60 to 90 decibels, needs fuel you may not be able to reach on downed-tree-blocked roads, and vents exhaust that is deadly indoors. A Jackery LiFePO4 station runs near 30 decibels, and produces zero emissions, so it can be used inside with the doors shut.
Solar generator vs gas generator for an Indiana outage
- Indoor safety and carbon monoxide. A battery station vents nothing and runs in a utility room with the house sealed. A gas generator sits outside, well away from windows.
- Noise. About 30 decibels versus 60 to 90: noticeable on a whole street of neighbors running generators after a derecho.
- Warning time. A tornado watch or ice-storm forecast gives hours to a day of notice: charge the battery then. A gas generator still needs fuel bought and stored ahead of the run on gas stations that follows every big storm.
- Cold starting. Push a button, or fight a pull cord in a January freeze.
- Maintenance. Oil, carburetor, and monthly test runs for gas. A monthly top-up for the battery.
- What gas still does better. A very long outage with no sun, and whole-house 240V at a lower upfront cost.
Set-up checklist before the next storm
- Charge to full when a severe thunderstorm watch or ice-storm warning goes out. Indiana’s worst outages, like the 2012 derecho, arrive on storms that are visible on radar hours ahead.
- Keep it indoors, above freezing in winter. A closet, utility room, or garage that stays above freezing.
- Map which outlets and which loads. Fridge, furnace, router, one lamp per room. Tape the list to the unit.
- Buy extension cords rated for the load. A short 12-gauge cord for the fridge and furnace runs.
- Test the furnace on the battery once in autumn, before the first cold snap.
- Keep the panels accessible. Store them where you can set them up quickly, clear of storm debris.
- Pair the HomePower 3600 Plus with a transfer switch for hardwired circuits like the furnace. Licensed electrician only.
- Keep a battery-powered CO alarm regardless. A furnace or a neighbor’s generator can still put CO in the house.
HomePower 3000 specs and price at Jackery
Whichever unit you choose, setting it up before storm season or the first winter freeze and keeping it topped off means it is ready the moment the lights flicker: whether the cause is a derecho like 2012, a tornado outbreak, or an ice storm. Prices change often, so compare current prices before deciding.
Current prices across the Jackery range
Keep reading: Indiana solar incentives & costs · Keep power on in an Ohio outage · Keep power on in a Kentucky outage · Solar generator vs gas generator