Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, SolarHomeCompare may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
In early October 2013, the Atlas blizzard dropped feet of heavy, wet snow on western South Dakota, killed tens of thousands of cattle, and left much of the Rapid City and Black Hills region without power — some of it for days, while roads stayed impassable to repair crews. It’s the outage the state still measures others against. South Dakota’s grid is split between SPP in the west and MISO in the east, delivered by Black Hills Energy around Rapid City, NorthWestern Energy in Sioux Falls, and Basin Electric co-ops through the center near Pierre. If you’re comparing South Dakota solar quotes, know that a grid-tied rooftop array shuts off during any of those outages unless you also have storage — so backup is a separate piece you add on purpose.
Why the two halves of the state lose power differently
Out west, the danger is what Atlas showed: early or heavy wet snow that overloads lines in the hills around Rapid City and Spearfish, plus wind driving it sideways. East of the Missouri, around Sioux Falls, Brookings, and Aberdeen, it’s more often freezing rain and ice storms glazing the flat, exposed lines. Either way, the fix at the house is the same — enough stored power to carry the essentials until crews can reach your feeder.
Sizing backup for the essentials
Most people overestimate what they need. A fridge runs about 150W, ten LED bulbs roughly 50W together, a router near 10W, and phone charging about 20W — near 300W of steady draw to keep the core of a home going. The Solar Generator HomePower 3000 (about 3,072Wh, 3,600W) handles that for one to two days and comes with panels that top it back up each day the sun is out, which in the Black Hills is usually soon after the storm clears.
▶ See the HomePower 3000 solar generator use code DEAL5
For a bigger home or a longer siege
If you’re in a larger place or want to keep a furnace blower and heavier loads running through a multi-day cold-snap outage, the Solar Generator 5000 Plus delivers 5,040Wh and 7,200W with both 120V and 240V, and expands to 60kWh.
▶ View the Solar Generator 5000 Plus
The worst time to shop for backup is with a blizzard already in the forecast and every store sold out. Set it up ahead of the season, keep it charged between systems, and it’s ready when the next Atlas rolls through. It’s worth checking current deals first.
Keep reading: South Dakota solar incentives & costs · How to keep power during a North Dakota outage · How to keep power during a Nebraska outage