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.
The outages South Dakota actually gets
South Dakota is served by Black Hills Energy around Rapid City, NorthWestern Energy in the southeast, Xcel Energy in parts of the east, and co-operatives including East River Electric and Rushmore Electric across the rural middle and west. Like North Dakota, the state straddles a seam in the national grid, part inside the Southwest Power Pool and part inside MISO. No market moves power down a line that is on the ground, which is why storm damage comes back to what you stored at the house.
October 2013, Atlas. The reference event, and the one this post is named for. Atlas buried the Black Hills and the western ranchland in wet snow, killed cattle by the tens of thousands, and cut power for days while the roads stayed shut to repair crews.
Wet, heavy snow is the Black Hills failure mode. Wet snow weighs several times what dry powder does and it clings, so it loads every span and every branch above the line at once. Poles come down in sequence and the fix is a rebuild rather than a reset.
Ice storms on the eastern prairie. East of the Missouri, around Sioux Falls, Brookings and Aberdeen, the same job is done by freezing rain across flat, exposed spans with nothing to break the wind.
Spring blizzards. March and April storms bring wetter, heavier snow than midwinter, which is worse for lines rather than better. April is not the safe end of the season here.
Summer derechos. One organised line of straight-line winds can push damaging gusts across county after county in an afternoon, spreading damage faster than crews can be moved to it.
Our North Dakota guide covers the same grid seam and the same long feeders one state north.
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.
▶ Shop the HomePower 3000 — panels included use code DEAL5
How long each Jackery runs a South Dakota home’s essentials
Size against watt-hours a day, not the wattage printed on the label.
| Load | Typical draw | Energy per day |
|---|---|---|
| Fridge | ~150W running (cycling) | 1,000 to 1,500Wh |
| Chest freezer | cycling | 600 to 900Wh |
| Gas furnace blower + ignition | 400 to 600W while running | 3,000 to 5,000Wh in deep cold |
| Wi-Fi router | ~10W | ~240Wh |
| LED lights (ten bulbs) | ~50W | ~300Wh (6 hours) |
| Phones and a laptop | 20 to 60W | 150 to 300Wh |
| CPAP | 30 to 60W | 300 to 500Wh per night |
| Sump pump | ~800W running, higher surge to start | varies with the melt |
| Well pump | ~1,000W running, 2 to 3x that to start | needs 240V |
| Engine block heater | 400 to 1,000W | one hour before starting, not overnight |
| Summer fan | 30 to 60W | ~400Wh |
| Space heater | 1,500W | the wrong plan, see below |
Two rows need a plain warning. A 1,500W space heater drains a 3,000Wh battery in about two hours, so it is the wrong plan in an October blizzard; run the furnace blower and heat the whole house instead. Plug the engine block heater in for the hour before you start the truck, not all night.
Fridge, router, lights and phones come to roughly 2,000Wh a day. Add the furnace blower in deep cold and the day runs 5,000 to 7,000Wh. A summer derecho outage with the fridge, a fan, the router and a few sump cycles lands nearer 2,000Wh.
HomePower 3000. 3,072Wh of LiFePO4 and 3,600W of output, panels included. Essentials for one to two days per charge, or closer to a day with the furnace blower on top. Near 30 dB with zero exhaust, so it runs indoors with the house sealed. It is 120V only and not expandable.
HomePower 3600 Plus. 3,584Wh and 3,600W, expandable to 21kWh, which turns a 6,000Wh furnace-plus-essentials day into three days or more with no sun. It is transfer-switch ready, so the furnace circuit can be hardwired. This is the unit for a place at the end of an East River or Rushmore co-op feeder.
Solar Generator 5000 Plus. 5,040Wh, 7,200W, 120V and 240V, expandable to 60kWh. The only one of the three that runs a 240V well pump.
A bright summer day puts 1,500 to 2,000Wh back through the panels. A grey winter day returns a few hundred watt-hours, so size for a blizzard as if the sun gives you nothing.
| Unit | Capacity / output | Best for in South Dakota | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomePower 3000 (our pick) | 3,072Wh · 3,600W · panels included | Essentials for 1 to 2 days; furnace blower for about a day | Check price → |
| HomePower 3600 Plus | 3,584Wh · 3,600W · to 21kWh | An Atlas-length outage with the furnace on a transfer switch | Check price → |
| Solar Generator 5000 Plus | 5,040Wh · 7,200W · 120V/240V · to 60kWh | Well pump and other 240V loads on a ranch | Check price → |
▶ Shop the HomePower 3600 Plus — expandable to 21kWh
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.
▶ Shop the Solar Generator 5000 Plus — 7,200W, 120V/240V
Solar generator vs gas generator in a South Dakota winter
- Carbon monoxide. A battery station vents nothing, so it runs in the utility room with the house sealed. A gas generator belongs outside and well away from windows, in the storm that caused the outage. Never run one in an attached garage, and never backfeed a wall outlet.
- Noise. About 30 decibels against 60 to 90.
- Fuel in a storm. The battery is full before the storm and refilled by the sun afterward. Gasoline has to be stored fresh and poured into a hot engine in blowing snow, and when I-90 closes the station on the way into town may be closed too.
- Cold starting. Press a button, or fight a pull cord and cold oil at 10 below.
- Maintenance. Oil, carburetor, fuel stabiliser and a monthly test run for gas. A monthly charge check for the battery.
- Running cost. Sunlight is free. Several days of gasoline is not.
- What a gas generator still does better. A very long outage with no sun, and cheap whole-house 240V up front. On a ranch, a gas generator outdoors for the heavy 240V work plus a battery indoors for the overnight loads is the strongest pairing.
Set-up checklist before the first storm
- Charge it to full, then top it up monthly. Check the display on the first of the month from September through May. Atlas hit in the first week of October.
- Keep it indoors and above freezing. A closet, utility room or basement, never an unheated garage.
- Write the load order down. Fridge first, then the furnace blower, then the router and one lamp per room. Tape the list to the unit.
- Buy cords rated for the load. A short 12-gauge cord for the fridge and furnace runs; thin cords drop voltage and get warm.
- Test the furnace on the battery in September. If it is hardwired, have a licensed electrician add a plug-in connection first.
- Store the panels where you can reach them and set them on the south side without shovelling out a shed.
- Pair the HomePower 3600 Plus with a transfer switch for hardwired circuits like the furnace or well pump controls. Licensed electrician only, and never backfeed an outlet.
- Keep a battery-powered CO alarm regardless. A furnace, a water heater, or a neighbour’s generator can still put carbon monoxide in the house.
▶ Get the HomePower 3000 charged before the first blizzard use code DEAL5
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 · How to keep power during a Minnesota outage · Can a solar generator run a furnace? · How to size a solar generator for home backup