I woke up this morning to a thunderstorm.

I sleep with a CPAP machine for sleep apnea, and if the power goes out, I wake up pretty quickly when the machine stops working.

A while back I started plugging my CPAP into a portable power station, which stays plugged into the wall so if the power goes out, the power station’s battery will keep my machine working.

Most power stations can work this way as an uninterruptible power supply.

There are large power stations that can expand with extra batteries that can keep your whole house powered on, and there are smaller ones that can power a few things.

If you keep up with new releases in the power station market, there are several manufacturers that have introduced smaller form-factor power stations that are designed for a single purpose, like keeping your refrigerator powered up.

I’ve been testing the new Anker Solix S2000 Portable Power Station (ankersolix.com, launch price is $679.99) that is designed to run up to 20% longer than similarly sized power stations.

Anker says the S2000 can keep a full-size refrigerator up and running for up to 35 hours.

Let’s take a look at what makes it tick.

The S2000 has a battery capacity of 2,010 watt-hours and a 1,500W inverter (3,000W Peak) to power most of your household appliances and gadgets.

I was surprised by its small size and weight.

The S2000 measures 8.2 inches by 11.1 inches by 12.7 inches and it weighs just 35.7 pounds. It uses Lithium Iron Phosphate cells that can be recharged up to 10,000 times.

It has five AC outlets: two on the back and three on the front. On the front there are two USB-C and one USB-A ports. One of the USB-C ports can provide up to 100W while the other can provide 15W and the USB-A provides 12W.

In what’s becoming a bit of a trend, there is no 12V cigarette lighter DC port.

Charging is done from a wall plug at speeds up to 1,600W, while solar input is capped at 400W. The ultrafast 1,600W mode can charge the batteries to 80% in 1.2 hours, while a 400W solar panel can charge it up to 80% in just 4.5 hours. You can also combine AC and solar charging to get to 80% in just an hour.

The large LED screen is large enough to clearly display the input and output wattage as well as battery level and the estimated time the unit would run at the current power draw.

The S2000 fits great in your kitchen, perhaps on the countertop next to the refrigerator. You can plug the power station into the wall plug and then plug the refrigerator into the back of the power station. That way if the power goes out, the refrigerator will stay powered up to 35 hours.

The secret to the S2000’s long battery life for powering the fridge is in its low power consumption. Refrigerators cycle on and off several times per hour. Power station AC inverters use up battery power even when the connected appliances are not actively drawing power. The power draw of the S2000 is just six watts per hour. The inverter efficiency when the refrigerator isn’t running when the S2000 that helps the battery last longer.

Here’s a usage tip: If you have the S2000 on the counter protecting your fridge, you can still use the USB ports and AC ports to charge up your phone or coffee maker every day. Keeping the S2000 plugged into the wall means it’ll live at 100% charge indefinitely.

If you’ve been paying attention to the power station market, you’ll know at least two other big power station manufacturers are now selling smaller form factor battery backups specifically designed to live on top of the refrigerator or even mounted on the wall next to the fridge.

The S2000 compares favorably to the competitors and it’s the only one to have USB ports.

The Anker Solix S2000 is a very easy power station to charge up and even carry around. The top of the case is designed to be able to lift it easily, but the power station is best lifted with two hands.

It charges quickly and has enough AC outlets and USB ports to be very useful. The front and back placement of the AC outlets means you can plug in things on whichever side is most convenient.

The S2000 launch pricing is $679.99, but Anker tells me it’ll be on sale for $599 during Amazon’s Prime Day sales (ending June 26).

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