How to power an outdoor wedding without a generator
Rent a battery power unit sized for your reception and have it delivered charged. A 12 kW, 18 kWh unit runs the lighting, music, catering equipment and phone charging for a typical tented reception without an engine, fuel or exhaust.
Why couples skip the generator
A generator is the cheapest way to power a field or a headland, and it is also the loudest and smokiest thing at the wedding. National parks treat generator noise as a disturbance and cap it at 60 decibels at 50 feet. Portable generators also cause an average of nearly 100 carbon monoxide deaths a year in the United States, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
What a battery unit runs
Happy Planet Power's unit delivers up to 12 kW at once from an 18 kWh battery, with 30 A and 50 A receptacles, 15 standard 120 V outlets and USB charging. Assuming about 80 percent of the battery is usable:
- String lights over a tent, about 150 W: about four days.
- A DJ or band sound system, about 600 W: about a day.
- A coffee urn running constantly, about 1,200 W: about 12 hours.
- A food truck or catering line, about 3,000 W: about five hours.
Add your own equipment in the power calculator to see whether one unit covers your plan.
How to plan it
- Ask your caterer, band and lighting company what each piece of equipment draws, in watts.
- Note the hours each runs on the day.
- Confirm where the unit can sit: level ground within cord reach of the tent.
- Book early for summer Saturdays, which fill first.
Sources
- 36 CFR 2.12, Audio disturbances (National Park Service generator limit). law.cornell.edu
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, January 2024 release on carbon monoxide and portable generators. cpsc.gov