EcoFlow’s scalable solar generator can power your entire home or just a weekend away

The Delta Pro Ultra is EcoFlow’s upgraded answer to US power outages that have been made worse by a surge in extreme weather. In the event of a blackout, the scalable battery solution can seamlessly switch over and provide days of backup power for your entire home or for more than a month if only powering your essential devices.

The Delta Pro Ultra isn’t just for emergencies, though. It can be configured with up to 16.8kW of solar input to intelligently offset daily energy costs at home or act as a solar generator to continuously power an off-grid cabin or job site. It’s also portable enough to toss into a vehicle for any occasion that requires a big-ass battery.

The basic Delta Pro Ultra kit consists of two stackable units. On top is the inverter box capable of 7200W (10.8kW for up to 10 seconds) AC output with support for up to 5.6kW of solar input; below the inverter is a 6kWh LFP battery pack which is automatically heated to maintain performance in cold climates. You can stack up to five batteries under a single inverter and connect up to three inverters to EcoFlow’s new Smart Home Panel 2 subpanel for up to 90kWh of capacity, up to 16.8kW of solar input to keep those batteries charged, and up to 21.6kW of AC output. That’s enough to power almost any household appliance, including powerful central air conditioners.

And if you own an EV, the Delta Pro Ultra can charge it for a few extra miles of range in a pinch and can even be charged from a Level 2 EV charging station in about two hours with an EcoFlow adapter sold separately.

EcoFlow says 90kWh is enough stored energy to keep your home’s essential items like lights and refrigerator running for over 30 days in a blackout — not the entire home. According to the US Energy Information Administration, the average US home consumed 889kWh per month in 2022, or about 29.2kWh per day.

EcoFlow’s Smart Home Panel 2 requires professional installation. It then lets you identify which circuits to prioritize for rapid (20ms) automatic switchover to the Delta Pro Ultra(s) in case of an outage. It also features an intelligent time-of-use mode that can help lower energy bills by using solar power to offset peak energy rates. And like Tesla’s Powerwall, it has a storm alert feature that will make sure your batteries are fully charged if a major storm is in the forecast.

The Delta Pro Ultra can also connect to your home via an inlet box or transfer switch and be charged with a 7200W diesel generator you might already have or EcoFlow’s own dual-fuel Smart Generator. EcoFlow says that the Delta Pro Ultra can’t be used to connect to and feed energy back to the grid.

For standalone use, the Delta Pro Ultra’s inverter unit comes packed with outlets. These include two 100W USB-Cs, two USB-As for your older devices, four regular 120V / 20A AC outlets, one 120V 30A outlet for RV use, and a split-phase 120V / 240V 30A NEMA outlet for high-wattage devices like a welder or compressor. It accepts up to 1600W of low-voltage (3-150V, 15A) solar input and 4000W of high-voltage (80-450V, 15A) solar input via two integrated MC4 connectors for access to large solar arrays. It can also be configured with a 4G modem so that you can monitor your Delta Pro Ultra device from anywhere, when EcoFlow’s home Wi-Fi and direct Bluetooth connectivity aren’t enough.

Fortunately, the Delta Pro Ultra kit comes with a rolling base that, judging by the photos, can support the 70-pound / 31.7kg inverter and up to five 116.4-pound / 50.7kg stackable batteries. EcoFlow’s solution is also expected to be quieter than similar systems thanks to a new “X-Cooling” liquid-cooling system that runs silently when generating less than 2000W. Delta Pro Ultra has an IP54 rating, making it dustproof and splashproof.

Extreme weather is the primary cause of power outages due to the stress it puts on the already overloaded and aging US electrical grid. Since 2011, the average annual number of weather-related power outages has increased by almost 80 percent, according to the US Department of Energy. The average US home went without power for about seven hours in 2021, increasing to almost 19 hours in states like West Virginia and 80 hours in Louisiana.

EcoFlow is targeting the US market with today’s launch, having previously addressed the European market with the launch of the PowerStream and PowerOcean. The Delta Pro Ultra kit combined with a Smart Home Panel 2 replaces the a la carte whole-home backup bundles the company was selling in the US last year.

The cost of a single Delta Pro Ultra kit (inverter plus one battery) is $5,799, plus $3,299 for each additional battery and $2,799 for each additional inverter. The Smart Home Panel 2 costs $1,899. So you’re looking at well over $50K for a fully maxed out system, and that’s before adding in the cost of labor and any solar panels (and deducting any available tax credits).

So yeah, whole-home backup solutions like this — or Anker’s similar but less capable new Solix system — aren’t cheap. But for people who can afford the types of houses depicted in EcoFlow’s promotional images, the prospect of uninterrupted power and a modicum of energy independence could be worth the expense.