Portable Solar Power Panels

Portable Solar Panels: Picking Wattage and Voltage That Match Your Gear

Portable solar panels fold or roll up, weigh a few pounds to a couple dozen, and charge a power station, a 12V battery or a phone wherever you set them down. The trade-off is that you have to match the panel to whatever it charges, and that is the part most buyers get wrong.

The collection has 27 products from Anker, Bluetti, Jackery, Mango Power and Rich Solar. Prices start at $109 for a 40W Jackery folding panel and top out at $799 for a 500W Jackery SolarSaga 500 X, with 100W, 200W, 350W and 400W steps in between.

How to choose a portable solar panel kit

• What it plugs into. A power station wants a bare panel with the right connector and voltage. The Anker SOLIX PS400 400W 48V and the Bluetti 350W 48V are built for their own stations. A lead-acid or lithium 12V battery instead wants a panel with a controller, such as the Rich Solar MEGA 100W briefcase with its built-in 10A controller.
• Voltage window. Every station lists a solar input voltage range. A 48V panel into a station that expects 12 to 24V will not charge; a 12V panel into a 48V-class input may barely trickle. Read the station's spec before choosing between the 24V Bluetti 200W, the 36V Mango Power 200W and the 48V Anker PS400.
• Watts versus weight. The Jackery SolarSaga 40 Air is 1.98 lb and charges small stations and phones. The 500W SolarSaga 500 X is 22.05 lb and refills a 2,000Wh station in an afternoon. The Mango Power 200W sits between at 21.6 lb.
• Efficiency and weather rating. Cell efficiency here runs 22 to 25 percent. The Jackery panels carry IP68 ratings and the Mango Power IP67, which means a surprise shower is not a problem.
• Flexible for curved surfaces. The Rich Solar MEGA 100W FLEX is 4.8 lb, 0.1 inch thick and bends to sit flush on a van roof or boat deck where a folding panel cannot be left out.

Popular picks in this collection

Setup and usage tips

• Size the panel to the battery, not the other way round. The Solar Kit Calculator takes your appliance list and ZIP code and tells you how many panel watts refill your station in your local sun hours.
• Expect 60 to 80 percent of the rated wattage in good sun. A 200W panel producing 140W at noon is normal; below 100W usually means shade, heat or a bad angle.
• Tilt toward the sun and move the panel two or three times a day. The Bluetti 200W has an adjustable kickstand for exactly this; prop the others against a cooler or rock.
• Keep the glass cool. Panels lose output as they heat up, so leave an air gap underneath instead of laying them flat on hot asphalt.
• Check the connector. Stations use different plugs, and a panel with the wrong lead needs an adapter before it produces anything.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best portable solar panels for a power station? The one made for it, or a third-party panel whose voltage sits inside the station's input range. The Anker PS400 suits the SOLIX F3000 and F3800; the Bluetti 200W and 350W suit Bluetti stations; Jackery SolarSaga panels are built for Jackery units.

Can I charge a car or RV battery directly? Yes, with a panel that has a controller. The Rich Solar MEGA 100W briefcase has a waterproof 10A controller built in and the MEGA 200W a 20A one, so they clip straight to a 12V battery.

Do these panels work through a window? Poorly. Glass cuts output sharply, so put the panel outside and run the cable in.

All portable solar panels for sale here ship free to the mainland US from our brand partner warehouses, usually in a few business days, with 30-day returns. Unsure which voltage your station needs? Call and we will confirm it before you order.