:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/71Uc6mpiRpL._AC_SL1500_-01babf60a7094bc08d17871e64117c01.jpg "The Best Portable Solar Panels of 2022")
If you can meet your energy needs at home with solar panels, you can also use the sun to meet your energy needs while on the go. There are many portable solar panel options available for purchase from a growing number of companies, and while there are many quality options, not all panels are created equal.
Portable solar panels can charge devices anywhere the sun shines. They can also be used to charge portable power stations , which are often used as solar generators . clean and quiet replacement for portable generators that do not use gas.
Before buying a portable solar panel, it is a good idea to determine your needs and the most likely scenario in which you will use it. How much power do you really need? How portable should it be? are you going on a trip with him? Throw it in the back seat of a car? Only for home use? How fast do you need it to charge your devices or batteries?
Whether or not you've found the answers to these questions, take a look at our selection of the best portable solar panels. I settled on what I felt was the best option based on size, load requirements, and application. In addition to listing our favorites, I'll let you know what other models I looked at and how I came to my decision. So you should think carefully about which option is best for you.
The Best Portable Solar Panels of 2022
The Jackery SolarSaga 200 (the largest in the SolarSaga line) is my go-to portable solar panel because it is very efficient, large enough for many applications, and one of the lightest and cheapest for its size. Pair it with the Jackery Explorer 2000 power plant and you have CNET's beloved solar generator.
The 200W output power is enough to meet most of your solar charging needs. Four such panels can fill a 1000 watt-hour Jackery power plant in 1.8 hours. Like all the panels on this list, this one can be stacked. The size of the panel when folded is a quarter of its size when unfolded. SolarSaga 200 sets the highest efficiency among portable solar panels at 24.3%. It also had one of the highest watts per pound. (A 200-watt solar panel that weighs 30 pounds isn't as useful as a 17.6-pound panel like the SolarSaga 200.)
The SolarSaga 200 is a bit more expensive than the other solar panels on the list, including ones that are similar in size. It comes with a three-year warranty that covers manufacturing defects if you buy it from certain retailers.
Combined with Jackery power plants, your SolarSaga 200 purchase has plenty of room to grow. Jacker power plants today have the highest cost of solar energy of any power plant. If fast solar charging is important, you can go for it.
You will receive price alerts for the Jackery SolarSaga 200W portable solar panel connected to the Explorer 2000 PRO as a standalone solar generator power supply for outdoor adventures and emergencies.
The 100W Rockpals SP003 solar panel is one of the most affordable options, especially for the same size. It has a high efficiency of 21.5% to 23.5%. It's slightly heavier than some of our comparable 100-watt solar panels (although not the heaviest), but still weighs 10.8 pounds.
For the money you pay, the Rockpals 100 watt panel is also a good choice. There are probably several ways to measure cost, especially when comparing solar panels of a wide variety of sizes and prices. One possible metric is bad for the dollar. Take the total wattage of a solar panel and divide it by its price and you'll get a rough idea of how much you're getting for every dollar you spend.
In terms of watts per dollar, the 100W Rockpals SP003 solar panel is the best we've tested. Get 0.43W of solar charging power for every dollar spent. This is more than twice as much as some other panels.
This comparison was made using the base prices of these solar panels, but these products are often discounted, especially during the holiday season.
You will receive a price notice for ROCKPALS SP003 100W Portable Solar Generator and USB Compatible Jackery/EF/Bluetti/Anker/Goal Zero Power Station Foldable Solar Power Station for Outdoor Camping.
It goes without saying that a solar panel with a larger load will probably weigh more. On the whole, this is true. However, some solar panels are better at capturing more sunlight without adding extra weight. The best we've found for packing charging power into a small package is Oupes with its portable 8-pound 100-watt solar panel.
These Opes have a solar charging power of 12.5 watts per pound of weight. It's lighter than some 50W panels. The 100W Oupes Portable Solar Panel has a respectable but not top notch efficiency of 20%. It's also cheaper than other similarly sized panels. (This is one of my top solar generator options, the Opes 600W Solar Generator Kit).
You will get alerts for 100W Portable Generator, 600/1200/1800W OUPES Solar Panel, Lightweight Monocrystalline Foldable Solar Charger, Camping Van, Motorhome Trailer
If you need fast solar charging, there is a panel that stands out from the rest. The Bluetti PV350 portable solar panel contains a whopping 350W of solar power, allowing it to collect more sunlight and deliver more power to your devices. It is 75% larger than my top pick, the Jackery SolarSaga 200. Not only is the PV350 big, it also has an excellent 23.4% efficiency. Even though it's heavier than any other panel we've tested (30.69 pounds), it's actually one of the lightest options on a pound-for-watt basis.
As you might expect, the PV350 will cost you more than other panels. But you get a fair price for it. For every dollar spent, including $849, you buy 0.41W of charging power. It actually outperforms our higher priced selection, but the Opes felt more comfortable and better suited for wider use.
You will get price notice for BLUETTI Solar Panel PV350 350W Portable Solar Panel Monocrystalline Solar Panel AC200P/AC200MAX/AC300/EP500/EP500Pro Foldable Solar Charger for Camping on Wheels
Other Portable Solar Panels We Have Tested
Biolite 100 Solar Panel. The 100 Solar Panel is the first major offering from Biolite, which for a while offered smaller 5W and 10W solar panels. The 100W offer is about the same as the other options here, but a bit more expensive than the other non-discount options.
Solar battery Rockpals 60W . Rockpals 60W offer is a good option for those looking to buy a smaller solar panel. It has the same high efficiency (21.5-23.5%) as the Rockpals 100W version (my availability is higher). This panel is actually cheaper than the 100W version, but you get more bang for your buck if you go for the larger panel. I have seen both on sale at almost 50% off, making them a great choice.
Bluetooth PV200 . This 200 watt model from Bluetti has definitely been voted the best round portable solar panel compared to the Jackery SolarSaga 200. It's really light and even cheaper than the Jackery. It has an efficiency of 23.4%.
Anker 625: This 100 watt panel is 23% efficient and weighs 11 pounds. It's a bit heavier and more expensive per watt than some of the others on this list, especially the same size.
Jenevers Solar Power One . This 100-watt solar panel from the company formerly known as Generk is in the middle of the field in terms of price and weight. Efficiency is at the top with 23%.
Solar panel EcoFlow 110W . The 100W EcoFlow solar panel is actually our choice at 12.5W/lb. Its size is slightly more expensive than others, but it has good efficiency and perfectly matched power plants.
Goal Zero Nomad 50: This compact solar cell has the smallest capacity on this list. It's a good panel, but you might get less performance in some other places.
Renogi Voyager . The 100W Renogy solar panel is actually a pretty good price for its size. It is also much heavier than the others and its panels keep getting bigger.
Frequently Asked Questions About Portable Solar Panels
What is a watt when it comes to solar panel size?
If you've ever seen power measured at just one point, it's probably light bulbs. For light bulbs, it measures how much energy it takes to light a light bulb. A 60W lamp consumes 60W of light. Since solar panels produce more energy than they consume, the measure here is how much they can produce. A 100W solar panel can generate 100W of electricity at a time at full power.
If you charge a 300W battery with a 100W solar panel, you can expect it to take three hours to fully charge. One hundred watts of electricity multiplied by three hours equals 300 watts per hour. It's actually a little more complicated, as the last part of the battery often takes much longer to charge than the first part, for complex reasons.
Why is my solar panel not charging properly?
They bought a 100W solar panel and hooked it up to a power plant that shows how much power is coming in. Your power plant says 80 or 50 or something like that instead of 100 watts. Is your dashboard broken?
While I can't rule out the possibility of your panel cracking, solar loads rise and fall for many reasons that shouldn't require you to return the panel to the manufacturer.
Since solar cells convert sunlight into electricity, the amount of sunlight directly affects performance. In addition to obvious factors such as cloud cover or shadows, the angle of the sun or panel to the sun can also play a role. You can try tilting the panel so that it faces directly towards the sun.
Solar panels do not work as efficiently in hot weather. In hot weather, you may notice a drop in performance. If you use your panels in dusty areas, such as camping, rinsing off the dust that has settled on them can also improve their performance.
How we test portable solar panels
Due to the difficulty of obtaining accurate data in a lab, our portable solar panel rankings are based on examining and comparing the performance of each panel, rather than an actual test report. When the specs weren't publicly available, we contacted the companies to get them. We then compared them and found ways to compare solar panels of different sizes. Watt per pound and watt per dollar were two ways to do this.
The CNET editors also had hands-on experience with these solar panels, so we might have noticed anything out of the ordinary or bad.
