Why would you need a Solar Panel?
One of the obvious benefits of a Portable Power Station is that it is, well….portable! Which means that you are able to easily provide power in areas with no mains electricity. This makes them popular with campers, people living off-grid and people living in vans or boats. This then begs the question, if there is no mains power, how can you charge the thing? One option is to use a car-port and charge it from your vehicle’s battery. Another alternative is to use a Solar Panel. These come at an additional cost and can be purchased from most Portable Power Station manufacturers. Of course these are largely dependant on the weather, so if you are lucky enough to live somewhere sunny it will charge quicker than where I live, where the weather is a bit changeable.
Additional cost of a Solar Panel?
You will need to buy the solar panel separately from your Portable Power Station. Each manufacturer makes their own so it would be a safe bet to stick with that one. If you did wish to use a different brand, say for example you already had one installed on your van or boat, then you should contact the manufacturer directly and get their advice. If you are like me though and just want an easy life, then here is an idea of how much you will need to spend.
Please Note: All prices are in GBP and they seem to change often. There are of course other products and manufacturers, this is just to give you a rough idea of the cost.
| Jackery | Bluetti | Anker | |
| 80w | £219 | ||
| 100w | £272.99 | £349 (for 120w) | £329 |
| 200w | £629 | £539 | £549 |
How do they power the station?
When you purchase your Solar Panel, it will come with all of the relevant cables. You then just need to connect it all up to the Portable Power Bank and place the Solar Panel in the sunniest place that is practical. The Solar Panel will then convert the sunlight into electricity, that will then be stored in your Power Station. You can then use that power later as you wish. Solar Panels only work during the day but you can even generate a little electricity in overcast weather (though of course, the sunnier the better!).
So to summarise, the sunlight is changed into electricity in the Solar Panel and then stored in the Portable Power Station for later use.
How much power can you get?
If you have a 100w Solar Panel in good sunny conditions you could expect to generate 100w of energy. So theoretically this would charge a 300wh Portable Power Station in three hours. Of course, there are lots of variables so you should definitely check with the individual manufacturer first. Also, I would highly recommend checking out this video, as it gives a great overview.
Who would benefit from getting a Solar Panel?
If you are going or living off-grid then a Solar Panel is incredibly useful. Off course, if you are moving about then weight and size are a consideration, otherwise it is just power and cost you need to worry about.
A 100w Solar Panel connected to a 250wh Power station should be enough for light camping/van and boat use. Naturally, if you are living off-grid and using this set-up often then you should possibly look into something more powerful.
Take a look at our Comparison Table to help you make a more informed decision when choosing a Power Station and Solar Panel.