Solar Generators & Portable Solar Panels
A "solar generator" is a power station paired with solar panels. Panels let you recharge during a multi-day outage, as long as they're compatible with your station and sized for your needs.
What to Look For
Compatibility comes before wattage. A panel your station can't accept is just a folding table.
Station compatibility
Match the panel's voltage and connector to your station's solar input limits, and check the adapters you'll need.
Rated vs real output
Panels rarely deliver their rated watts. Expect less in heat, haze, low sun angles and partial shade.
Portability and durability
Folding panels with kickstands are easy to deploy. Check weight, the weather rating and how it stores.
Our Picks
A 100 W folding panel, a value suitcase-style panel and a larger 220 W bifacial panel.
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Picks are based on manufacturer-published specifications and the buying criteria on this page, not on paid placement or hands-on lab testing. Specs quoted are the manufacturer's; check the listing for the current model before you buy.
How to Choose Portable Solar Panels
"Solar generator" is a marketing term for a portable power station paired with solar panels. The station stores energy; the panels refill it. During a multi-day outage, panels turn a power station from a one-time battery into a renewable supply, as long as you size and connect them correctly.
Start with your station's solar input
Every power station lists a solar input range in volts and a maximum input in watts. The panel, or panels wired together, must stay inside the voltage range, and the station will cap the power it accepts at its maximum. Connectors vary too: you'll see XT60, Anderson, DC7909, DC8020 and MC4 plugs. Manufacturer panels usually plug straight into their own stations; third-party panels often work with an adapter but check voltage and polarity first. Wiring panels in series adds voltage; wiring in parallel adds current. Don't exceed the station's voltage limit.
Rated watts versus real watts
A panel's rating is measured under standard laboratory test conditions. Outdoors you'll typically see noticeably less because of heat (panels lose efficiency as they warm), sun angle, haze, dust and any partial shading. A useful planning number is to expect perhaps 70 to 80 percent of the rated watts in good midday sun, and much less on cloudy days or in winter. Shade is especially costly: shading part of a panel can cut its output far more than the shaded area suggests.
Peak sun hours
Daily energy depends on how many "peak sun hours" your location gets, the equivalent number of hours of full-strength sunlight. It varies by region and season, from a few hours in winter in northern areas to more in summer in the sunny south. The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory publishes solar resource data by location; use a conservative winter figure if you're planning for outages in that season.
Portable panel types
- Folding blanket panels are light and pack flat, with kickstands or loops for propping them up.
- Suitcase panels have rigid frames and are sturdier but heavier.
- Bifacial panels have cells on both sides; the back collects some reflected light, which helps most over light-colored surfaces.
Durability and setup
Check the weather rating of the panel and its junction box. Even weather-resistant panels are best kept off wet ground and away from puddles, and most portable panels aren't meant to be left out permanently. Aim the panel toward the sun and adjust the angle a few times a day for the best output. Keep cables out of walkways.
To work out how many watts of panels you need, see our solar generator sizing guide.