Home Power Facts Solar panels for power stations
Portable solar panels deliver less than their rating: we use 75% of rated watts for real-world sun, and recharge times in peak-sun hours. US locations get about 3.82–6.57 peak sun hours a day on average (Seattle to Phoenix), so a 200 W panel on a station that doesn't limit it puts roughly 810 Wh into a battery on an average day in Dallas. Pick your power station below for the panels that fit it.
Pick your power station
- Anker SOLIX C1000
- Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2
- Anker SOLIX F3800
- Anker SOLIX S2000
- BLUETTI AC180
- BLUETTI AC200L
- DJI Power 1000
- EcoFlow DELTA 2
- EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max
- EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic
- EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus
- Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus
- Jackery Explorer 1000 v2
- Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus
- Jackery Explorer 300
Panels we track
| Panel | Rated | Real-world | Voc | Plug | Weight | Fits stations | List price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackery SolarSaga 100 Air | 100 W | 75 W | 29.7 V | DC8020 | 7.05 lb | 14 of 15 | $299 |
| Zignes 100W Solar Panel (sold by DJI Store) | 100 W | 75 W | 29 V | — | 9.04 lb | 14 of 15 | $209 |
| Jackery SolarSaga 200W Solar Panel | 200 W | 150 W | 22 V | DC8020 | 14.33 lb | 15 of 15 | $429 |
| Anker SOLIX PS200 Portable Solar Panel (200W) | 200 W | 150 W | 57.6 V | — | 16.3 lb | 12 of 15 | — |
| BLUETTI PV200 (200W Portable Solar Panel) | 200 W | 150 W | 24.6 V | MC4 | 17.15 lb | 14 of 15 | $399 |
| Renogy E.Flex 200W N-Type Portable Solar Panel (RPP200EF-SE-G2-US) | 200 W | 150 W | 21.6 V | MC4 | 13.89 lb | 15 of 15 | $219.99 |
| BougeRV New 200W Portable Solar Panel (FS200W) | 200 W | 150 W | 21 V | MC4 | 13.8 lb | 15 of 15 | $279.99 |
| Rich Solar MEGA 200 Portable Briefcase Solar Panel (RS-X200B) | 200 W | 150 W | 22.2 V | MC4 | 26 lb | 14 of 15 | $399.99 |
| EcoFlow NextGen 220W Bifacial Portable Solar Panel | 220 W | 165 W | 21.5 V | Photovoltaic connectors | 15.4 lb | 15 of 15 | $399 |
| BLUETTI PV350 (350W Solar Panel) | 350 W | 263 W | 44 V | MC4 | 32.4 lb | 13 of 15 | $649 |
| EcoFlow 400W Portable Solar Panel | 400 W | 300 W | 48 V | MC4 | 33.1 lb | 13 of 15 | $699 |
| Anker SOLIX PS400 Portable Solar Panel (400W) | 400 W | 300 W | 57.6 V | MC4 | 35.3 lb | 12 of 15 | $699.99 |
Solar assumptions
Real-world share of rated watts: 75%[source]Conservative editorial choice set below both lines of evidence. (1) OutdoorGearLab (page updated 2026-07-13) measured 12 portable panels charging the same Jackery 1000 for 2 h, clear day, 6300 ft, 55-65 F. Measured/claimed W: Renogy 200W 177/200=0.885; Jackery SolarSaga 200 171/200=0.855; EcoFlow NextGen 220W 193/220=0.877; Anker Solix PS200 166/200=0.83; JJN Bifacial 200W 182/200=0.91; BougeRV Arch 200W 166/200=0.83; Goal Zero Boulder 200 166/200=0.83; Bluetti 200W 150/200=0.75; FlexSolar 100W 70/100=0.70; ZOUPW 200W 144/200=0.72; Marbero 200W 134/200=0.67; Grecell 200W 112/200=0.56. Range 0.56-0.91, median 0.83. Those were near-ideal conditions (cool, high altitude, clear sky), so typical use (heat, imperfect aiming, partial shade) should be lower. (2) NREL PVWatts: default system losses 14% (soiling 2, shading 3, mismatch 2, wiring 2, connections 0.5, LID 1.5, nameplate 1, availability 3; PVWatts V5 manual NREL/TP-6A20-62641, Table 6, https://docs.nlr.gov/docs/fy14osti/62641.pdf). Adding PVWatts' modeled temperature and incidence-angle losses, the v8 runs used for sunHours give annual DC output per kW of panel per kWh/m2 of plane-of-array sun of 0.78 (Phoenix), 0.80 (Los Angeles), 0.82 (Denver), 0.80 (Dallas), 0.80 (Miami), 0.85 (Chicago), 0.84 (New York), 0.81 (Seattle) = sum(dc_monthly)/sum(poa_monthly), median 0.80; Phoenix's heat gives the lowest. That is for a fixed, latitude-tilted, open-rack panel and excludes the power station's own MPPT conversion. 0.75 sits below both medians and close to the hot-climate PVWatts figure minus a few points for MPPT and aiming; that last margin is our assumption, not a measured value.
Recharge times assume the panel faces the sun with no shade. Clouds, low winter sun and heat cut output further.
Peak sun hours by city
| City | Annual average | Winter |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ | 6.57 h/day[source]NREL PVWatts v8 API (NSRDB PSM V3 TMY, tmy-2020), fixed open-rack array facing due south (azimuth 180) tilted at the city's latitude, standard module, 14% losses. Value = solrad (plane-of-array irradiation, kWh/m2/day = peak sun hours on a latitude-tilted south-facing surface). solrad_annual = 6.571, rounded to 2 dp. Tilt 33 deg. NSRDB cell 78206 (923 m from the query point). Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Phoenix, AZ (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=33.45&lon=-112.07&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=33&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb | 5.43 h/day[source]December solrad_monthly = 5.430 kWh/m2/day (December is the lowest month for this city in this data set), same data set and surface as annual. Tilt 33 deg. Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Phoenix, AZ (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=33.45&lon=-112.07&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=33&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb |
| Los Angeles, CA | 6.09 h/day[source]NREL PVWatts v8 API (NSRDB PSM V3 TMY, tmy-2020), fixed open-rack array facing due south (azimuth 180) tilted at the city's latitude, standard module, 14% losses. Value = solrad (plane-of-array irradiation, kWh/m2/day = peak sun hours on a latitude-tilted south-facing surface). solrad_annual = 6.089, rounded to 2 dp. Tilt 34 deg. NSRDB cell 83556 (1832 m from the query point). Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Los Angeles, CA (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=34.05&lon=-118.24&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=34&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb | 4.61 h/day[source]December solrad_monthly = 4.607 kWh/m2/day (December is the lowest month for this city in this data set), same data set and surface as annual. Tilt 34 deg. Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Los Angeles, CA (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=34.05&lon=-118.24&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=34&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb |
| Denver, CO | 5.73 h/day[source]NREL PVWatts v8 API (NSRDB PSM V3 TMY, tmy-2020), fixed open-rack array facing due south (azimuth 180) tilted at the city's latitude, standard module, 14% losses. Value = solrad (plane-of-array irradiation, kWh/m2/day = peak sun hours on a latitude-tilted south-facing surface). solrad_annual = 5.734, rounded to 2 dp. Tilt 40 deg. NSRDB cell 484137 (1405 m from the query point). Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Denver, CO (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=39.74&lon=-104.99&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=40&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb | 4.57 h/day[source]December solrad_monthly = 4.568 kWh/m2/day (December is the lowest month for this city in this data set), same data set and surface as annual. Tilt 40 deg. Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Denver, CO (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=39.74&lon=-104.99&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=40&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb |
| Miami, FL | 5.57 h/day[source]NREL PVWatts v8 API (NSRDB PSM V3 TMY, tmy-2020), fixed open-rack array facing due south (azimuth 180) tilted at the city's latitude, standard module, 14% losses. Value = solrad (plane-of-array irradiation, kWh/m2/day = peak sun hours on a latitude-tilted south-facing surface). solrad_annual = 5.567, rounded to 2 dp. Tilt 26 deg. NSRDB cell 1060699 (1493 m from the query point). Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Miami, FL (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=25.76&lon=-80.19&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=26&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb | 4.71 h/day[source]December solrad_monthly = 4.706 kWh/m2/day (December is the lowest month for this city in this data set), same data set and surface as annual. Tilt 26 deg. Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Miami, FL (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=25.76&lon=-80.19&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=26&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb |
| Dallas, TX | 5.4 h/day[source]NREL PVWatts v8 API (NSRDB PSM V3 TMY, tmy-2020), fixed open-rack array facing due south (azimuth 180) tilted at the city's latitude, standard module, 14% losses. Value = solrad (plane-of-array irradiation, kWh/m2/day = peak sun hours on a latitude-tilted south-facing surface). solrad_annual = 5.404, rounded to 2 dp. Tilt 33 deg. NSRDB cell 702381 (2171 m from the query point). Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Dallas, TX (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=32.78&lon=-96.80&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=33&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb | 4.37 h/day[source]December solrad_monthly = 4.369 kWh/m2/day (December is the lowest month for this city in this data set), same data set and surface as annual. Tilt 33 deg. Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Dallas, TX (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=32.78&lon=-96.80&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=33&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb |
| Chicago, IL | 4.46 h/day[source]NREL PVWatts v8 API (NSRDB PSM V3 TMY, tmy-2020), fixed open-rack array facing due south (azimuth 180) tilted at the city's latitude, standard module, 14% losses. Value = solrad (plane-of-array irradiation, kWh/m2/day = peak sun hours on a latitude-tilted south-facing surface). solrad_annual = 4.456, rounded to 2 dp. Tilt 42 deg. NSRDB cell 903523 (1389 m from the query point). Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Chicago, IL (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=41.88&lon=-87.63&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=42&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb | 2.66 h/day[source]December solrad_monthly = 2.662 kWh/m2/day (December is the lowest month for this city in this data set), same data set and surface as annual. Tilt 42 deg. Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Chicago, IL (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=41.88&lon=-87.63&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=42&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb |
| New York, NY | 4.45 h/day[source]NREL PVWatts v8 API (NSRDB PSM V3 TMY, tmy-2020), fixed open-rack array facing due south (azimuth 180) tilted at the city's latitude, standard module, 14% losses. Value = solrad (plane-of-array irradiation, kWh/m2/day = peak sun hours on a latitude-tilted south-facing surface). solrad_annual = 4.451, rounded to 2 dp. Tilt 41 deg. NSRDB cell 1244690 (2391 m from the query point). Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for New York, NY (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=40.71&lon=-74.01&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=41&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb | 2.88 h/day[source]December solrad_monthly = 2.878 kWh/m2/day (December is the lowest month for this city in this data set), same data set and surface as annual. Tilt 41 deg. Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for New York, NY (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=40.71&lon=-74.01&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=41&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb |
| Seattle, WA | 3.82 h/day[source]NREL PVWatts v8 API (NSRDB PSM V3 TMY, tmy-2020), fixed open-rack array facing due south (azimuth 180) tilted at the city's latitude, standard module, 14% losses. Value = solrad (plane-of-array irradiation, kWh/m2/day = peak sun hours on a latitude-tilted south-facing surface). solrad_annual = 3.823, rounded to 2 dp. Tilt 48 deg. NSRDB cell 241108 (756 m from the query point). Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Seattle, WA (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=47.61&lon=-122.33&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=48&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb | 1.59 h/day[source]December solrad_monthly = 1.590 kWh/m2/day (December is the lowest month for this city in this data set), same data set and surface as annual. Tilt 48 deg. Reproduce with the PVWatts calculator for Seattle, WA (same settings), or the API: https://developer.nlr.gov/api/pvwatts/v8.json?api_key=<your key>&lat=47.61&lon=-122.33&system_capacity=1&module_type=0&losses=14&array_type=0&tilt=48&azimuth=180&dataset=nsrdb |