Jackery SolarSaga 200
Best overall portable solar panel
Rockpals SP003 100W Fold Out Solar Panel
Best affordable portable solar panel
Oupes Portable Solar Panel 100W
Best lightweight portable solar panel
Many people are turning to rooftop solar panels to meet their energy needs at home. But you can meet your mobile energy needs through solar, too. A growing number of companies now offer portable solar panels, in a wide range of sizes.
Thanks to its light weight and impressive capacity, we’ve chosen the Jackery SolarSaga 200 as our best portable solar panel overall, but there are solar panels for every situation.
Portable solar panels can charge devices anywhere the sun is shining. They can also be used to charge up portable power stations, which they’re often packaged with as solar generators — clean and quiet replacements to portable generators that don’t rely on gas.
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Before you buy a portable solar panel, define your needs and the most likely scenario in which you’ll use it. How much power will you actually need? How portable does it need to be? Will you be hiking with it? Throwing it in the back of your car? Using it just at home? How quickly do you need it to charge your devices or batteries?
Whether or not you’ve nailed down answers to those questions, take a look at our picks for the best portable solar panels. I’ve chosen what I think are the best options based on size, charging needs and application. Besides highlighting our favorites, I’ll let you know what other models I considered and how I came to my decision. That way, you can carefully consider which option is best for you.
Best portable solar panels of 2023
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The Jackery SolarSaga 200 portable solar panel folds up neatly into an easy-to-carry package.
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Jackery SolarSaga 200 (the largest of their SolarSaga series) is my top choice for portable solar panels because it’s highly efficient and large enough for plenty of uses. It’s also one of the lightest and least expensive for its size. Pair it with the Jackery Explorer 2000 power station, and you get CNET’s favorite solar generator.
With a capacity of 200 watts, it’s large enough to handle most of your solar charging needs. Four of these panels can fill Jackery’s 1,000-watt-hour power station in 1.8 hours. Like all the panels featured on this list, this one folds up. The folded panel is one-quarter the size of its fully deployed dimensions. The SolarSaga 200 sets the high mark for efficiency among portable solar panels at 24.3%. It also had one of the highest watts-per-pound measures. (A 200-watt solar panel that weighs 30 pounds isn’t as useful as one that weighs only 17.6 pounds, like the SolarSaga 200.)
The SolarSaga 200 is a bit more expensive than the other solar panels on the list, including some of the similarly sized ones. It comes with a three-year warranty that covers manufacturer defects if you buy it from specific retailers.
When paired with Jackery power stations, your purchase of a SolarSaga 200 has plenty of room to grow. Jackery’s power stations have some of the highest maximum solar inputs of any power stations today. If solar charging quickly is important, you’ll be able to build up to it.
It makes sense that a solar panel with a greater charging capacity is likely to weigh more. In general, that holds true. But some solar panels do a better job of capturing more sunlight without adding a ton of extra weight. The best we found at packing charging power into a small package is Oupes with its eight-pound, 100-watt portable solar panel.
This Oupes has 12.5 watts of solar charging capacity for every pound it weighs. It’s lighter than some panels that are only 50 watts. The Oupes 100-watt portable solar panel has a respectable, though not top-of-the-line, 20% efficiency rating. It’s also cheaper than most other panels of similar sizes. (It’s part of my pick for the best value solar generator, the Oupes 600-watt solar generator kit.)
Other portable solar panels we tested
Biolite Solar Panel 100: The Solar Panel 100 is the first larger offering from Biolite, which has offered smaller 5- and 10-watt solar panels for a little while. Its 100-watt offering is pretty much in line with the other options here but, without discounts, it’s a little more expensive to start than others.
Rockpals 60-Watt Solar Panel: Rockpals’ 60-watt offering is a good option for people looking to grab a smaller solar panel. It has the same strong efficiency rating (21.5-23.5%) as Rockpals’ 100-watt option (my pick for affordability above). This panel is cheaper than the 100W option, but you’re getting more capacity for your money if you opt for the larger one. I’ve seen both on sale for almost 50% off, which makes either a great choice.
Bluetti PV200: This 200-watt model from Bluetti could have been the choice for the best all-around portable solar panel, instead of the Jackery SolarSaga 200. It’s light for its size and cheaper per watt than the Jackery. It has an efficiency rating of 23.4%.
Anker 625: This 100-watt panel has an efficiency rating of 23% and weighs 11 pounds. It’s a little heavier and more expensive per watt than some others on this list, especially of the same size.
Geneverse SolarPower One: This 100-watt solar panel from the company formerly known as Generark comes in the middle of the pack for price and weight. Its efficiency rating is near the top at 23%.
EcoFlow 110-Watt Solar Panel: The EcoFlow 100-watt panel matches our lightweight pick at 12.5 watts per pound. It’s a little more expensive for its size than others, but has a good efficiency rating and great, compatible power stations.
Goal Zero Nomad 50: This bite-size solar panel has the smallest capacity of any on this list. It’s a good panel, but you can get just a bit more capacity for less money in a few other places.
Renogy Voyager: The 100-watt solar panel from Renogy is actually a really good price for its size. It’s also a lot heavier than others, panels both its size and larger.
Portable solar panel FAQs
What is a watt when it comes to solar panel size?
Why isn’t my solar panel charging as much as it’s supposed to?
How fast will a portable solar panel charge my device?
How we test portable solar panels
Because of difficulties in getting accurate data in the lab, our ranking of portable solar panels relies more on research and comparison of each panel’s specs than an actual testing protocol. Where specs were not publicly available, we reached out to companies to get them. Then we compared them, finding ways to make comparisons across different sizes of solar panels. The watt-per-pound and watt-per-dollar measures were two ways we did that.
CNET editors also had hands-on experience with these solar panels, so we could notice anything out of the ordinary or poorly made.
