I've never ventured into this forum before so forgive me if this is in the wrong place.

I'm looking for recommendations for a small solar panel(s) to keep on hand to be able to re-charge batteries in the event of a power outage lasting more than a few hours.  I would primarily want to be able to charge cell phones, BF radio batteries, 18650 batteries, and lithium batteries such as are used with cordless power tools (Ryobi, DeWalt, etc.)  Any good recommendations?

Anker

Keep in mind though the larger the panels the better. Also they are very dependent on full sun and keeping the panels pointed at it. Ambient light doesn't get it.

There are a lot of different brands on Amazon but most a crap.

Yeah I was thinking most amazon stuff probably would perform poorly, that's why I wanted to look for something better.  I'll check out the company you mentioned.

There are a bunch of smaller solar panels that can generate enough juice to keep cell phones and the like charged. I've seen a bunch of 40-60W folding panels that should be able do that consistently. I've got one that seems to work pretty well. Once you go beyond USB charging, things get a lot more complicated. There are a few folding panels that supposedly can power a laptop directly with 87 different output power plugs. One that I tried was I think an 80W output (supposedly) and it did power the laptop OK in full sun. Once the sun got oblique and/or cloud went by, the laptop would switch to its internal battery. Rule of thumb is ignore manufacturers output ratings.

Not sure what voltage your power tool batteries are and/or what the charger needs for input. That may drive your decision. You may also want to consider having a power station of some type such that you can keep the power station battery charged and use the DC/AC outputs on the power station to charge whatever you need.

During the eclipse last month, I was doing some ham radio ionospheric propagation stuff and needed to power both my radio and a laptop for a number of hours before, during, and after the eclipse. This is what the setup looked like, all off grid:



It was a 600W folding solar panel being fed into a 600Wh power station. The solar panel never produced more than about 400W since it was flat on the ground. But, that was enough to keep the power station at 100% except during the "ring of fire" part of the eclipse (as expected).

Dont write off Amazon just yet...      

For my Jackery I ended up with 2 100w Massimo Solar Foldable Blankets from Costco.  They were $50 bucks on clearance.    I ALSO have a Elecaenta  Solar Foldable Blanket (Found on Amazon) 120w.   This ended up being free as Amazon never delivered it for a good bit.  They refunded my money, and than randomly the package showed.  They said keep it.  I think initially it was around the $120 range with coupon and sale (If i recall correctly)
Attached File



This is just what I learned from my limited education of solar.

You're never going to see the max they advertise.

Watch your cost per watt for the panel.

You may be limited by the input controller on whatever unit you have.


With two of the Massimo blankets connected to my Jackery I was seeing 100w input in full sun.
Attached File

Attached File



With 1 Massimo and 1 Elecaenta panel connected, I was seeing 105w input in full sun.
Attached File

Attached File


With 1 Massimo panel connected, I was seeing 67w input in full sun.

With 1 Elecaenta panel connected, I was seeing 68w input in full sun.

With 1 Massimo panel connected, I was seeing 67w input in full sun.
Attached File

Attached File



With 1 Elecaenta panel connected, I was seeing 68w input in full sun.
Attached File

As long as you're buying a brand name panel Amazon is fine.  It's the unknown companies that you have to watch out for.

Check out the HoboTech channel on youtube link, he tests a lot of the folding/transportable solar panels, as well as solar generators, etc.  

ETA:  If money isn't an issue, then look at these Thin film Flexible panels.  Link

"Portable" is another key element in the decision making. Does "portable" mean something light and small you can put in a backpack (with the requisite 87 other items too) or does "portable" mean you carry it in your car where you're going and set it up when you get there?

That 600W folding panel weighs right at 28 lbs. That's not light but it's actually lighter (by quite a bit) than most of the 400W panels I've looked at (including the one from the same brand):


Also, it's voltage is much higher than most power supplies are set up to handle (44V max power, 52.8V peak OC). Most power supplies only like 12-18V panels. The power supply that I used it with is this one:



I seem to have ended up with a collection of solar panels over time. I started off with one back in 2017 that I carried with me to Puerto Rico since nobody could tell me if power would be available. It was rated at 105W and I used it with a Li-Ion power pack that had a charger built in and was getting right at 100W input. I don't have that one any more because some shitbag stole it.

As I recall, I now have a 28W, a 60W, a 120W, 2x200W, 300W, and the newest 600W. I may have a solar panel problem.

I probably should have been more specific when I said portable. I really only need it to be easily taken from inside my house to outside in the event I should need to use it to charge a few batterie/battery-powered things. This isn't for backpacking purposes or anything like that. Just intended to be used to charge a small variety of things as part of my larger preparedness plan.

You are wanting something like the one I just got for the very same reason you want one. I havent put this through it's paces yet but it gets great reviews in videos and etc. It is directly to USB and is all one unit. Just plug it in and thats it.

I have pack-portable solar, but for our "micro-camper" camping, we've been using the hell out of our Bluetti solar 800W (716Wh) with their 200W folding panel. Excellent comb, you guys motivated me to pull it out and top off the solar charger:




ROCK6

Hi,

I'm VERY new to this stuff. I've had a Jackery Explorer 1000 sitting in the box for the last year. Can I just purchase those Thin Film flexible panels, plug them and that's it? Do I have to worry about them over-charging the Jackery unit?

V/R
Ron M Cheney

Typically, the power unit has its own charging circuitry. That circuitry will prevent overcharging the batteries. From what I've seen, the power supplies that have a built-in MPPT charger fed by a solar panel reduce the amount of current going into the batteries as they approach 100%. So, even though the panel may be producing wattage near its rating, the power supply isn't absorbing all that power. The key is to make sure your panels do not exceed the voltage that the charging port is expecting.

My biggest gripe with most power units and solar panels is the connector issue. Some solar panels use MC4 connectors, some use XT-60 connectors, some use barrel connectors of various sizes (like Goal Zero's 8mm connector), and some use PowerPole connectors. I've had to buy or make a bunch of patch cables for interoperability. It sucks but I understand why they do it.

Thanks for the responses guys, this has pointed me in good directions and given me a lot of good stuff to look into.  If I were to opt for just some simple panels that have USB-A and USB-C ports on them for directly charging items off of them, is there a recommended way to cover a phone, or rechargeable battery charger to keep it from getting hot while it sits in the sun and charges?  Can you just put the item under the solar panel(s)?  Is a couple of towels enough?  I'd hate to fry a phone or blow up an 18650 battery because I left it next to the panel in the sun to charge.

The panel I linked has a mesh bag attached to the back where the plug is. I think as long as you keep the phone in the shade you will be good but airflow will certainly help.

Excellent.  This is extremely helpful.

I may start with a simpler panel(s) that can charge items directly via USB ports, and then may explore getting a power bank/generator.

I can run my X-TAR charger with a USB-c cord, same with my phone, and can get a cable to power a Baofeng charging dock with a USB-a port.  I found this item from Ryobi that would also let me re-charge their 18V batteries so I could power some of their small fans.

https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/46396035356#

Here are a few recent threads.

https://www.ar15.com/forums/outdoors/Looking-for-a-solar-battery-charger-AA-AAA-CR123-/17-705649/&page=1&anc=12110717#i12110717

https://www.ar15.com/forums/Outdoors/Solar-panel-panels/17-705760/?page=1&anc=12113402#i12113402

I don't have any name brand stuff.  I went with a few different smaller panels, battery banks, and two small solar generators.  All small, all intended to be portable or supplement during longer outages.  Keeping rechargeable stuff charged like small electronics and the like.  

For anything larger than a laptop or portable dvd player I jump up to a gas generator.

I plan on building a solar bank in the near future. But this fills a different roll for me. This is something I can hand literally anybody and tell them to go stick it in the sun and charge the flashlight batteries. For me it is more for stuff that isnt time critical as obviously I have spares I rotate through. But it doeas have the benefit of being extremely portable.

Thanks for this one, amigo!

I also bought that Massimo panel (along with a Massimo 500W battery station).

From my experience, you're better off charging a small battery bank, such as an Anker, and then using that to charge your phone.  I always put the battery bank behind the panel or wrap it in a small towel to keep it from overheating.

Wouldn't those cheap space type thermal blankets work as well?

Yes, definitely