A "solar generator" is a portable power station sold with one or more folding solar panels. The power station is a big battery with UK sockets; the panels recharge it in daylight. In a British winter one 200 W panel adds roughly 0.14 to 0.24 kWh on an average day, so it tops a power station up rather than filling it. In summer it adds three to five times as much.
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| City | December | June | Days to fill 1 kWh in December |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 235 Wh | 817 Wh | 4.3 |
| Manchester | 182 Wh | 738 Wh | 5.5 |
| Edinburgh | 143 Wh | 740 Wh | 7.0 |
Our query of the EU's PVGIS model: a 200 W panel facing south at 35 degrees, unshaded, with 14% losses, averaged over 2005-2023. Shade, a worse angle or a north-leaning spot will do worse, and a dull week far worse. Days to fill are our arithmetic, before charging losses. A 100 W panel makes about half.
Testers' readings bear this out. T3, testing in a grey British March, saw "10/15 Watts in totally overcast conditions, spiking to 35W in occasional bursts of sunshine" from a 100 W panel. In Colorado sun, OutdoorGearLab measured a Jackery 100 W panel averaging 50.7 W at its peak, and an earlier version of Anker's PS200 producing 166 W of its 200.
So for a winter power cut, count on the battery, and treat the panel as a way to stretch it over several days or to recharge it once the sun's out. To see how long a power station lasts with your own appliances, use What will it run?
Check both. EcoFlow's DELTA 3 bundle is £140 cheaper than the station and panel bought apart. Jackery's 1000 v2 bundle is £1,199, while the station alone was £398 at Currys, sold out there when we checked. Make sure the panel's connector suits the power station; a bundle takes care of that.
Prices from the shop named on each button. Specs are the makers' figures.
The Elite 100 V2 holds 1,024 Wh, supplies 1,800 W and takes up to 1,000 W of solar, so you can add panels later. Two UK sockets. Bluetti doesn't name the 200 W panel in the bundle. The price was part of a sale running to 18 November.
The most output of these, 2,000 W, and the fastest mains charging: The Technology Man charged the station from flat in 47 minutes. It takes up to 600 W of solar. Anker's UK page doesn't state the socket count; The Technology Man counted four.
The DELTA 3 with EcoFlow's 220 W bifacial panel, which collects some light from behind as well as in front. The station takes up to 500 W of solar. On pre-order when we checked, because of the panel; the station alone was in stock.
Pre-order only at EcoFlow when we checked on 4 November.
Half the battery (512 Wh) and 500 W of output, at 5.7 kg: enough for a router, phones, lamps and a laptop, not a fridge-freezer for long.
The Explorer 1000 v2 is good value on its own: £398 at Currys, sold out there when we checked. Bought as Jackery's bundle with one 100 W panel it costs £1,199. We haven't checked the panel's own price, but that's a big premium for one 100 W panel.
Not the same as plug-in solar: plug-in panels feed your home's wiring and switch off in a power cut. A solar generator keeps working because it stores the energy. How plug-in solar works.