Summer is here, and if you have been planning to spend more time outdoors, a portable solar panel can be a great investment. These can keep your power stations charged wherever the sun shines, but not all solar panels are made equal. Some Reddit users have even been considering adding portable solar panels to their emergency backpacks, so that they don't lose power in the event of a disaster.
CNET's current favorite is the Jackery SolarSaga 200, thanks to its lightweight and sizable solar-charging capacity. If this one doesn't fit your needs or budget, there are plenty of other options.
Portable solar panels (and the portable power stations they're sometimes paired with as solar power generators) mirror trends in rooftop solar panels and solar batteries. One trend is that your options are rapidly expanding. Whether you're looking for a solar panel to charge a battery while you're camping off-grid or to charge your phone or power some tools, there's likely an option for you. And if you know someone who loves camping (or just being prepared), portable solar panels (and a compatible power station) may make a great gift. We've got CNET's picks for the best solar panels below and a few others that could still be a good fit for you. We'll also lay out how we made our picks so that you can make the best decision for you.
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Best portable solar panels of 2025
Steve Conaway/CNET Jackery SolarSaga 200 Best overall portable solar panel 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 has 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 3-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 station today. If solar charging quickly is important, you'll be able to build up to it. $379 at Amazon
Steve Conaway/CNET Bluetti PV350 Best portable solar panel for fast charging If you need fast solar charging on the go, there's one panel that stands out above the rest. Bluetti's PV350 portable solar panel has a massive solar capacity of 350 watts, so it can collect more sunlight and send more electricity to your devices. It's 75% larger than my best overall pick, the Jackery SolarSaga 200. Besides being big, the PV350 also has an excellent efficiency rating of 23.4%. While heavier than any other panel we considered (30.69 pounds), on a pound-per-watt basis, it's actually one of the lighter options. As you might expect, the PV350 will set you back more than other panels. For what you're getting, it's a fair price. For every dollar you spend, you're buying 0.41-watt of charging capacity. That tops our value pick above, but the Oupes seemed more within reach and a better fit for more uses. $599 at Amazon
Steve Conaway/James Martin/CNET Oupes 100W Portable Solar Panel Best lightweight portable solar panel It makes sense that a solar panel with a greater charging capacity is likely to weigh more. In general, that holds true. 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 100-watt portable solar panel at 8 pounds. 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, although 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.) $180 at Amazon
Duracell 100W Portable Solar Panel (Update: Currently unavailable) Best performer under CNET labs testing Many portable solar panels include bells and whistles to set themselves apart, but there is no substitute for raw power output. The Duracell did just that and excelled under CNET's Testing Lab conditions compared with the competition. The Duracell provided 20% more output than its box specs said it would. For comparison, that's in a market where 10% to 20% less power than what's listed on the box is the norm. For the price, a high-performing product like this is too good to pass up. $150 at Amazon
Geneverse Geneverse SolarPower ONE (Update: Currently unavailable) Best affordable portable solar panel The SolarPower ONE from Geneverse is a quality solar panel within reach for many people. With a capacity of 100 watts, the SolarPower ONE comes in at about $3 per watt. That's one of the better marks for panels of this size, though larger panels will typically cost less per watt, albeit more overall. While this model is a bit more expensive than picks we've had in this spot previously, we've seen some of our favorite small, budget panels drop off the market. SolarPower ONE has an efficiency rating of 23%, which is toward the top of the range of the panels we tested, although some larger panels have higher rates. This model also packs a lot of power into a relatively light package. At just 9.1 pounds, it's one of the lightest 100-watt models we've tested. That means it'll be easier to take advantage of the portable nature of this panel and take it with you. $299 at Amazon
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