Editor's Note: Our solar charger review was updated on November 13, 2024, to give more detailed comparisons. The Jackery SolarSaga 100 once again is our favorite high-wattage solar charger. This lightweight panel is more affordable than most 100-watt solar panels and also performs as well as the best of them.
Portable solar chargers don’t have this problem, and as long as the proper conditions are met, they can provide a practically unlimited supply of electricity for your mobile devices, flashlights and battery packs or portable chargers. Compact and lightweight, they’re perfect for camping, travel and emergency use.
Take a look at our top picks which include brands like Electrify America, Blink, and ChargePoint. Solar chargers and power banks use the sun to generate electricity, so you don't need a wall outlet. It's convenient, especially when inclement weather knocks out power.
The Goal Zero Nomad 50 is a larger solar charger that also wins our award for Best Solar Charger for Car Campingand Best Solar Charger for Basecamping and our Best Upgrade Solar Chargeraward. At 50 watts, it’s the biggest and heaviest solar charger we tried.
With the smaller solar chargers and power banks, you need to be realistic. Although solar panel technology is evolving all the time, most solar cells are only between 15% and 25% efficient when converting the sun’s energy into output, and that means you need a lot of surface area to get decent results.
A portable solar charger is a lightweight and more compact means of electricity generation compared with other means of mobile energy generation.