Portable power and solar generators

Do You Need a Solar Panel for a Weekend Campout, and How Big?

Published · By the SolarPanelX editors · Prices and specs as of that date, from the pages under Sources

Summary

For lights, phones, and a laptop, a 1 kWh power station often covers two nights by itself. The load list below comes to about 190 Wh a day, or about 380 Wh for two days, roughly 40% of an EcoFlow DELTA 2's 1,024 Wh. An electric cooler or fridge changes the math, and that is when daytime recharging from a panel starts to matter.

A day's loads

DeviceDrawUseWh per day
LED lantern10 W5 hours50 Wh
Phone11 Wh per charge2 phones22 Wh
Laptop60 W2 hours120 Wh
Total192 Wh

The 11 Wh phone charge is the figure EcoFlow uses on its DELTA 2 product page. Two days of this list is 384 Wh, which a fully charged DELTA 2 handles with room left over.

The same page says DELTA 2 runs a 120 W refrigerator for 7 to 14 hours. That is most of the battery in one night, so a two-night trip needs a way to refill during the day. Scaling NLR PVWatts estimates to a 200 W panel gives an annual daily average of about 600 Wh in Seattle and about 960 Wh in Phoenix, for a fixed south-facing panel at 20 degrees. A panel leaning on a campsite table will not match those conditions, but even the Seattle figure puts back more than half of DELTA 2's capacity in a day.

Stored energy versus output power

DOE separates storage into energy capacity, the total that can be stored in kilowatt-hours, and power capacity, how much can be released at one time in kilowatts, and says storage is never 100% efficient. DELTA 2 stores 1,024 Wh and delivers 1,800 W of AC in total, with a 2,700 W surge rating. For appliances above 1,800 W, its X-Boost mode (up to 2,200 W on US units) runs them at the 1,800 W rated output; the manual says it suits heating devices and does not work with appliances that have strict voltage requirements.

Shopping for one? Browse portable power stations →

Sources

  1. EcoFlow — DELTA 2 User Manual (Specifications)
  2. EcoFlow — DELTA 2 Portable Power Station product page
  3. U.S. Department of Energy — Solar Integration: Solar Energy and Storage Basics
  4. NLR Developer Network — PVWatts API Version 8 (queried by the editors on September 23, 2026: 1 kW, south-facing, 20° tilt, fixed roof mount, standard module, 14% losses)

We have not tested these products. Specs, prices, stock and terms are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; check the manufacturer or retailer before you buy.

More portable power and solar generators guides

Portable power and solar generatorsWhere Does a Bendable Solar Panel Belong, and How Do Two 100W Models Differ?On curved or weight-sensitive surfaces such as RV and boat roofs. Renogy sells its 100W flexible panel for off-grid systems in transportation uses…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsWhat Can a Single 100W Solar Panel Run in a Day?Averaged over a year, roughly 300 to 480 Wh a day. Scaling NLR PVWatts estimates for a south-facing, 20-degree array with 14% losses down to 100 W…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsCan One 200W Panel Fill a 1 kWh Power Station in a Day?On an average day across the year, not quite, even in Phoenix. Scaling NLR PVWatts estimates to 200 W gives a daily average of about 960 Wh in…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsWhich Numbers Matter More Than Watts When Pairing a Panel With a Power Station?The voltage and current window on the power station's solar input. EcoFlow's DELTA 2 manual lists that input as 11 to 60 V, 15 A max, 500 W max, and…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsHow Many Foldable Solar Panels Can You Chain to One Power Station?The limit is set by the combined voltage and current, not by total watts. EcoFlow's 60 W foldable panel has an open-circuit voltage of 25.5 V, so two…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsCan a Small Solar Panel Charge a Phone, and Is It Better to Go Through a Power Bank?Yes. Goal Zero's Nomad 20, a 20 W folding panel, has a USB port, and the company says you can plug a phone straight into it or use it to recharge a…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsWhat Comes in a Solar Generator Bundle, and How Long Does the Included Panel Take to Refill It?A solar generator bundle is one portable power station, one folding panel, and charging cables. The panel is well below what the power station can…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsTwo Power Stations Hold the Same 1 kWh, So Where Do They Differ?At the same capacity, the gaps show up in port output and in how many solar inputs there are. EcoFlow's DELTA 3 and DELTA 3 Plus both store 1,024 Wh…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsIs a Solar Generator a Different Product From a Portable Power Station?Usually it is the same box with a panel added. Jackery defines a portable power station as something that stores electricity and a solar generator as…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsWhich Panels and Extra Batteries Does EcoFlow Itself Pair With the DELTA 3 Plus?On EcoFlow's U.S. store, the DELTA 3 Plus is bundled with a 160 W panel, a 220 W panel, or two 220 W panels. EcoFlow names four extra batteries for it…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsIs a Renogy Solar Kit Cheaper Than Buying the Same Parts Separately?Renogy's 200W 12V Essential Solar Panel Kit sells for $289.99, and the closest individual parts from the same store add up to $436.69 (counting one…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsCan the Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus and HomePower 2000 Plus v2 Share Expansion Batteries?Not according to Jackery. Its support article, updated August 6, 2026, says expansion batteries are model-specific and not compatible with other power…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsTo Run 240V Loads From Anker SOLIX, How Do the F3000 and F3800 Plus Differ?Anker says the F3000 only puts out 120 V by itself; getting 240 V takes two F3000 units joined with a Double Voltage Hub. The F3800 Plus delivers 120…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsIs Every BLUETTI B300K the Same, Whatever Base Unit It's Listed For?BLUETTI's U.S. store sells the B300K as three separate listings, one each for the Apex 300, the AC200L/AC300, and the AC500, at three different…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsHow Heavy Is a Folding Solar Panel per 100 Watts?Across five folding panels from EcoFlow (45 W to 220 W) and Jackery (100 W), weight landed between 3.1 and 3.6 kg for every 100 W. Folded, EcoFlow's…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsCan You Compare "4,000 Cycles" From One Power Station Brand to Another?Not on the cycle count alone. EcoFlow rates the DELTA 3 Plus at 4,000 cycles to 80% or more of its capacity, and Jackery rates the Explorer 1000 v2 at…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsHow Many Watts Actually Reach Your Device From a Goal Zero Nomad 10?At most 7.5 W. The Nomad 10 is rated at 10 W, but its only output is a USB port rated 5 V at up to 1.5 A. The Nomad 20's USB port goes to 2.1 A (10.5…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsWhat Separates the OUPES MEGA 1 From the MEGA 2 Besides Battery Size?The MEGA 2 stores twice as much energy (2,048 Wh against 1,024 Wh), but the wider gap is solar input. The MEGA 1 takes up to 800 W at 12–78 V DC, the…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsHow Long Can a Geneverse HomePower ONE PRO or TWO PRO Keep a Fridge Running in an Outage?Geneverse's support site gives a rule of thumb: runtime equals capacity in Wh times 0.85, divided by the device's watts. For a 60 W refrigerator that…Read the guide →Portable power and solar generatorsWhat Do the Numbers in 4Patriots Generator Names Actually Measure?The number is continuous output in watts, not stored energy. The 1800 holds 768 Wh, the 2200X 2,240 Wh and the 2500X 1,612 Wh, so the 2200X stores…Read the guide →

All portable power and solar generators guides · All guides and search