Hi everyone
I’ve been to set up a small solar backup for my home use, but I am a bit confused now. I started looking into portable solar panels, and after going through a lot of options, I ended up focusing on BLUETTI panels. I spent quite some time reading reviews on sites like. Also checked some forum discussions and comparison blogs.
BLUETTI 100W Solar Panel (https://www.bluettipower.com bluetti-100w-solar-panel)
I understand, the PV200 gives higher output and might be better for faster charging, but the 100W one looks more compact and easier to carry. My main use is occasional backup and maybe some outdoor use, so not sure which one makes more sense long term.
If anyone here has used either of these or has better knowledge, please guide which one should be a better choice in real use? I need your help to decide, and thanks in advance.
They are both good panels, but it’s “horses for courses”, lol. What power station are you wanting to charge?
Both the 100W and the 200W panels are nominal 12V panels with a Voc of around 24.6V. To charge a small to mid size power station in the Bluetti range you need to get above 30V to use the full 10 or 20A charge input limit. So one panel alone will be limit to 8A at the lower voltage.
This means that you need either, one nominal 24V panel with a Voc in the high 40sV or 2 of either the 100 or 200W in Series, to maximise input Watts.
It would help to answer your Q. if you state the power station used, typical use and an idea of the % of it you might need to recharge. These are all factors that determine the amount of solar needed. Country might help re expected solar harvest.
Determine if you even need solar at all given your infrequent use. Any dollars saved into solar can go into more storage potential. For example if you get a Bluetti Elite 30v2 plus a Bluetti PV100 it will cost $219 + $249 or $468. This would get you 288Wh. For $399 you could get the Elite 100 V2 that has 1024Wh for $399 and just save $68. Personally I think the weight difference is a non-factor given your planned use of the unit. The PV 100 will be lucky to hit 65-70 watts in peak Sun. You can car charge at 100W for a few hours, meaning the PV100 is likely less useful than the PV200. Now take the PV200. Say you can get 150 watts coming in for 4 hours of peak sun. That’s max 600Wh. Take 600 and add that to 288 you get 888Wh. You are still within the same range limit of the Elite 100 V2 and still have the capability to car charge. If your usage is truly that low, you really need battery more than you do solar. Always start with energy potential first, then figure out how desperate you are for solar last. Most infrequent users don’t even need the panels at all.
It would really help to know the make/model of the power station you want to solar charge. Knowing the solar input specs of the power station will help determine which panel is best. That said, there are many better and cheaper panels than either of the Bluetti panels you cite. The most efficient panels that produce the most watts are the N-type 16BB (TOPCon). My favorite is the ZoupW 100W. It consistently gets near, at or above the rated output. Here I installed it on a pSolBot solar tracker to charge a Bluetti Handsfree 1.
