Whether you are a solar expert looking for new, non-permanent powering products or are a new-to-solar tinkerer looking to experiment with this form of clean energy, this selection of portable solar panel kits includes just what you need. 

How to choose the right size portable solar panel:
To choose the right size portable solar panel for your needs you need to know how much power your devices will consume. To work that out we use either the total power consumption in watts or the current draw in amps.

Using watts to estimate power requirements can be misleading
To select a solar panel to power a 15 watt light for six hours a day we first calculate that the 15W bulb will consume 6 x 15 = 90 watts each day so the solar panel will need to generate 90 watts each day. Lets assume five hours of sunlight so the solar panel needs to generate 18W per hour, so a 20 watt solar panel will do the job. That seems fairly straight forward but unfortunately it can be wrong. We will see why when we use the current drawn to calculate power requirements.

Choose a battery with enough amp-Hour capacity
You will need a 12 volt battery with enough capacity to store the power, so select a battery with double the required daily needs, for a couple of reasons: Firstly, batteries should never be drained too much as it shortens their life, and secondly, if you have enough battery power to last for a couple of days then you are not too reliant on having good sunshine every day.

Larger portable solar kits require solar regulators
To prevent overcharging the battery, connect a solar regulator (Charge controller) between the panels and battery, but if you are using a small solar panel just to trickle charge a large battery the it can be connected directly to your battery.

Small portable solar panels
If you need a smaller solar charger to trickle charge large batteries then choose one of the 10 watt solar panels.

Use a portable solar panel to charge your laptop and mobile phone
Many standard 12V power car adapters for laptops and mobile phones will plug in to the portable solar kits with 12 sockets to allow you to use and recharge all your personal electronics car chargers or you use compact inverters to power small 120VAC appliances, inverters must be connected to a battery and cannot run direct from the solar panel.

Tips for choosing a portable foldable solar panel kit

Portable foldable solar panel kits provide 12 volt power for charging 12 volt batteries. They are made up of two 12V solar panels that are hinged together so they can be folded together when not in use. They have hinged legs attached to the back of the solar panels as well as a small solar regulator with connected power cables and battery clamps. the complete portable solar panel kit is held in a carry bag or case.