Portable Foldable Solar Panel kits and systems

Portable foldable solar charging systems are available from 40w up to 200w. These portable foldable panels are a great way to maximise storage capacity of your RV or garage. They can be stored for extended periods of time and are easily deployed when the extra power is required for vacations or emergency backup power.

Complete and ready to use! 

When you arrive at your destination, the set up process takes less than 5 minutes.  Unpack the bag/case, unfold the panels, adjust the tilt legs, set on the ground in a sunny location pointing south, and finally connect the wires to your battery.

The two manufacturers we carry are from SolarlandUSA and Zamp Solar. Both manufacturers have a great portable foldable solar panel product and we have summarized the main features of each manufacturer to help our customers choose the best model for their portable solar panel needs. 

Zamp Solar folding kits feature monocrystalline solar panel technology, are ground mounted, have adjustable tilt legs for optimum tilt angle, have a built in charge controller, 16t.lead wire with battery clips for easy hook up, and can be folded up and stored safely in a padded carrying bag. Warranty is 1 year on workmanship and 20 years on power output. ( Bosch cells from Germany)

Solarland USA portable folding solar panel kits, have polycrystalline technology, are also ground mounted, have adjustable tilt legs and have built in charge controller, 16ft lead wire with battery clips for easy hook up and can be folded up and stored in a aluminum case. Warranty is 1 year on workmanship and 5 years on power output.

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.

Portable solar panels are a convenient source of power when outdoors
To use the portable solar panels just place them in the sun and connect the cable from the regulator to a 12 volt battery. The solar regulator will ensure the battery is not overcharged all you need is the sun to produce clean and free solar energy.

Portable solar panels from 40 watts up to 200 watts
There are many sizes to choose from, you can enjoy the convenience of solar power when travelling and camping, so instead of attaching a solar panel to roof of your boat or RV where it is vulnerable to damage and theft, choose from our range of portable folding solar panels.
They all use good quality solar modules and have an attached solar regulator including cables and battery clamps.
Whether you need a powerful 200W portable solar panel for the RV/ emergency back up or a compact 40W solar kit complete with carry bag and regulator you will find the size to meet your needs.

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.

Using amps to estimate power requirements
You should use the current draw in amps to be more accurate. Let's calculate the amp-hours the solar kit will need to generate. Using the same example of the 15 watt light bulb we note that it consumes 1.25 amps so after six hours it will have drained 7.5 Amps from the battery that needs to be replaced every day. If you want a solar panel large enough to top up the battery in 5 hours of sun then it must generate 1.5 amps. Reading the electrical data for a 20 watt solar module shows the Maximum amps (Imp) is 1.2amps..not enough, so our previous calculation using watts gave incorrect data, Why? because the solar panel generates about 18 volts but we are only using about 14 volts to recharge the battery, the rest of the solar power is wasted. Using amps we see that we will need a larger solar panel, in this case a 30 watt  solar panel with an Imp of 1.8 amps.

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 conected to a battery and cannot run direct from the solar panel.