Home solar
Portable Solar Panels: What They Can Power in the UK
A 220 W portable solar panel gives about 0.75 kWh on an average June day in the UK and under 0.25 kWh in December. Power stations, sizing and the rules.
Key facts
- Foldable portable panels on sale in the UK in November 2026 ranged from about 110 W to 400 W, with the 110 W and 220 W EcoFlow models weighing 3.3 and 5.1 kg.
- Using PVGIS averages, a 220 W panel tilted south yields roughly 0.75 to 0.85 kWh of usable energy a day in June across Great Britain, and 0.14 to 0.23 kWh in December, assuming 25 percent losses.
- The EcoFlow DELTA 2 power station stores 1,024 Wh and accepts 11 to 60 V, 15 A and at most 500 W of solar input, according to its UK product page.
- A portable panel that only charges a power station is not plug-in solar: nothing is fed into the home wiring, so the plug-in rules and DNO notification do not apply.
- Plug-in batteries and solar kits with built-in storage are excluded from the UK plug-in solar specification, so a power station must never be connected to feed a home socket.
Portable solar panels are foldable or briefcase-style modules of about 100 to 400 W that charge a power station or a 12 V battery, not your home. In Great Britain a 220 W panel tilted towards the sun gives roughly 0.75 to 0.85 kWh of usable energy on an average June day, and under 0.25 kWh in December: enough for phones, lights, a laptop and a coolbox in summer, a top-up in winter.
That figure, from our model based on long-term PVGIS averages, is the key to everything below. A portable panel is a charger. What you can run depends on the energy it collects in a day, the size of the battery behind it and how much your devices draw. This guide works through each of those with real data-sheet values and UK sunshine figures, then explains why a panel and power station are a different thing from the plug-in solar kits legalised in August 2026.
What portable solar panels are
The term covers three designs that are sold side by side:
- Foldable panels. Two to six cell sections laminated into a plastic film, usually ETFE or PET rather than glass, stitched or bonded to a fabric backing that folds like a book. A kickstand or straps hold the panel at an angle. Most portable panels sold for camping are this type.
- Briefcase panels. Two small rigid glass panels in aluminium frames, hinged in the middle with legs on the back. Heavier per watt, but sturdier.
- Blankets and flexible panels. Thin, light, often rolled or folded into a pouch. Renogy UK, for example, listed a 200 W solar panel blanket at £179.99 and a 400 W version at £292.99 on 4 November 2026.
The cells inside are almost always monocrystalline silicon, the same family as in roof panels. Newer models use N-type TOPCon cells, and some are bifacial, which means the back side also collects light reflected from the ground. EcoFlow rates its 220 W bifacial panel at 220 W under standard test conditions and 243 W under its bifacial test condition; the extra only appears when light reaches the rear, which on grass or a campsite pitch is modest.
Two voltage classes
Portable panels come in two electrical classes, and the difference decides which devices they fit:
- 12 V class. Around 18 to 20 V at the maximum power point and 21 to 25 V open-circuit. Both EcoFlow panels in the table below belong here. These suit power stations with low-voltage solar inputs and 12 V charge controllers for leisure batteries.
- Higher voltage. Larger panels and some 400 W models run at 35 to 50 V. They suit power stations with inputs up to 60 V or higher, but can exceed the limits of smaller units.
Connectors vary: XT60 is common on power stations, MC4 on panels designed to work with charge controllers and inverters, Anderson plugs in the caravan and van world. Adapters work but add contact points that can loosen or corrode.
Data-sheet values compared
The table puts two current foldable panels next to a rigid glass panel from the same maker. All values come from EcoFlow’s UK product pages; Voltgeber does not test products. Power per kilogram and per square metre are our calculations from the published dimensions and weights.
| Value | EcoFlow 110 W portable | EcoFlow 220 W bifacial portable | EcoFlow 500 W rigid glass panel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rated power | 110 W (STC) | 220 W (STC), 243 W bifacial | 500 W |
| Open-circuit voltage | 23.5 V | 21.4 V | not checked |
| Voltage at max power | 19.5 V | 18.8 V | not checked |
| Short-circuit current | 6.1 A | 12.2 A | not checked |
| Unfolded size | 1,944 × 413 mm | 2,270 × 598 mm | 1,960 × 1,134 mm |
| Folded size | 544 × 413 × 36 mm | 603 × 598 × 36 mm | not foldable |
| Weight | about 3.3 kg | 5.1 kg | 26.6 kg |
| Power per kg | about 33 W/kg | about 43 W/kg | about 19 W/kg |
| Power per m² of total area | about 137 W/m² | about 162 W/m² | about 225 W/m² |
| Ingress rating | IP68 (panel, not junction box) | IP68 | IP68 |
| Warranty | 5 years | 5 years | 15 years |
| UK price, 4 Nov 2026 | £149 | £349 |
The table shows the trade-off in two numbers. A foldable panel carries about twice the power per kilogram of the glass panel, which is the whole point of it. But it collects only 60 to 70 percent as much power per square metre of total area, because the fold lines, edges and fabric carry no cells. The headline cell efficiency of 25 percent that EcoFlow quotes applies to the cells, not to the panel as a whole.
Prices also differ. At £349, the 220 W panel costs about £1.59 per watt. Renogy UK listed a rigid 200 W N-type panel from £130.99 on the same day, about £0.65 per watt. You pay for portability.
How much energy a portable panel collects in the UK
Panel ratings are measured at 1,000 W per square metre of sunlight and 25 °C cell temperature. Britain rarely delivers that for long. The useful number is the daily solar energy reaching the panel surface, which PVGIS, the European Commission’s solar database, publishes by month for any location. We ran its API for London, Manchester and Edinburgh with a panel tilted at 35 degrees facing south, which is close to what a kickstand achieves.
To turn sunlight into usable stored energy we multiplied by the panel rating and by 0.75, to allow for heat, cable, charge controller and battery losses. That loss factor of 25 percent is our assumption, not a PVGIS output; real losses vary with temperature, cable length and equipment, so treat the table as an estimate.
| Average usable energy per day, 220 W panel at 35°, facing south | January | March | June | September | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 0.25 kWh | 0.55 kWh | 0.86 kWh | 0.65 kWh | 0.23 kWh |
| Manchester | 0.17 kWh | 0.50 kWh | 0.77 kWh | 0.55 kWh | 0.18 kWh |
| Edinburgh | 0.18 kWh | 0.49 kWh | 0.76 kWh | 0.55 kWh | 0.14 kWh |
Three cautions apply. These are long-term monthly averages from 2005 to 2023, so a clear June day can give 1.2 kWh and an overcast one 0.2 kWh. The figures assume the panel faces the sun at a fixed tilt; laid flat on the ground in summer it loses perhaps 10 to 20 percent, and in winter much more, because the sun is low. And any shade matters more than on a roof panel, because portable panels have few bypass diodes; the shadow of a tent pole or a guy rope can take out a whole section.
Scale the table for other panel sizes. A 110 W panel gives half the figures, a 400 W panel a little under double: about 1.4 to 1.6 kWh on an average June day and 0.26 to 0.41 kWh in December.
For why winter output drops so sharply, and what angle helps, see our guides to plug-in solar in winter and the best direction and angle for panels in the UK. The physics is the same for a portable panel.
What the energy runs
Energy in watt-hours is what counts. A device’s power in watts, multiplied by the hours it runs, gives its daily use. The values below are typical figures to illustrate the arithmetic; check the label or manual of your own appliance.
| Device | Typical power | Typical daily use | Share of 0.77 kWh (June, Manchester, 220 W) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smartphone, one full charge | n/a | about 15 to 20 Wh | about 2 to 3 % |
| Laptop, one full charge | n/a | about 50 to 100 Wh | about 6 to 13 % |
| LED camping light, 5 h | 5 W | 25 Wh | about 3 % |
| Wi-Fi router, 24 h | 10 W | 240 Wh | about 31 % |
| 12 V compressor coolbox, running a third of the time | 45 to 60 W | 360 to 480 Wh | about 47 to 62 % |
| A-rated fridge-freezer, 200 kWh a year | n/a | about 550 Wh | about 71 % |
| Electric kettle, 3 minutes | 3,000 W | 150 Wh, but needs 3 kW output | beyond most power stations |
| Electric heater, 1 hour | 2,000 W | 2,000 Wh | far beyond the panel |
Two limits appear. The first is daily energy: a fridge-freezer or a router running all day uses a large share of what a 220 W panel collects even in June. The second is power: a kettle or heater needs far more watts than most power stations can deliver, regardless of how much is stored. Anything with a heating element is a poor match for portable solar.
Portable power stations: what the numbers mean
A power station combines a lithium battery, a charge controller for solar input, an inverter for 230 V sockets and USB and 12 V outlets in one box. Four specifications decide whether one fits your use:
- Capacity in Wh. How much energy it stores. The usable amount at the 230 V socket is lower, because the inverter loses energy converting DC to AC; budget around 85 to 90 percent.
- AC output in W. The continuous power the inverter can supply, plus a short surge rating for motors and compressors. Above the continuous limit it shuts off.
- Solar input. A voltage range, a maximum current and a maximum power. The panel’s open-circuit voltage must stay below the maximum, and the power station limits current above its maximum.
- Battery chemistry. LiFePO4 (also written LFP) cells last thousands of cycles and are more thermally stable than the NMC cells used in older and lighter units. All three examples below use LiFePO4.
| Power station (UK pages, 4 Nov 2026) | Capacity | AC output | Solar input | Battery and cycles | Weight | UK price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus | 286 Wh, expandable to 858 Wh | 600 W | up to 220 W | LiFePO4, 3,000 cycles to 80 % | 4.7 kg | £329 sale, £399 regular |
| EcoFlow DELTA 2 | 1,024 Wh, expandable | 1,800 W, 2,700 W surge | 11 to 60 V, 15 A, 500 W max | LFP, 3,000 cycles to 80 % | 12 kg | £549, shown sold out |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | 1,070 Wh | 1,500 W | two DC8020 solar ports | LiFePO4, 4,000 cycles to 70 % | 23.8 lb, about 10.8 kg | £899 for the unit alone |
EcoFlow says the RIVER 3 Plus can run a 3 W Wi-Fi router for up to 35 hours. Dividing 286 Wh by 3 W would suggest far more; the gap is a reminder that an inverter draws power of its own while it is switched on, which weighs heavily at very small loads. That is one reason power stations offer DC outputs: running a router from 12 V or USB-C skips the inverter.
Matching panels to a power station
Three checks decide whether a panel, or a pair of panels, works with a given power station:
- Open-circuit voltage below the input maximum, with a margin for cold. Panel voltage rises as temperature falls, roughly 0.3 percent per degree below 25 °C for crystalline cells. Allow about 10 percent extra for a frosty morning.
- Current within the input limit. If the panels can deliver more current than the input accepts, the power station usually limits it and wastes the surplus; whether higher short-circuit current is allowed is in its manual.
- Power suited to the input. A 500 W input fed by one 220 W panel runs at less than half its capacity. More panels help, as long as checks one and two pass.
| Combination on a DELTA 2 (11 to 60 V, 15 A, 500 W) | Open-circuit voltage, cold allowance | Current | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 × EcoFlow 220 W | 21.4 V, about 24 V | 12.2 A | Works, about 220 W peak |
| 2 × EcoFlow 220 W in series | 42.8 V, about 47 V | 12.2 A | Works, about 440 W peak |
| 3 × EcoFlow 220 W in series | 64.2 V, about 71 V | 12.2 A | Not allowed, exceeds 60 V |
| 2 × EcoFlow 220 W in parallel | 21.4 V, about 24 V | 24.4 A | Current above 15 A; limited, only with maker’s approval |
| 1 × EcoFlow 110 W | 23.5 V, about 26 V | 6.1 A | Works, input lightly used |
Jackery’s UK page adds a rule for its own ports: when panels are connected to both solar inputs of the Explorer 1000 v2, they must be the same model and the same number of Jackery panels on each. Mixing panel models or uneven numbers can cause voltage mismatches. Read the power station’s manual before buying panels from a different brand.
Worked example 1: a summer weekend under canvas
This is an example with stated assumptions, not a measurement.
Loads per day. A 12 V compressor coolbox drawing 50 W and running a third of the time (400 Wh), two phone charges (35 Wh), a camping light for five hours (25 Wh) and one laptop charge (60 Wh). Total: about 520 Wh a day.
Supply. One 220 W panel in June in northern England, which on an average day yields about 770 Wh. On a bright day well over 1 kWh, on a grey one perhaps 250 Wh.
Storage. The coolbox runs overnight too, so the power station must carry about 12 hours of it plus the evening load: roughly 200 Wh for the coolbox and 60 Wh for the rest. A 286 Wh unit would cope on a good day but leave no reserve; a unit of about 1 kWh covers a dull day in between.
Conclusion. For this load, a 220 W panel and a 1 kWh power station is a comfortable pairing in summer. Drop the coolbox and a 110 W panel with a 286 Wh unit is enough. In March or September, expect to fall short on grey days unless you add a second panel.
Worked example 2: a winter power cut at home
Loads per day. A fridge-freezer of 200 kWh a year (about 550 Wh a day), a Wi-Fi router at 10 W (240 Wh) and LED lights and phone charging (about 100 Wh). Total: about 890 Wh a day.
Supply. One 220 W panel in December in Edinburgh, on a sunny window sill or a garden stand: about 140 Wh on an average day.
Storage. A 1 kWh power station delivers roughly 870 to 920 Wh at its sockets after inverter losses. That is about one day of the loads above.
Conclusion. In a winter outage, the stored energy does almost all the work; the panel adds about a sixth of a day’s need. Prioritising helps: unplug the freezer if it stays cold for a day with the door shut, run the router from a DC output, and keep phones charged from USB. A gas boiler on a fused spur cannot simply be plugged into a power station; changing its connection is work for an electrician.
Where portable panels make sense
Camping and festivals. The classic use: a foldable panel, a power station of 300 Wh to 1 kWh, and loads measured in tens or hundreds of watt-hours.
Campervans and caravans. Many vans run on a 12 V leisure battery charged from the engine and from a roof panel. A portable panel adds output when the van is parked in shade but the sun reaches a nearby pitch. It needs a charge controller matched to the battery chemistry, or a power station in place of the leisure battery.
Boats. Folding panels on deck or a sprayhood top up the house battery at anchor. Salt, movement and wind argue for a controller and connectors rated for marine use and secure fixing.
Sheds and allotments. For lights, a radio and small tools, a portable panel and power station avoid running a cable from the house. For a permanent shed system, a fixed panel with a charge controller and battery is cheaper per watt; our guide to solar panel kits in the UK works through a shed example with an off-grid kit.
Balconies. A portable panel on a balcony charging a power station is legally an appliance in use, not a generator connected to the house. It is a reasonable way to run a laptop or lights from solar. It does not reduce the bill for anything plugged into the wall, which is what a plug-in kit does.
Emergencies. As shown above, the value lies in the stored energy; the panel stretches it.
Why this is not plug-in solar
Since 27 August 2026, plug-in solar has been legal in England, Scotland and Wales under SI 2026/848. A plug-in solar device has a grid-tied inverter that synchronises with the mains and feeds electricity into your home’s wiring through a moulded 13 A plug in a wall socket. It must comply with the government’s Interim Product Specification, be listed as compliant on the Energy Networks Association Type Test Register, be the only such device in the home, and be notified to the distribution network operator.
A portable panel plugged into a power station does none of that. The energy flows from panel to battery to the appliances plugged into the power station. Nothing is connected to the home wiring, so there is nothing to notify and no plug-in rule to meet. Charging the power station from a wall socket is ordinary use of an appliance, like charging a laptop.
The line is crossed when anyone tries to send stored energy back into the house:
- Plug-in batteries are excluded. The regulations define a plug-in microgenerator as a device that does not draw power from the home to store it for later, and the specification excludes plug-in batteries and solar kits with integrated storage. Ofgem’s decision of 11 August 2026 notes that plug-in storage remains prohibited from sale and use under the current regulations. Our guide to plug-in solar with a battery explains the background.
- Never use a cable with a plug at each end. Connecting a power station’s output to a wall socket with such a cable leaves live pins exposed when one end is unplugged and can backfeed the network when the power is off, endangering anyone working on it.
- Building your own plug-in kit from parts is outside the rules. The specification defines a plug-in solar device as a complete set of panels, inverter, factory-fitted plug lead, DC cables and mounting system, and requires the manufacturer to have it confirmed as compliant on the ENA register before it goes on sale. A folding panel added to a separately bought microinverter is not such a registered device, as we read the rules.
- Whole-home backup is a wiring job. Some power stations can supply selected circuits during a power cut through a changeover switch. In Great Britain that is a change to the fixed installation and belongs with a qualified electrician.
If you want solar that lowers your electricity bill, a compliant plug-in kit is the relevant product. Our guide to whether plug-in solar is legal in the UK sets out every condition, and the guide on choosing a plug-in solar kit covers what to look for.
Safety
- Battery heat. Keep the power station in the shade and ventilated; lithium cells age faster when hot. Manufacturers state operating and charging temperature ranges, often narrower for charging than discharging; follow them, especially in a cold van or tent.
- Water. A panel’s IP rating may not cover its junction box or cable, as EcoFlow’s note on its 110 W panel makes clear. Power stations themselves are rarely waterproof.
- Wind. A two-square-metre panel acts like a sail. EcoFlow says its 400 W lightweight portable panel is not recommended for hanging long-term outdoors or on vehicles. Weigh down or tie a panel in use and fold it away when you leave it.
- Connections. Check polarity on any adapter; reversed polarity can damage a solar input. Do not exceed input limits.
- Indoors. Power stations produce no exhaust, so unlike a petrol generator they can be used indoors. Keep them away from bedding and curtains while charging, and do not cover vents.
- Disposal. Panels and power stations are electrical equipment and batteries; they belong at a recycling centre or retailer take-back point, not in household waste.
Buying checklist
-
Write down your daily load in Wh. List each device, its watts and hours. This sets the battery size and the panel size.
-
Pick the power station first. Capacity for one to two days of your load, AC output above your largest device, LiFePO4 cells for longevity.
-
Read the solar input specification. Note the voltage range, maximum current and maximum power. These decide which panels fit.
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Choose the panel to fit the input. Open-circuit voltage below the limit with a cold margin, current within limit, power suited to your summer and shoulder-season needs from the yield table.
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Check weight and folded size. A 400 W panel is not a backpacking item; a 110 W panel is.
-
Check connectors and cable length. XT60, MC4 or Anderson, and whether the cable reaches from the sunny spot to where the power station sits in the shade.
-
Check the warranty and IP rating in writing. Five years on the panel is common for the models above; ask what the IP rating covers.
Common mistakes
- Expecting rated output. A 220 W panel rarely produces 220 W in Britain; plan on the daily energy table instead. Consequence: flat batteries. Fix: size by Wh per day, not by watts.
- Panel flat on the ground. Consequence: a large loss in spring, autumn and winter. Fix: use the kickstand and turn the panel to the sun two or three times a day.
- Three panels in series on a 60 V input. Consequence: input damage or shutdown. Fix: check the voltage arithmetic, use two in series or a parallel cable approved by the manufacturer.
- Running a heater or kettle. Consequence: the power station shuts off or empties in minutes. Fix: use gas or the mains for heat.
- Feeding the house from a power station. Consequence: danger to life and an unlawful connection. Fix: plug appliances into the power station, never the reverse.
- Leaving a lightweight panel out permanently. Consequence: UV damage, wind damage, failed connectors. Fix: use a rigid glass panel for permanent setups.
Portable panel, plug-in kit or rooftop: what each costs per watt
| Option | Example price, Nov 2026 | Approx. price per watt (kits: per watt of output) | Feeds the home? | VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foldable portable panel | £149 for 110 W, £349 for 220 W | £1.35 to £1.59 | No | 20 % |
| Solar blanket | £179.99 for 200 W, £292.99 for 400 W | £0.73 to £0.90 | No | 20 % |
| Rigid 200 W panel, off-grid use | from £130.99 | about £0.65 | No | 20 % |
| Compliant 800 W plug-in kit | about £336 to £989 (October 2026) | about £0.42 to £1.24 | Yes, up to 800 W | 20 % |
| Installed rooftop system up to 4 kW | median £1,780 per kW, 2025/26 | about £1.78 | Yes | 0 % until 31 March 2027 |
The comparison is not like for like. The portable panel price excludes the power station; the plug-in kit includes its inverter, cable and mounting; the rooftop figure includes installation, scaffolding and connection. What it shows is that portability costs more per watt than anything fixed. If your goal is a lower electricity bill, a plug-in kit or a rooftop system delivers far more value per pound. If your goal is power away from the mains, the portable panel is the right tool.
Next steps
Frequently asked questions
What can a portable solar panel power?
On its own, almost nothing for long: it needs a power station or battery to store the energy. A 220 W panel with a power station covers phones, lights, a laptop and a small compressor coolbox on an average British summer day. A fridge-freezer, a kettle or heating are beyond it, especially in winter.
How much power does a 200 W portable solar panel produce in the UK?
Our model based on PVGIS long-term averages gives about 0.7 to 0.85 kWh of usable energy on an average June day for 200 to 220 W tilted towards the south, and about 0.13 to 0.23 kWh in December, assuming 25 percent losses. Bright days give more, overcast days far less, and a panel lying flat on the ground loses part of the yield.
Can I plug a portable solar panel into a socket at home?
No. A portable panel produces DC electricity and has no grid-safe inverter. Feeding a home socket is only lawful with a complete plug-in solar kit of up to 800 W that meets the government specification, is listed as compliant on the ENA register and is notified to your network operator.
Can a power station feed electricity back into my house?
Not through a socket. Plug-in batteries are excluded from the UK plug-in rules, and a cable with a plug at both ends is dangerous because the exposed pins can be live. Some power stations can supply selected circuits through a changeover switch, which must be installed by an electrician.
What size power station do I need for camping?
For phones, lights and a laptop, around 250 to 300 Wh is enough for a weekend. Add a 12 V compressor coolbox and you need roughly 0.5 kWh a day, so a unit of about 1 kWh with a 200 W or larger panel gives a buffer for a dull day.
Are foldable solar panels waterproof?
Many carry an IP rating; EcoFlow states IP68 for its 110 W and 220 W portable panels, but notes for the 110 W model that the rating covers the panel and not the junction box. Fold them away in heavy rain, keep the connectors dry and do not leave lightweight panels out for months.
Can I connect two portable solar panels together?
Yes, if the combined voltage and current stay inside the power station's solar input limits. Two EcoFlow 220 W panels in series give about 43 V open-circuit, within a DELTA 2's 60 V limit; three would exceed it. Parallel connection doubles the current and needs the right cable and the manufacturer's approval.
Is a portable solar panel worth it for a power cut?
As a top-up, yes; as a supply, not in winter. In December a 220 W panel yields about 0.14 to 0.23 kWh a day on average in Great Britain, enough for phones, lights and a router for some hours. The power station's stored energy does most of the work.
Sources
- PVGIS 5.3 grid-connected PV calculator (API): monthly in-plane irradiation at 35 degrees facing south for London, Manchester and Edinburgh (PVGIS-SARAH3, 2005 to 2023)
- SI 2026/848: Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) and ESQCR (Amendment) Regulations 2026
- Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification, version 2.0, July 2026
- Ofgem decision to approve DCRP/MP/26/02: amendment to facilitate plug-in microgeneration (11 August 2026)
- EcoFlow 220W Lightweight Portable Solar Panel: specs and UK price
- EcoFlow 110W Lightweight Portable Solar Panel: specs and UK price
- EcoFlow 400W Lightweight Portable Solar Panel: UK price, usage note and 500 W rigid panel specifications
- EcoFlow DELTA 2 Portable Power Station: specs and UK price
- EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus Portable Power Station: specs and UK price
- Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 Portable Power Station: specs and UK price
- Renogy UK: solar kits and panels collection (prices viewed 4 November 2026)
- 800W plug-in solar kits UK: verified kits and prices (checked 8 October 2026)
- Solar PV cost data: small scale solar PV cost data for 2025-26
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or electrical advice. Your utility, state and local code have the final say.