- by Bryan Veldboom - updated on 5/16/2023
While so much of our life revolves around the use of electricity, it's easy to forget that there's a source of clean, renewable energy right overhead. Batteries Plus carries a full line of Goal Zero solar-powered solutions to backup your home in the case of an emergency or charge your portable devices when you're on-the-go. Today, we're going to be taking a closer look at Goal Zero solar panels, power banks and power stations, and how they work together.
Goal Zero products feature an ingenious system which allows you to hook up a portable solar panel to a power bank or power station. Here's how they work:
There are two different types of Goal Zero solar panels:
Nomad Series
Boulder Series
When determining what size solar panels you need, be sure to take a look at the power capacity of the power bank or power station you intend to pair it with. You can determine the number of watts you need from a solar panel by using something called the "Rule of 5."
The rule goes like this, on a sunny day, a solar panel will produce roughly 5 times the amount of watts indicated in the panel's name. For example, a 100-Watt solar panel will generate 500 Watt Hours of energy, which will fully recharge a Yeti 500X power station in one day. That same solar panel on that same sunny day will only charge a Yeti 1000X power station to half its capacity.
Batteries Plus also carries power stations in a variety of sizes, here is a summary of what each model is made for:
Yeti 1500X Lithium Portable Power Station
Yeti 3000X Lithium Portable Power Station
Yeti 6000X Lithium Portable Power Station
Here is a general look at what you can power using a specific number of watts
In addition to the sun, Goal Zero products can also be charged using your home electrical outlets or via your car's cigarette lighter. Want to learn more? Check out Goal Zero's blog "Back to Basics | How to Choose a Solar Panel " for tips on selecting the best solar panels for your needs. You'll also find plenty of additional information in our blog entitled "How to Keep Solar Batteries Warm in Winter and Solar Batteries 101."