By now you are likely already the proud owner of a new solar generator. Alternatively, you are rather in the process of deciding whether or not buying a solar generator is a smart choice for your unique situation.
Either way, one question we always see floating around the internet is: "how many solar panels can I connect to my solar generator?"
It is a valid question, and in this article we aim to give you the answer and once and for all, lay this question to rest.
Let's get started.
Understanding Solar Generator Capacity
Before we begin talking about solar panels and their role in your solar generator setup, it is important that you have a firm grasp on what energy capacity is.
The reason for this is that it can impact the total amount of solar panels you connect to your generator.
Solar generators are rated/sized by their capacity. In fact, your solar generators capacity is normally stated in the model name itself.
For example, you may or may not already be familiar with our BLUETTI AC200P Portable Power Station?
See that 2,000Wh number? That is the energy capacity of the solar generator. And by the way, in case you weren't familiar, Wh stands for Watt Hours.
Watt Hours can also be translated to Amp Hours (Ah) perhaps some of you are more familiar with that term?
Simply divide the Wh by the voltage of the battery. For example, 2,000Wh / 12V = 166 Ah.
Do keep in mind that while Ah and Wh are both used to express battery capacity, they are not the same.
- Ah = Charge capacity
- Wh = Energy capacity
Nevertheless, it is important to understand that your solar generators battery capacity will generally have an affect on how many solar panels you are able to connect to it.
But we will get to this a little later.
Understanding Solar Panel Energy Production
Next, we need to understand energy production and how exactly it works. by now we are sure all of your are familiar on how solar panels actually work.
For those of you who aren't familiar, we recommend researching the photovoltaic effect.
If you are not interested in researching this phenomenon here's our quick breakdown:
Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity via a method known as the photovoltaic effect.
In order for the photovoltaic effect to take place, a solar cell (or panel) needs to be exposed to photons (which is simply small bundles of electromagnetic radiation).
These photons are actually absorbed by the solar cell through two different types of semiconductors. The p-type and the n-type. These two semiconductors are joined together to create a p-n junction.
When you join these two types of semiconductors, you allow an electric field to be formed in the region of the junction as electrons move to the positive p-side and holes move to the negative n-side.
This electric field forces negatively charged particles to move in only one direction, the opposite for positively charged particles.
This whole process eventually results in electricity production.
How Many Solar Panels Can Be Connected To A Solar Generator?
Now that we understand what battery capacity is and solar panel energy production, we are better equipped to figure out how many solar panels we could connect to our solar generator.
The number of panels you are able to connect really all comes down to which model of solar generator you have bought, or are planning to buy.
To get a better overview, we have created a table which outlines pretty much all the solar generator models we sell and how much power (in watts) they are each able to take.
Remember, (at the time of writing) we only sell 3 different solar panels each with a power rating of 120W, 200W, 350W.
| Model | Max Power Input | Max Input Current | Voltage Range |
| EB3A | 200 W | 8.5 A | 12 V - 28 V |
| EB55 | 200 W | 8 A | 12 V - 28 V |
| EB70S | 200 W | 8 A | 12 V - 28 V |
| AC200P | 700 W | 12 A | 35 V - 150 V |
| AC200 MAX | 900 W | 15 A | 10 V - 145 V |
| AC300 + B300 | 2400 W | 10 A | 12 V - 150 V |
| EP500 | 1200 W | 20 A | 55 V -145 V |
Please note that you may connect solar panels in series or parallel to make up the max power input.
However, you need to make sure you stick within the specified current and voltage range.
For example, users who purchase the EP500 Pro can connect up to 6 pieces of the PV200 panels by connecting the MC4 ports of the panels to the MC4-aviation cable to the solar generator.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, the amount of solar panels you are able to connect to a solar generator largely depends on which model you have chosen.
BLUETTI solar generators are able to handle 1 - 6 solar panels (depending on the wattage of the panels being connected).
All in all, the most important thing you take into consideration is the specified current and voltage range.
You can find these amounts on the user manual of your specific solar generator model.
Here they are below for your convenience:
