BigBlue SolarPowa 100 ETFE Review

The BigBlue SolarPowa 100 ETFE is the best value for a 100-watt solar panel we tested. It charges devices nearly as fast as the highest-performing, more expensive panels. This panel keeps putting out power in full sun and on overcast days. It's simply designed, incredibly lightweight, and very user-friendly. Setting up this model takes only a few seconds, and it can be stored away just as quickly. This solar panel is perfect for camping or off-grid living and is one of the best deals we've found, so it's an excellent value.

Performance Comparison

Direct Solar Charging Speed

The most important aspect of a solar panel is how efficiently it charges your devices in direct sunlight. The SolarPowa 100 ETFE performs this task quite well. During direct solar charging testing, it charged its Jackery Explorer 240 test battery at impressive speeds.

The SolarPowa 100 ETFE performed almost as well as the fastest charging panels in all direct solar charging tests. During all direct sunlight charging tests, we found that the monocrystalline silicon solar cells effectively converted sunlight into power. The SolarPowa 100 didn't put out the most charge, but it performed better than we expected, considering its low price.

The SolarPowa 100 ETFE panel is a highly efficient 100-watt panel that does well at turning solar energy into electrical energy. We tested every panel simultaneously to avoid atmospheric variables. On a sunny day at 5,000 feet in Colorado, the SolarPowa 100 ETFE generated 49.9 Wh in one hour on its 240-watt-hour battery. This is faster than most panels and nearly twice as fast as other similarly-priced panels.

We monitored the watt output during direct solar testing as well. While SolarPowa 100 ETFE's output fluctuated more than some panels, it was more consistent than others. At peak sun, this panel generated 50 watts of power. This is better than many 100-watt panels but is not the highest output. It's still very efficient in direct solar charging, even if it's not the most efficient overall.

Indirect Solar Charging Speed

Most large panels for a solar camping setup do well in sunny conditions. But it's not always sunny all day. In our indirect solar charging speed test, the SolarPowa 100 ETFE did well in simulated cloudy conditions. It generated more charge in its test battery than the lower-performing panels but not quite as efficiently as the best in this test.

To perform this test, we used several white sheets to create similar conditions to a cloudy day. We tested all these high-capacity panels side-by-side under a sheet, measuring the amount of charge they generated in one hour when hooked up to identical 240-watt-hour batteries. Every panel in our testing showed a significant drop in watt output during this “cloudy day” simulation. The SolarPowa 100 ETFE generated 14.4 watt-hours in one hour. This isn't the most watt-hours generated, but it's not the least either.

The SolarPowa 100 ETFE saw less of an increase in charging time than most of the models we tested. In the indirect charging speed test, some panels took over 100 minutes longer to charge than this one. It took longer than it did under direct sunlight but still charged its test battery faster than nearly all the other solar panels in this review.

Portability

The SolarPowa 100 ETFE is one of the lightest large solar panels we tested. It weighs 8.8 pounds and folds to half an inch thick. This is one of the easiest panels to carry. It easily packs into your trunk or slides behind the driver's seat in your car. It has an integrated handle for easy transportation to your solar power setup location at camp.

The SolarPowa 100 ETFE folds in half, so it could, in theory, pack down smaller. But since it only folds once, it's incredibly thin. And since it only folds once, you can pack this model up faster than many panels that fold 2, 3, or 4 times. It sets up as quickly as it breaks down for this reason.

It doesn't have a place to store the charging cable, however. We tried to wrap the cord around the panel or between the folded halves for transportation. But most of the time, this cable dangled off the panel again as we carried it. This could lead to a damaged or lost cable eventually.

Functionality

The SolarPowa 100 ETFE is a relatively functional solar panel overall. It only has one output, so you can only charge one device at a time with this. But it comes with a ton of different charging cable adaptors, so you can be sure you can hook this panel up to any power station, no matter what the input connection looks like.

The SolarPowa 100 ETFE has fold-out kickstand legs to point the panel at the sun during late afternoons and to catch the morning light. You can change the angle of the legs to track the sun's angle all da. They fold down and snap in place on the back of the panel when you don't need them, too. These legs don't feel the most secure, but the two-panel design means there's a leg for each panel, which is more than the case with three and four-panel designs.

Should You Buy the BigBlue SolarPowa 100 ETFE?

Of the 100-watt panels we tested, the SolarPowa 100 ETFE is a great value. It performs as well or better in most metrics we tested and is one of the least expensive panels overall. It charges a power station quickly in direct sunlight and is efficient enough in cloudy conditions. It's convenient to use and extremely light. It's also one of the simplest panels to set up. The SolarPowa 100 ETFE is an excellent option for any solar camping setup, especially those on a budget.

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