SOLAR GEAR SCOUT / BUYING GUIDES
Clear solar gear reviews. Real price math.
We explain solar gear in simple words. We use published specifications, exact product matching, and current merchant prices. We also tell you when a review is based on data rather than hands-on testing.
N-Type Solar Panels Ranked by Price per Watt
Renogy's N-type panels side by side on price per watt, weight, efficiency and voltage, with the best value first.
Inverters for a 10kW 48V Split Phase Solar Setup, Ranked by Value
Split phase inverters for a 48 V battery bank, compared on price, continuous output, solar input and weight.
Bifacial Solar Panels Ranked by Price per Watt
Renogy's bifacial panels compared on cost per watt, weight, efficiency and voltage, so you can match a panel to your setup.
200W Solar Panels Compared: Price per Watt, Weight and Voltage
Which Renogy solar panel gives the most watts for the money, and how the pricier ones differ in weight and voltage.
Renogy Solar Panels Ranked by Price per Watt and Specs
Which Renogy panel gives the most power for the money, and how the rest differ on weight, voltage and bifacial design.
Renogy 200W N-Type Solar Panel Review: Price and Specs
What the standard panel offers for its price, what its wiring numbers mean, and how the bifacial and ShadowFlux versions differ.
MidNite Solar Little Rosie Inverter Review: Specs, Price, Rivals
Output, size, charging, outage switchover and price for the Little Rosie, set against the alternatives on this list.
BLUETTI 350W Solar Panel Review: Price per Watt, Weight and Specs
What the BLUETTI folding panel costs per watt, how heavy it is, and how Renogy panels compare on price, weight and electrical ratings.
OutBack VFXR3648A Review: Specs, Value and Alternatives
What the 48 V OutBack inverter/charger offers for its price, which batteries it lists and its generator input, and how the Renogy and MidNite options differ.
Renogy ShadowFlux 200W N-Type Anti-Shading Solar Panel Review, Specs
Ratings, weight and price per watt for the Renogy anti-shading panel, set against the 200W N-Type Solar Panel and 200W N-Type Bifacial Solar Panel.
EG4 Electronics 12kPV Hybrid Inverter Review: Specs and Value
What the 12kPV offers, how many watts each dollar buys, and how other inverters compare.
BLUETTI SORA 500 Review: Weight, Specs and Price per Watt
What this foldable BLUETTI panel offers, what it costs per watt, and how other panels compare.
Sol-Ark 12K-2P-N Review: Specs, Watts per Dollar and Rivals
What the Sol-Ark split-phase hybrid offers on paper, how much power it gives per dollar, and how the EG4 Electronics and MidNite Power rivals differ.
BLUETTI Elite 300 Review: Big Battery, Price per Wh and Rivals
What the Elite 300 offers on paper, how it charges, what it lists for outages, and how it compares with BLUETTI and EcoFlow rivals.
MidNite MN15-12KW-AIO Review: Specs, Price and Rivals
What this hybrid inverter offers, how many watts per dollar it gives, and how it stacks up against rival models from EG4 Electronics and Sol-Ark.
Best Portable Power Station for Home Backup, Ranked by Value
Large LFP power stations compared on watt-hours per dollar, outage switchover, solar charging, weight and room to grow.
Best Portable Solar Panels Ranked by Value, Weight and Voltage
The 500W Solar Panel SORA 500 ranks #1 of 3 on value here. See how the foldable panels compare on weight, voltage and listed temperature range.
Hybrid Solar Inverters Compared on Price, Power and Solar Input
The FlexBOSS21 Hybrid Inverter ranks #1 of 7 on watts per dollar.
Inverter Split Phase Listings Compared: 8 Models by Watts per Dollar
Which of these models the maker lists as split phase, which one ranks #1 of 8 on watts per dollar, and what each one costs at its store.
3000 Watt Inverters Compared by Value, Surge and Weight
A pair of Renogy inverters and a Magnum inverter/charger, ranked by value, with surge, weight and the Magnum's charger laid out.
Flexible Solar Panels Compared by Price per Watt and Weight
Flexible panels from Renogy and EcoFlow, ranked by dollars per watt, with weight and voltage ratings alongside.
Renogy Inverters Ranked by Watts per Dollar, With Surge and Weight
Renogy pure sine wave inverters, from the most watts per dollar to the fewest, with surge ratings, weights and which models name a UPS Transfer Switch.
Renogy 3000W Inverter with UPS Review: Price, Surge and Value
What the Renogy unit offers on paper, what it costs, and how it stacks up against the plain Renogy model, a larger Renogy charger, OutBack and Magnum.
Renogy 3000W 12V Pure Sine Wave Inverter Review: Value and Specs
Price, surge, weight and watts per dollar for the Renogy model, set against other large inverters.
Renogy 1000W Inverter with UPS Review: Price, Surge and Weight
Price, surge and weight for the Renogy UPS model, set against the rest of the Renogy line.
Best Solar Generator for Home Backup, Ranked by Value
Large power stations ranked by stored energy per dollar, with switchover, expansion and solar refill times for outages.
Renogy 1000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter Review: Value and Weight
What the smaller Renogy pure sine wave inverter offers on paper, what you get per dollar, and how the UPS and larger models compare.
Renogy 3500W 48V Inverter Charger Review: Price, Weight, Rivals
What the 3500 W Renogy inverter charger offers on paper, what each dollar buys, and how the alternatives compare.
Renogy 2000W Inverter Review: Specs, Price and Alternatives
What Renogy lists for its inverter with a UPS transfer switch and Bluetooth, what it costs and how many watts per dollar that buys, and how the other Renogy inverters in this article compare.
Hybrid Inverter Picks Compared by Watts per Dollar
How the picks compare on price, output and specs, with value ranks worked out from current prices.
Inverter Chargers Compared: Which Gives the Most Watts per Dollar?
How the picks compare on price and power, with value ranks worked out from current prices.
Solar Power Inverter for Home Picks Ranked by Watts per Dollar
Hybrid and off-grid inverters from EG4 Electronics and Sol-Ark, with store prices, output, surge and solar input for each.
Pure Sine Wave Inverters Compared by Watts per Dollar
These pure sine wave inverters ranked by watts per dollar, with what the pricier models list for the extra cost.
Renogy 100W N-Type Solar Panel vs flexible panels from Renogy and EcoFlow: price per watt compared
Panels with the same rating, compared on price, value rank and the voltage and current figures their makers list.
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max (Detachable Wheels) vs DELTA 2 Max: Price, Solar and Weight
Both list 2048 Wh and 2400 W of continuous AC output. They differ in price, solar input and weight.
Best Portable Power Station: Picks Ranked by Value
Portable power stations ranked by stored energy per dollar, and how they differ on weight, power output and battery expansion.
Power Stations Compared Against Refrigerator Energy Figures: Capacity, Output and Value
Yearly energy figures from refrigerator makers, an average draw worked out from them, and the stored energy, output and switchover speed each power station lists.
Portable power stations and an AirSense 11: run-time math and value compared
Which battery gives the most watt-hours per dollar, and what each battery size works out to against the power draw ResMed lists for the AirSense 11, before losses.
Power stations ranked by watt-hours per dollar, with Starlink Standard kit run times
Which battery gives the most watt-hours per dollar, and the longest run each could give a Starlink Standard kit by simple math, before losses.
EG4 Electronics 18kPV Hybrid Inverter review: output, solar input and value
What this split-phase hybrid inverter offers on paper, and how it compares with other split-phase hybrid inverters on price and specs.
EG4 Electronics 6000XP Off-Grid Inverter review: 6000 W, 240 V split phase
What the ratings, price and value figures mean for a buyer, and how the other inverters in this article differ from it.
BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 review: 1024 Wh at 25.3 lb
What the specs, price and value figures mean for a buyer, and how the EcoFlow and BLUETTI alternatives differ from it.
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Ultra Series review: big output, heavy at 72.1 lb
What the specs, price and value figures mean for a buyer, and how the BLUETTI alternatives stack up against it.
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max Plus review: output, charging and value
What this EcoFlow power station offers on paper, how it charges, what its price buys, and how the alternatives differ.
EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max review: specs, value and alternatives compared
What the DELTA 2 Max offers on paper, and how its specs and price compare with other EcoFlow and BLUETTI models.
Sol-Ark 5K-1P-N Hybrid Inverter review: specs, solar input and value
What the Sol-Ark offers on paper, what it lists for solar input, batteries and switchover, what its price buys, and how the alternatives differ.
EG4 Electronics FlexBOSS21 Hybrid Inverter review: specs, price and alternatives
What the FlexBOSS21 offers on paper, how much power it gives per dollar, and how other hybrid inverters compare.
BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 review: specs, charging, value and alternatives
What the BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 offers, where it falls short, and how the EcoFlow alternatives differ.
BLUETTI Apex 300 Versatile review: fast solar charging at a higher price
What the Apex 300 Versatile offers, how it charges, what it costs for the energy you get, and how the DELTA 3 Ultra Series and Elite 200 V2 differ.
BLUETTI AC180 Solar review: value, weight, solar charging and alternatives
What the BLUETTI AC180 Solar offers on paper, how it charges from the sun, where it ranks on value, and how the DELTA 3 Classic, Elite 100 V2 and Pioneer Na(Sodium) differ.
What Is an N-Type Solar Panel? N-Type vs P-Type, TOPCon and PERC
What N-type and P-type mean, how common N-type wafers are today, what TOPCon, heterojunction and PERC are, and what the industry roadmap says about their efficiency.
What Can a 100W Solar Panel Power? Daily Watt-Hours and Device Run Times
How much energy a 100W solar panel makes in a day, what takes a share of it, and how long that runs a CPAP, a Starlink kit or part of a refrigerator, worked out from the makers' own figures.
Pure Sine Wave vs Modified Sine Wave Inverter: What Is the Difference?
How a pure sine wave and a modified sine wave differ, what harmonic distortion means, which devices can have trouble on a modified sine wave, and how to check an inverter or power station before you buy.
Solar Panel Efficiency: What the Percentage Means and When It Matters
What solar panel efficiency measures, what is typical today, cell vs module efficiency, how heat and age lower output, and what a higher efficiency changes.
What Is a Bifacial Solar Panel? How It Works and When It Adds the Most
How the back side of a bifacial panel adds power, how much extra to expect over grass, snow or a white roof, why height matters, and when a bifacial panel is worth it.
Power Station vs Generator: Which Is Better for Home Backup?
Safety, run time, noise, recharging, connecting to your house and cost: when a power station is the better backup, when a generator is, and how to use both together.
What Size Inverter Do I Need? Running Watts, Starting Watts and Battery Current
Add up running watts, allow for the biggest starting surge, leave headroom for heat, and check the battery current at 12, 24 or 48 V.
LiFePO4 vs Lithium-Ion: Which Battery Is Better in a Power Station
Which lasts longer, which is lighter, which handles heat and cold better, and how to read a cycle rating before you buy a power station.
Solar Panels in Series or Parallel: Which Is Better and When
What series and parallel wiring do to volts and amps, which one charges faster, and how your charger, the cold, cable length and shade decide it.
Off-Grid vs Hybrid Inverter: Which Do You Need?
What each type of inverter does, and how to read the spec sheet: continuous and surge output, battery voltage, motor starting, enclosure ratings and grid certification.
Power Station Solar Input Limits: Volts, Amps, Watts & Plugs
What the volt, amp and watt limits on a solar input mean, how cold weather and wiring change the numbers, and how to check a panel before you plug it in.
How to Size a Portable Power Station: Watts, Watt-Hours & Run Time
Find how much your device draws, check that a power station can run and start it, and work out how many hours the battery lasts.
Solar Equipment Price Comparison Guide: $/W, $/kWh & Wh/$
Learn the simple math Solar Gear Scout uses to compare panels, batteries, power stations, and inverters without getting fooled by sticker price.
Prices can change quickly. Each review shows when its merchant-price data was last checked, and product specifications are linked back to source material.