Duracell 100W Portable Solar Panel Review: More Power for Fewer Dollars

8.2

Like

• Superior power output
• Outperformed its own specs during testing
• Affordable
• Lightweight

Don't like

• You’ll probably need an adaptor
• Larger profile when folded

Portable solar panels neatly ride the line between fallback options during a power outage and convenient sources of electricity on the go. Solar power is the fastest growing source of electricity in the US, and for good reason. In a world facing a rapidly changing climate and the unpredictable weather that comes with it, a self-sufficient source of power is a must these days.  

Whether you’re worried about the ever-taxed power grid failing you or just planning to spend some time away from civilization, a portable solar panel is a great choice to ensure you always have access to basic electronics. No need to be intimidated by the amount of choices either, as that’s where CNET comes in. I’ve tested hundreds of tech products for CNET, and when it comes to portable solar panels, I’ve mapped out the testing procedures to provide you with an unbeatable comparative analysis on your options. For a portable panel with top-notch power output and an affordable price, look no further than the Duracell 100W Portable Solar Panel. 

You’ve heard of Duracell, of course: Its batteries are everywhere. It comes as no surprise then that the company makes such a strong offering to another energy product. Many portable panels include bells and whistles to set themselves apart, but there is no substitute for raw power output, and the Duracell excels at that. In a market where 10-20% less power than what’s listed on the box is commonplace, the Duracell provides 20% more output. That’s a full 50% better than many panels marketed as providing the same 100 watts. For just $150, that's simply too good to pass up.

Duracell 100W: Who is it best for?

Are you somebody who enjoys camping? Ever been caught with a dead phone during a power outage? Or are you somebody who simply appreciates the chance to charge your devices without worrying about a carbon footprint? Renewable, on-demand energy is a valuable thing, and there is no more accessible source for an individual than solar. Knowing that you’ll always have a way to charge your phone carries a substantial peace of mind benefit. You’re certainly not limited to phones, either, with 100 watts of available power. Laptops, lighting and speakers are all well within the abilities of this panel -- you could even charge your laptop, disconnect it and power a router to establish consistent internet access. 

Even though it’s popular to say you can’t put a price on peace of mind, I think we should make an exception. At CNET’s state-of-the-art Testing Lab, we tested 10 different portable solar panel brands in the 100-watt output range. The $149 price tag on the Duracell was the second-cheapest of the entire lot. Prices ranged from $129 to $399, and while you can certainly look for price tags below that range on Amazon, you’re entering territory where major features are greatly exaggerated or omitted entirely. After 70 hours of testing almost a dozen solar panels, I am confident when I say this panel will outperform everything else at its price point. 

Duracell 100W: What to expect

Looks

The Duracell 100W is a sleek panel, sporting Duracell’s iconic copper coloring and large blue solar cells. It is light at 7.7 pounds and only has one seam down the center, giving it a larger carrying profile than many other three-seam panels but making it much easier for an individual to manipulate. Still, this is worth considering if you need to pack efficiently; the 26.8 by 22-inch dimensions while closed are a fair bit larger than the three-seam panels that average 15 by 21 inches.

Set up

Once you’re ready to set it up, the panel is well-balanced and comes with two stands to make sure it’s easy to orient for maximum sunlight. (Always make sure to position your panel at a 90-degree angle to the sun.) This sturdy, balanced design is another feather in Duracell’s cap when compared to the other panels we tested. We found the others were difficult to arrange in order to get the correct angle to absorb maximum sunlight.  When the sun is directly overhead, however, none of the tested panels struggled. 

Connection and ports

When purchasing a portable solar panel, connections are a mandatory consideration. Solar panels generate DC power in varying quantities based on available sunlight, and many electronics are not designed to charge at a rate of “whatever is available.” Portable solar panels also do not store energy, so your access to power is reliant on available sunlight. For this reason, those who purchase portable solar panels also often pair it with a portable power station -- essentially big rechargeable batteries to store the electricity generated by the panel. You can find CNET’s top ranked power stations here.

Unless you choose a Duracell power station as well, you will need an adapter to be certain that you can connect the two together. This applies beyond just portable power stations: The Duracell panel includes the standard Anderson plug pictured below, but most of your uses will require an adapter. This is a definite weak point of the panel compared to some of the other top performers, which do include far more connection options. Adaptors are easy to find for $20 or less, so ultimately this is only a minor concern. Personally, I can’t wait for the industry to standardize these connections.

Duracell 100W: How to choose the best portable solar panel

Here are the key factors to consider when shopping for a portable solar panel.

Price

Solar panel pricing can be surprisingly varied, but generally you can expect that the higher the rated output, the more expensive the panel will be. If you’re considering panels across multiple sizes, a good rule of thumb is to take the price and divide by the wattage, giving you a dollar-per-watt metric that serves as a solid base of comparison across all types. The Duracell 100W scores a very impressive $1.50 per watt, and that number improves to $1.25 per watt if we compare to the maximum output we recorded during our testing.

Output

Output is maybe the most important consideration when choosing a portable solar panel, as it determines what you’ll be able to charge or power. Here at the CNET Testing Lab, we have panels ranging from 40 to 400 watts. That’s the difference between charging a phone and powering a small refrigerator. It should be noted that the Duracell 100W panel is our favorite by comparison to other panels at or near 100 watt of output. 

Compatibility

Portable solar panels tend to be designed with the brand’s corresponding portable power station as the intended partner. As a result, if you buy a matched pair you’ll have what you need out of the box, but if you mix and match you’re likely to need adaptors. This also applies to the prospect of daisy-chaining several panels together, an important factor if you can imagine your solar energy requirements increasing in the future. 

Size

Last but not least, the physical size of a solar panel is important to think about before making a commitment. Are you planning to store the panel except in the event of a power outage? Or are you a hiker planning to carry it with you across the countryside? A physically large and heavy panel may generate more power, but still be less convenient than a panel that weighs very little and folds up to fit in a backpack more easily. 

CNET Testing Lab: How we test portable solar panels

Here at CNET’s Testing Lab, we pride ourselves on fair, consistent test procedures that allow us to objectively evaluate products in ways not available to the average consumer. 

Understanding that conditions outside are never the same from one day (or hour) to the next, we decided early on that we would need to build an indoor, controlled test chamber capable of providing light to the panels. We were particularly interested in howefficient a solar panel can be as the temperature goes up. If you’d never heard this before, you aren’t alone: A surprising number of people that I’ve talked to over the course of this testing project had no idea that solar panels perform best below 77 degrees Fahrenheit. 

We set out to construct test procedures that would allow us to measure solar output under controlled conditions, and evaluate the speed at which panel temperatures increased/output decreased when subjected to heat. The result was a 6-by-10-foot temperature controlled test table, arranged under very powerful LED lights designed to simulate the wavelengths of solar light. This setup is enclosed with mylar and has software controlled heating and cooling elements to give us complete control of the environment that each panel is subject to. A typical testing cycle involves hitting the panel with light from the LEDs and measuring the power output and panel temperature over the course of the test. 

Ultimately we end up with many interesting data points that factor into our final evaluation of the products, including but not limited to: initial power output, power output at temperature thresholds, panel heating rate and the relationship between the current and voltage output of the panel. We also spend time unpackaging the panel, setting it up outside, manipulating it to the best angle to catch the sun using a pyranometer, evaluating its connection options, and stowing it for transport in order to assign a final score to each panel.