Charge Your Jackery Explorer 1000 Power Station With Solar Panels
The new Jackery Explorer 1000 is currently the most popular power station/solar generator made by Jackery.
Even though it’s a so-called solar generator, it doesn’t come with solar panels, but it has a powerful MPPT solar charge controller that lets you charge the battery within hours with compatible solar panels.
In this post, I will guide you through the solar panel jungle and show you which solar panels are compatible with the Explorer 1000 and how you can use any compatible MC4 solar panel with the use of an adapter.
The Jackery Explorer 1000 has an 8mm and Anderson Powerpole port with a max solar input of 126W. Therefore, to charge it as fast as possible, you could connect three 100W panels in parallel to max out the input and charge the battery from 0 to 100% in about six hours. We’ll talk more about that later.
Now, let’s list the solar panels I recommend for the Explorer 1000 and whether they’re compatible straight out of the box or require the additional adapter.
Solar Panels Compatible With The Jackery Explorer 1000
To use the solar panels with MC4 connectors and a green checkmark next to the “Requires Additional Adapter”, you’re going to need an adapter like this (click to view on Amazon).
How To Use Any Solar Panel/Brand
The solar panels in the table that have a green checkmark in the “Requires Additional Adapter” section are going to need an extra adapter to be able to connect to the Explorer 1000.
Every other panel is compatible straight out of the box but will require you to connect the specific 8mm adapter or cable. Some panels come with several different DC connectors to support a range of devices.
The adapter you need to use with solar panels with MC4 connectors is an adapter like this (click to view on Amazon).
You can also use the Anderson Powerpole input, with an adapter like this (click to view on Amazon). It’s possible that you need to change the orientation of the Powerpole connectors, which is easy to do on your own without the use of tools.
It’s compatible with solar panels that have a positive MC4 male connector and a negative MC4 female connector.
If you’re considering a larger panel with MC4 connectors you need to make sure its VOC rating is below 30V which is the maximum input voltage the Explorer 1000 can handle.
Note that you can only use one of the inputs on the Jackery Explorer 1000 power station at a time.
Combine Two Or More Solar Panels For A Quicker Charge
Since the max solar input watts of the Explorer 1000 power station is 126W, you can connect two or more solar panels in parallel to charge the battery faster. Before connecting anything, you need to make sure that the wiring and the connectors used can handle the amperage that your solar panels will output together.
With a 30V maximum input voltage, we can’t connect panels in series and must stick to a parallel connection. This is done by combining the positive wires together, and then the negative wires together separate from the positive.
To do this, you need an MC4 Y branch like this (click to view on Amazon).
With this adapter, you can connect two 100W panels which will input between 120-150W to the Jackery Explorer 1000 when the sun is out.
To go even further, you can connect three panels with an MC4 Y branch 1 to 3, or an MC4 Y branch 1 to 4.
To max out the input when the sun is out, I would combine two No products found. or three Renogy 100W.
MC4/8mm Extension Cables
When using extension cables, you need to know the total amperage your panels are going to output so you get a thick enough wire to handle it.
If you use a solar panel with an 8mm cable, you can use the Goal Zero 8mm 15ft extension cable. I wouldn’t connect more than 10 amps through these.
If you have solar panels with MC4 connectors, I recommend the WindyNation MC4 extension cables.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Will It Take To Charge The Jackery Explorer 1000 With Solar Panels?
With a single 100W panel, it takes about 16 hours. If you max the input by connecting two or more panels, it can be fully charged within 6 hours.
Can I Use Both Inputs (8mm/Anderson Powerpole) On The Explorer 1000 At The Same Time?
Currently, only one port can be used at once so you can’t connect two different solar panels to each port. If you want to use more than one solar panel, I recommend using an MC4 Y branch as I talk about earlier in this post.
How Can I Improve The Charging Efficiency When Using Solar Panels?
The easiest thing you can do to make sure you’re getting the most electricity out of your panels as possible is to tilt or angle the panel so it faces the sun directly at all times.
This means that you might have to move the panel during the day to face the sun, but if you rely on the power every day it’s worth it.
Another thing you should always do is to make sure there is no shade on the panel. Sometimes a small shadow on a small part of the panel can decrease the charging efficiency significantly.
Can The Jackery Explorer 1000 Power Station Be Used While It’s Charging?
Yes, you can use every output port while the Explorer is charging.
Please leave a comment down below if you have any questions.
Thank you for putting all this information out! It is a real help to me as I plan my small boat build. I plan on doing some weekend (and maybe longer) trips and am looking forward to not having to worry about power. I appreciate your great efforts!
Thanks for your comment, Sokratis. Happy to help! That sounds awesome.
Jesse
hi, thanks for sharing the info above!
I have a Jackery explorer 1000 (eu version). I already have a 100w Jackery solar panel and I also have the Jackery splitter cable in order to connect 2 solar panels. My question is if I can add a 200w panel. Total installed solar power would be 300w in this case. I was hoping to charge my explorer 1000 faster when the sun is not shining so bright. Can the controller in the Explorer 1000 handle this?
Thank you!
Hi,
I have done this and haven’t had a problem with my Explorer 1000, but I don’t think Jackery recommends it. The input maximum will still be 126W, but for your purpose I think it’s still worth connecting 300W to get as close to that 126W as possible when the conditions aren’t perfect.