Recharge Your SereneLife Portable Power Station With Solar Panels
SereneLife makes products in different product categories, one being the solar generator/power station category. Two of the batteries they sell are the SereneLife 155Wh and 222Wh.
There is also the 150Wh which is just like the 155Wh with slightly more battery capacity.
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While these solar generators don’t include solar panels with the purchase, you can purchase them separately to charge the SereneLife power stations.
Today I am going to help you figure out how to connect the panels, and which solar panels are the best for a battery of this size.
How To Connect Solar Panels To The SereneLife Portable Power Generators
As with a lot of other solar generators like this, the input we have to work with is a DC port. Both models support panels with a 13-22 voltage range.
The 155Wh model can handle up to 2.1A, and the 222Wh 4A. This tells us that the 222Wh model can handle up to almost twice as many solar panels.
The DC plug on both models is the 5.5×2.1mm port.
To use this DC input, we can either get a solar panel that comes with a 5.5×2.1mm connector or use an adapter.
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Since most large solar panels come with MC4 connectors, the adapter we would need is the Aimtom MC4 to DC 5.5mm x 2.1mm.
It’s important that the polarity is correct, most other adapters sold are not.
Aimtom MC4 to DC 5.5mm x 2.1mm
This adapter lets us use solar panels with MC4 connectors. An example of that is the Renogy 50W Compact Solar Panel. Together with the Aimtom adapter shown above, you can connect this solar panel to your SereneLife power station.
The most important thing when considering what panel to buy is its VOC rating. It has to be within the limits of what the solar charge controller in the battery can handle, in this case, 13-22V.
There is an amperage rating, but this is not as important as the voltage rating.
For example, the Renogy 50W mentioned above has a 21.8V VOC rating, so it’s safe to use with the SereneLife solar generators. You can usually the VOC rating in the product specifications.
What Is The Max Input Watts On The SereneLife Power Stations?
This isn’t advertised anywhere by SereneLife, so I can’t say with a 100% certainty.
I can, however, use their rating numbers and give you these estimates:
150/155Wh – 25W
222Wh – 48W
Solar Panels Compatible With The SereneLife Power Stations
Here are a couple of great solar panels that will match with the SereneLife power stations.
All links below are to the product page of that specific product on Amazon.com.
Enkeeo 50W Foldable Solar Panel – A portable foldable solar panel made by a company that makes solar generators as well.
It’s compatible with both SereneLife models out of the box. It also has USB ports so you can charge other devices while recharging your battery. It will max out the 150/155Wh models, but not the 222Wh model.
Rockpals 60W – Another foldable option, with 10 more watts than the Enkeeo. It comes with several different DC adapters, so it’s compatible with both SereneLife models. It has USB ports as well.
It should be able to get close to the maximum input watts on the 222Wh model during peak sun hours. There is also a Rockpals 100W that will definitely max out the 222Wh model’s input.
Kingsolar 40W Solar Charger – If you want a portable one that won’t charge the battery very fast but still be good enough for most campers, the Kingsolar 40W is a good choice. It should be able to generate at least 25-30W in good sun, so if you have the SereneLife 150/155Wh, it would take about six hours to fully recharge it.
Newpowa 50W Solid Solar Panel – This is the kind of panel I recommend you use if you want a reliable efficient panel. You’ll need the Aimtom MC4 to DC 5.5mm x 2.1mm adapter, but that’s all. Solid panels are more reliable than foldable options.
How Can I Increase The Charging Efficiency Of My Solar Panel?
The easiest way to increase the charging efficiency is by tilting or angling the panel towards the sun. This especially helps during the morning, evening, and winter months.
If it’s cloudy outside, tilting the panel can sometimes help generate a couple of watts instead of none.
You should also make sure that the solar panel is not shaded even a little bit. Just a little bit of shadow can decrease the input wattage a lot.
Let me know down below if you have any questions.