EcoFlow 110W Portable Solar Panel

Whether it’s a fallen tree that can be used as firewood, catching your own food for a hearty meal or finding a beautiful wild camping spot, when it comes to free stuff, there’s nothing like it, and it’s the same when it comes to electricity.

A few months ago EcoFlow were kind enough to send me their 110W Solar Panel to use with their River Portable power station.

Straight out of the box the 110W Portable Solar Panel is very easy to use, simply remove it from its sturdy nylon carry case, unfold the panel and connect it to the power station, it’s as simple as that.

On the subject of the carry case, it’s equally robust as the panel with what appears to be a neat, waterproof zip and a padded handle that uses velcro to fasten and therefore very comfortable to carry. That said, it only weighs 6kg, which is nothing really. Also, using the four carabiners that are supplied, the carry case is also designed to be used as a stand for optimal charging. The case keeps the middle four panels steady, but not the two outer ones which can make them a little unstable in windy conditions.

Once connected the charge can be easily monitored, and it doesn’t matter what the weather’s like either as it’s waterproof, dustproof and durable. Obviously you’ll need to keep the power station somewhere dry and clean, and fortunately the cables are long enough to allow this.

A nice touch is that the cables from the panel are standard solar connectors, which are called MC4 which means you don’t have to use the solar panel with an EcoFlow power station, you can use it with pretty much any other power station that accepts MC4 cable input. And, they’re rated to IP68.

When it comes to actually using it, Ecoflow say that the 110w has an industry leading 23% conversion rate, which in a panel that’s more compact than any other on the market is pretty good. In my experience it’s taken the 110w to charge my River from empty to 100% in between 8 and 11 hours, that’s obviously weather dependant and me actually remembering to position the panel to follow the sun. Incidentally, it’ll also operate between -25 and 85º, which is quite astonishing.

Overall I have to say that the build quality is fantastic, from the carry case to the MC4 cables that couple together with a satisfying snap. It’s a product that I’ve relied on more and more and can’t see me being ever being without. Also, there’s a degree of smug satisfaction in the knowledge that I can now charge up pretty much anything I want whilst out and about for free.

price: £289.00 with 12 months warranty more at » uk.ecoflow.com