Solar Panel Wiring:  Which is better - Parallel or Series? So you are interested in setting up your own DIY solar panel array to charge your batteries.  Perhaps you want to use portable solar panels for RV or Marine batteries, or establish a DIY portable solar power generator kit to power RV appliances such as a Dometic CoolFreeze Portable cooler, a TV, lights, cooktop, etc.  After reviewing Solar Generators vs. Portable Solar Power Banks and estimating your PV wattage requirements using our solar calculators, you recognize that a single 12v 100W solar panel may not quite be sufficient to meet your needs,...

When it comes to small, off grid portable solar power applications, there are several products on the market that manufacturers claim to be “solar generators.”  So, what are they and how do you choose the best one? First things first - THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SOLAR GENERATOR. By definition, a generator is a machine that converts one form of stable energy into another, e.g., a dynamo that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. Solar energy is hardly stable.  All those “solar generators” on the market are nothing more than varied size batteries with built-in inverters and displays...

Spring is around the corner!  It's time to revisit your outdoor lighting and change those light bulbs.  Maybe you need to add some new lighting in the yard.  At Solar Sporting Goods we dare you to GO SOLAR. Recommendation:  To light up a larger outdoor space, consider the super bright MAXSA Innovations 150 LED security flood light, one of the brightest solar LED lights on the market.   We have put together this short guide with reference tables to aid your selection of lighting choices, in terms of brightness, energy conservation, and longevity.  Traditional light bulbs are the worst.  They don't last...

HOW MUCH POWER DO I NEED?! Shop Most Popular Portable Solar Power  If you are thinking of choosing a portable power bank for your mobile devices, but just aren’t sure what to buy, or if you have one and it isn't performing as you thought it might, you are in the right place.  So many spec. So many details.  It can be confusing.  Let’s break it all down. This conversation is exclusive to lithium ion batteries, primarily used in portable power banks and portable electronic devices. Let’s start with mAh:  It stands for milliampere-hour, or in other words, it is...

Solar Sporting Goods' 60W Sunpower Solar Charger outperforms USB wall chargers for typical mobile devices!  We used our 60W Sunpower Solar Charger to charge a kids Kindle HD 8, 32MB device from 12% to 78% in about 4 hours, exceeding the estimated charge rates of the micro-USB power adapter that came with the device.