Solar blankets vs rigid vs folding panels for a power station

For most people with a power station, a folding panel is the one to buy first. You can carry it out of the shade, tilt it at the sun and pack it away before a storm. A rigid framed panel makes sense when it's going to stay mounted on a van, shed or trailer for years, and a solar blanket or flexible panel makes sense when weight and pack space matter more than anything else.

We haven't used these panels ourselves. The weights and electrical figures come from EcoFlow, Bluetti and Jackery's Australian pages and manuals, the heat figures from Australian solar sources, and the sums are ours. All of it is linked at the bottom.

What each type actually is

The names get used loosely, so here's how we're using them. A rigid panel is glass in an aluminium frame, the same build as a house roof panel, made to be bolted down. A folding panel is two to four sections hinged into a case, usually with kickstands on the back. A solar blanket is a set of thin laminated cells stitched onto fabric that folds up small, often with eyelets for tying it down. A flexible panel is a single thin laminated sheet with no frame, made to bend over a curved van roof and stay there.

Even the makers blur it. Jackery's Australian page for the SolarSaga 100W calls it a solar blanket, but it's a two-fold panel with kickstands, which is what most people would call a folding panel.

Weight is the big difference

The clearest comparison is EcoFlow's own pair of 100W panels. On EcoFlow's Australian pages the 100W rigid panel weighs about 6.2kg and the 100W flexible panel about 2.3kg, yet both list the same electrical specs: 20.3V open circuit, 6.3A short circuit and 23% efficiency. Same output on paper, nearly three times the weight.

Jackery's own figures don't quite agree. The Australian product page says 4.69kg, while its help centre lists the same panel at around 4kg. Weigh it yourself if a kilo matters for a hike. The Bluetti figure comes from the PV200 user manual, which lists 590 x 630mm folded and 590 x 2,265mm open.

Heat and air gaps

Panels make less power as they get hotter, and how a panel is mounted decides how hot it gets. EcoFlow lists a power temperature coefficient of minus 0.39% per °C for both its 100W panels, so a panel at 60°C (35 degrees above the 25°C test temperature) loses about 35 x 0.39 = 14% of its rating. SolarQuotes notes that panels in Australian sun commonly run 20°C or more above the air temperature.

Rigid panels are usually mounted on brackets with a gap underneath for air to flow. Flexible panels are generally glued flat to the roof, so they can only shed heat from the top. Solar 4 RVs, an Australian caravan solar supplier, mounted two identical flexible panels on a simulated caravan roof, one with an air gap and one without, and in near 44°C air the one stuck flat made about 9% less. They called it an extreme worst case. A blanket or folding panel lying flat on hot ground has the same problem, and propping it up so air moves behind it costs nothing.

Angle and shade

On a hot day in a caravan park you park in the shade, and a roof panel sits in the shade with you. A folding panel or blanket on a long lead goes out into the sun. That's the main reason touring setups often pair a modest roof panel with a portable one.

Angle matters most in winter. A fixed panel lies flat and gets whatever the low June sun gives it, while a folding panel on its kickstands can face north and tilt up. Bluetti's PV200 flyer suggests setting its kickstands to about 45° (give or take 10°).

A blackout sum for Brisbane

Say the power's out for a few days in winter and you've got a 1,024Wh station with one 200W folding panel. The Bureau of Meteorology's average June solar exposure for Brisbane is 11.9 megajoules per square metre, which is 11.9 / 3.6 = about 3.3 sun hours. Allow 25% for heat, cable and charging losses: 200W x 3.3 x 0.75 = about 495Wh a day. That's roughly half the battery back each day, if the sky's clear. Storm weather can give you a fraction of that, so don't count on the panel to replace a full charge before the blackout. Our solar sizing by city guide runs the same sum for seven other cities.

Before you buy, check the panel against the station's input limits. Two EcoFlow 100W panels in series give 2 x 20.3 = 40.6V, comfortably under the DELTA 3 Plus's 60V input limit. Two Bluetti PV200s in series give 2 x 26.1 = 52.2V, which is still under 60V but with less room for the voltage rise on a cold morning. Our solar pairing basics explains series, parallel and the cold-weather correction.

Durability and warranty

Rigid panels are built for years outside. EcoFlow's Australian page gives its 100W rigid panel a 10-year workmanship warranty and a 25-year power output warranty of 80%. Portable panels carry much shorter terms: Bluetti lists 12 months for the PV200 in its manual and Jackery's Australian page shows two years for the SolarSaga 100W, plus a third when you register it, according to its help centre.

Portable panels also have their own care rules. Bluetti's manual says not to use the PV200 in thunderstorms, floods or cyclones, and to keep it within minus 10 to 65°C. Jackery rates the SolarSaga 100W IP65 and says not to leave it out in the rain or let it sit in water. Folding panels and blankets also walk off campsites, so don't leave one out while you're away.

Which one we'd pick

For a house in Queensland cyclone season, a 200W folding panel is the sensible choice. It stores in a cupboard, comes out after the storm, and sets up in the backyard in a minute. A rigid panel needs somewhere to be mounted, and if that somewhere is your roof and your house wiring, it's a different job entirely. Never connect a power station or its panels to house wiring yourself; that needs a changeover switch or inlet installed by a licensed electrician, as our changeover switch guide explains.

For a caravan or camper, a rigid or flexible panel on the roof plus a folding panel for shady sites covers most trips. Panels feed only the station's solar input. If you want roof panels wired into the van's own 12V system, have an auto electrician do it, and don't feed the van's 230V inlet from a power station without a licensed electrician checking that setup. Our caravan sizing guide works out how much battery you'd want behind them.

Wherever the panels go, keep the station itself in the shade. Jackery's own notice on the SolarSaga page says to keep the power station away from heat and direct sunlight while it solar charges. The Queensland Fire Department says to charge lithium-ion batteries on a hard surface in a well ventilated spot, not to leave them charging unattended, and not to charge one that's hot or damaged. Never leave a station in a closed car in the sun.

Where to buy in Australia

Buying from the brand's Australian store means 230V AU outlets, the local warranty and local support. Prices move around a lot, so check on the day.

• EcoFlow 100W Flexible Solar Panel (2.3kg)EcoFlow AustraliaSee it at EcoFlow Australia
• EcoFlow 100W Rigid Solar Panel (6.2kg)EcoFlow AustraliaSee it at EcoFlow Australia
• Jackery SolarSaga 100W (folding)Jackery AustraliaSee it at Jackery Australia
• Bluetti solar panelsBluetti AustraliaSee it at Bluetti Australia