DaranEner Portable Power Stations: Connect Any Solar Panel

Can I Connect Any Solar Panel To A DaranEner Power station?

DaranEner is a company that makes portable power stations and solar panels.

In this article, I am going to tell you everything you need to know about connecting solar panels to the DaranEner solar generators. Their power stations do not include panels unless you buy a bundle.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will help you as soon as possible.

DaranEner Power Stations: Models and Specifications

In the table below, I have listed every power station currently being made by DaranEner. If yours is missing, let me know by leaving a comment.

For a solar panel to be compatible with a power station, it must have a compatible voltage. That means the working voltage of the panel must be within the input limits of the power station. You can learn how to find the input limits of your power station here, or see the table below.

The solar panel voltage is a bit easier to find, and you can learn how to do it here.

The voltage limit should never be exceeded. If you already have a panel with a voltage too high for the specific model, you can use a DC buck converter like this (click to view on Amazon). It’s an adjustable power supply module that lets you reduce the voltage from 10-65V to 0-60V, and up to 12A. It requires some tinkering, and I don’t have any experience with them, so if this is something you would like to do I am going to have to refer you to the product manual.

However, the max input wattage can be exceeded with most power stations. The charge controller will not send more than the amperage limit to the battery, but it’s able to regulate it. Note that you should always check with the manufacturer of your power station whether it is ok or not. You must usually exceed the amperage limit to reach the max input wattage. You can read more about that in this article.

Solar Panels – What You Need To Know

Now that we know the input limits of the DaranEner power stations, it’s time to select a solar panel.

There are a couple of things you need to know before doing so, and these are true for all of the different models above.

1. Most power stations, and all DaranEner models, have built-in solar charge controllers, which is why they are often referred to as solar generators. The charge controller regulates the electricity produced by the panel and charges the battery at a safe speed. Because of this, you should not connect a panel that has an external charge controller. You want to make a direct connection between the panel and the input, with nothing in between except for maybe extension cables. If you already have a panel with a charge controller, see if it’s possible to bypass it.
2. To make the connection between the two, you must either choose a panel that comes with a connector that is compatible with your specific model, or use an adapter. See what’s included with the panel you want to buy.
3. DaranEner includes MC4 to DC adapters with all of its power stations except the smallest NEOZ model. That means the NEO300 and larger are ready to connect with compatible solar panels right out of the box.
4. To connect panels using MC4 connectors to the NEOZ, you need an adapter like this (click to view on Amazon).
5. If you have or plan to buy a panel that doesn’t use MC4 connectors, you’re going to need a different adapter. Please leave a comment and let me know what connector the panel has, and I will help you find the correct adapter.
6. Because the NEO1500 Pro and NEO2000 require a voltage between 33-60V, you must either select a 24V panel with a working voltage of around 36V, or connect two 12V panels in series.
7. I’ve mentioned it earlier, but the most important thing is that you find a panel with a compatible working voltage. Read this article to learn what to look for.

Solar Panel Recommendations

There are a lot of different type of panels, and I have written an article that talks about the pros and cons of each that you can read here.

Below I have listed panels from popular and reliable brands, but these are obviously not the only options you have to choose from.

DaranEner’s Own Panels

• SP100 – This listing on Amazon appears to be for the older SP100 model, but the buyers have received the newer model, which is a portable flexible 100W panel with MC4 connectors, 20V Vmp. It also has two USB A and one USB C port. You can read more about the new model on DaranEners website here. It also includes an MC4 to DC5521 adapter.
• SP200 – A portable flexible 200W panel with MC4 connectors, 40V Vmp. Only compatible with NEO1500 Pro and NEO2000 due to the high voltage.
• SP300 – Portable flexible 300W panel with MC4 connectors, 36.3V Vmp. Also has USB A and C ports. Only compatible with NEO1500 Pro and NEO2000 due to the high voltage.

Rigid Panels

• Renogy 50W – MC4 connectors, 18.6V Vmp.
• Newpowa 70W – MC4 connectors, 20.41V Vmp.
• Renogy 100W – MC4 connectors, 20.4V Vmp.
• Megsun 160W – MC4 connectors, 18.2V Vmp.
• Renogy 200W – MC4 connectors, 19.2V Vmp.
• Rich Solar 200W 24V – MC4 connectors, 37.6V Vmp.

Flexible Panels

• Xinpuguang 50W – MC4 connectors, 19.8V Vmp.
• Renogy 100W – MC4 connectors, 20.7V Vmp.
• Eco-Worthy 130W – MC4 connectors, 20.05V Vmp.
• BougeRV 200W – MC4 connectors, 17.1V Vmp.

Portable Panels

• Renogy 100W – MC4 connectors, 18V Vmp.
• Renogy 200W – MC4 connectors, 20.4V Vmp. Bypass the charge controller before connecting it to your DaranEner power station.
• Renogy 220W Lightweight – MC4 connectors, 20V Vmp.
• Renogy 400W Lightweight – MC4 connectors, 40V Vmp.

Portable Flexible Panels

• Togo Power 60W – Includes several connectors compatible with different power stations, including DC5521, DC5525, and XT60. 18V Vmp.
• Sunsul 100W – Includes several connectors compatible with different power stations, including DC5521, DC5525, and XT60. 20.7V Vmp.
• EcoFlow 110W – MC4 connectors, 18.4V Vmp.
• Elecaenta 120W – Read my review of this product here. Includes several connectors compatible with different power stations, including DC5521, DC5525, and XT60. 18V Vmp.
• Dokio 160W – Includes several connectors compatible with different power stations, including DC5521, DC5525, and XT60. 18V Vmp. Don’t use the included charge controller with DaranEner inputs, but you can use it to charge external 12V batteries like an RV or car battery.
• Renogy 200W – MC4 + USB A and C connectors. 20.16V Vmp.
• Dokio 220W 36V – Includes several connectors compatible with different power stations, including DC5521, DC5525, and XT60. 36V Vmp. Don’t use the included charge controller with DaranEner inputs, but you can use it to charge external 24V batteries.

Connect Two Or More Panels Together

To increase the charging speed, you can combine two or more panels. If this is something you would like to do, I suggest reading this article that go through the different ways to how that is done.

Extension Cables (Optional)

Here are my recommendations when it comes to extension cables.

• MC4 – Geosiry 12 AWG Solar Panel Extension Cables
• XT60 – Elfculb XT60 Extension Cable

Related Articles

Here is a list of articles that answer frequently asked questions related to this. If you have a question that hasn’t been answered, please leave a comment and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

• Do power stations by X come with solar panels?
• What kind of solar panel should I buy?
• How fast will a solar panel recharge my power station?
• How to improve the efficiency of my solar panel?
• Do solar panels work when it’s cloudy?
• How to find the input limits of a power station?
• How to connect two or more solar panels together
• Can I exceed the watt input limit of a power station?
• Solar charging: How long will it take?
• Can you connect a solar panel from a different brand to a power station?

Please leave a comment if you have any questions. Share information about your specific setup, models and/or plans, so I can help you as much as possible.