Generac Portable Power Stations: Connect Any Solar Panel

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

Generac is a brand known for its gas generators, but they actually make two lithium power stations as well that don’t run on gasoline.

In this article, I am going to share the input limitations of the two power stations (GB1000 and GB2000), along with solar panel recommendations.

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

Generac Power Stations: Models and Specifications

In the table below, I have listed every power station currently being made by Generac. 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 Generac 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 Generac 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. Both the Generac power stations include an MC4 to XT90 adapter, which means they’re ready for compatible third-party panels that use MC4 connectors right out of the box. All you need to do before making the connection is to make sure it has a compatible voltage.
4. 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.
5. 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.

Generac Own Solar Panel

• Generac GS100 100W Solar Panel – XT90 connector, 20.1V Vmp.

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.

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 Generac power station.
• Renogy 220W Lightweight – MC4 connectors, 20V Vmp.

Portable Flexible Panels

• EcoFlow 110W – MC4 connectors, 18.4V Vmp.
• Renogy 200W – MC4 + USB A and C connectors.

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
• XT90 – Elfculb XT90 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.