Westinghouse Portable Power Stations: Connect Any Solar Panel

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

Westinghouse is a company mostly known for its gas generators, but they also make a couple of portable power stations that use lithium batteries.

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

If the information in this article is too technical for you, scroll down to “I Don’t Understand! Can You Just Recommend A Solar Panel?” to find a basic recommendation for every model.

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

Table of Contents show

Westinghouse Power Stations: Models and Specifications

In the table below, I have listed every power station currently being made by Westinghouse. 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.

Power Station Model	Input Limits
iGen160s (155Wh)	DC5521: 13-25V, 2A (50W max)
iGen200s (194Wh)	8mm: ≤22V, 3A (60w max)
iGen300s (296Wh)	8mm: ≤19V, 3A (60W max)
iGen600s (592Wh)	8mm: ≤19V (100W max)
iGen1000s (1008Wh)	XT60: 10-65V, 8A (400W max)

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 Westinghouse 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.

Most power stations, and all Westinghouse 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.
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.
Westinghouse’s information about the exact input limits of its power stations is lacking to say the least, but I was able to find the input port and the maximum input voltage. I don’t know exactly how many input watts each model can use, but based on the amperages I have estimated the max input watts. Remember, these amperage limits can usually be exceeded and that is necessary to reach the max input watts number. If you’re sitting on some better information about the input limits, I’d appreciate it if you would share it in the comments.
To connect a panel with MC4 connectors to the iGen160s, iGen200s, iGen300s, or iGen 600s, you need this adapter (click to view on Amazon). This includes a DC5521 and a 8mm connector. Use the one found on your specific model.
The largest iGen1000s includes an MC4 to XT60 adapter, so you don’t need to buy any extra adapters to connect a panel with MC4 connectors. If you’ve lost the one that was included, here is a similar one made by Bateria Power.
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.
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.

Westinghouse’s Own Panels

WS60P – A 60W panel compatible with every model, includes different connectors for all of them. Can also be parallel connected to another panel just like it to increase the wattage to 120W.
WS100P – A 100W panel compatible with every model, includes different connectors for all of them. Can also be parallel connected to another panel just like it to increase the wattage to 200W.

Rigid Panels

Renogy 50W – MC4 connectors, 18.6V Vmp.
Newpowa 70W – MC4 connectors, 20.41V Vmp. Not compatible with the iGen300s and iGen600s (based on the voltage limits).
Renogy 100W – MC4 connectors, 20.4V Vmp. Not compatible with the iGen300s and iGen600s (based on the voltage limits).
Megsun 160W – MC4 connectors, 18.2V Vmp.
Renogy 200W – MC4 connectors, 19.2V Vmp. Not compatible with the iGen300s and iGen600s (based on the voltage limits).

Flexible Panels

Xinpuguang 50W – MC4 connectors, 19.8V Vmp. Not compatible with the iGen300s and iGen600s (based on the voltage limits).
Renogy 100W – MC4 connectors, 20.7V Vmp. Not compatible with the iGen300s and iGen600s (based on the voltage limits).
Eco-Worthy 130W – MC4 connectors, 20.05V Vmp. Not compatible with the iGen300s and iGen600s (based on the voltage limits).
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 Westinghouse power station. Not compatible with the iGen300s and iGen600s (based on the voltage limits).
Renogy 220W Lightweight – MC4 connectors, 20V Vmp. Not compatible with the iGen300s and iGen600s (based on the voltage limits).
Renogy 400W Lightweight – MC4 connectors, 40V Vmp. Only compatible with the iGen1000s due to the high voltage.

Portable Flexible Panels

Togo Power 60W – Includes several connectors compatible with different power stations, including DC5521, 8mm, and XT60. 18V Vmp.
Sunsul 100W – Includes several connectors compatible with different power stations, including DC5521, 8mm, and XT60. 20.7V Vmp. Not compatible with the iGen300s and iGen600s (based on the voltage limits).
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, 8mm, and XT60. 18V Vmp.
Dokio 160W – Includes several connectors compatible with different power stations, including DC5521, 8mm, and XT60. 18V Vmp. Don’t use the included charge controller with Westinghouse 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. Not compatible with the iGen300s and iGen600s (based on the voltage limits).

I Don’t Understand! Can You Just Recommend A Solar Panel?

Absolutely, here are my panel recommendations and adapters required (if any). You can ignore the rest of the article and just buy the panel I recommend here.

iGen160s: Togo Power 60W – Includes connectors compatible with every model.
iGen200s & iGen300s: Allpowers 100W – Includes DC5521 and 8mm.
iGen600s: Elecaenta 120W – Includes DC5521, 8mm, and XT60.
iGen1000s: Zoupw 200W – Uses MC4 connectors, so you can use the adapter included with the iGen1000s. It also includes an MC4 to XT60 adapter. You can connect two of these in series.

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

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.

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.