As a photographer who often camps or goes on adventure assignments, adding portable power stations to my kit has given me the ability to charge and work in even some of the most remote locations. While this kind of accessory is useful for any type of outdoor photography, it is also great for a studio where you don’t have an outlet or to have a strong power source in case of emergency. Let’s talk about the next level in portable power stations: solar generator kits.
If you’ve been following my review series of helpful gear for photographers, you’ll already be familiar with my journey testing portable power stations. I have tried various wattages, sizes, and types to find the perfect solution for me and maybe for you too. My most recent testing has been to push the limits of how much power I need and how long I can remain off-grid before needing to recharge the power station. In the search for a solar option, Bluetti reached out to Fstoppers to have me review their BLUETTI Solar Generator EB55 with PV200 Solar Panel. With multiples devices to charge (at minimum, laptop, phone and camera), the power stations are amazing, but you do run out of juice eventually. This is where solar charging comes in, and it even surprised me how fast and efficient it is.
Stats and Features
The specs really stand out on the BLUETTI Solar Generator EB55 with PV200 Solar Panel kit. The question I am sure you are wondering, as I did, is how long does it take to charge with the solar panel? This 537 Wh 4×120V (700 W total) power station charged quickly, from 0-100% in just about 3 hours. The kit includes a solar panel that folds up, the power station itself, and a number of cords, including AC adapter and solar or car charging cable. With the AC adapter, you can charge the power station in 3.2 hours. The car, as is expected for these devices, takes the longest, at 3-6 hours to charge. I think of car charging as a good option for long road trips or in a pinch.
The next common specs to analyze in portable power stations are its size and weight. While small for its wattage at 10.9×7.9×7.8 in, the BLUETTI Solar Generator EB55 power station is 16.5 lbs. With a bit of heft, it was still perfect for me, as I am usually camping in one spot for days. With a home base at camp, the station can charge up my gear after a long day out photographing.
- Item Dimensions: 10.94 x 7.87 x 7.79 in (27.8 x 20 x 19.8 cm)
- Item Weight: 16.5 lbs (7.5 kg)
- Power Source: 6 ways to recharge (AC/Solar/Car/Generator/AC+Solar/Dual AC)
- Capacity: 537 Wh (22.4 V, 24 Ah) 4×120 V (700 W total)
- Output Ports: 4 x 120 V/20 A AC Outputs, 700 W in total; USB-C Port: 1 x 100 W Max.; USB-A Port: 4 x 5 V/3 A; 12 V DC Outlets: 1 x 12 V/10 A (car outlet), 2 x 12 V/10 A (DC5521), Wireless Charging Pad: 1 x 15 W max
- Features: Pass-through charging, 700 W AC Pure Sine Wave Inverter (1,400 W Surge), LiFePO4 Battery with 2,500+ life cycles to 80%, 13 outputs for multiple devices.
In the Field
With the BLUETTI Solar Generator EB55 with PV200 Solar Panel as a charging solution for my camping assignments, of course, the first place I took the kit was a week-long beach adventure to photograph wildlife. With sand and sun, this was the perfect opportunity to charge the station both on sunny and on cloudy days, as well as in shade. I found that the multitude of ways to recharge the power station combined with pass-through charging meant that I could always have it charging while also in use: a veritable ouroboros of power. I struggled to run it down unless I actively unplugged it from any recharge source, and even then, it could last me many days of heavy use. It is rated at charging a phone 50 times before dying, and I believe it. A few hours of laptop editing and topping off my phone and camera batteries each day gave me about 3.5 days of power.
With such a large amount of power and a solar panel to keep me going, I spent little time worrying about battery usage and more time photographing wild horses, birds and stormy beach landscapes. Even when the clouds rolled in, I had battery for days of camping adventures.
Portable Power Stations: Who Are They For?
The thing about portable power stations is that they are the bigger brother to handheld power banks. Stations are beefy. Often over 500 Wh, these lunchbox-sized boxes are meant to be there when you need a chunk of power for multiple devices or many days of use. Smaller pocket-size power banks are great for keeping in your bag to charge your phone, smartwatch, or smaller devices, but the banks don’t last long. They usually run out after charging a phone 3-4 times. When you need more power, the portable power stations are bigger and heavier but pack a punch with the amount of charges you get for your devices.
For nature photographers, these portable power stations offer the opportunity to work remotely off the beaten path and really shine in camping scenarios. I’ve also gotten great reader feedback from portrait, wedding, and commercial photographers and videographers on location who use portable power stations to run and recharge their lights and gear. I’ve also heard of photographers in loft studios with limited outlets who use a power station to avoid the annoyance or trip hazard of long extension cords. Another photographer said that he uses his to power astronomy mounts for those all-night long-exposure bracketed shots.
Another time when these devices come in handy is when you least expect it, portable power stations are the fail-safe if you lose power and need to charge your gear, phone, or even small appliances. There are many times when a portable power station can come in handy, some more unique than others, but they are a great tool to have even just in case.
One niche downside to portable power banks, as I have mentioned in previous reviews, is that you cannot take them on board an aircraft. The FAA prohibits any battery over 100 Wh, so these big power stations are earthbound only. I did discover though that you can ship them via ground options. So, if you need a power station for a shoot, especially one that is client billable, ground shipping is always an option.
Final Thoughts
As far as the BLUETTI Solar Generator EB55 with PV200 Solar Panel kit goes, it is a respected brand and stellar product that upped my portable charging capabilities to the next level. With this amount of power and six ways to recharge, power is no longer a worry on my crazy camping adventures. A huge thank you to BLUETTI for letting me test out their gear for us and explore how solar-powered power stations can help a growing niche of photographers focus more on creating and less on that pesky low battery alert.
If you would like to learn more about the BLUETTI Solar Generator EB55 with PV200 Solar Panel and add one to your kit, they are available here on Amazon. BLUETTI also has a number of charging solutions in case you'd like to browse for a larger or smaller option in their Amazon Storefront. Happy and fully charged travels, friends!
You raise the question, "how long does it take to charge with the solar panel?" Then you say it "charged quickly, from 0-100% in just about 3 hours", which implies that this is the answer to your question. However, you also note, "With the AC adapter, you can charge the power station in 3.2 hours", which raises my eyebrows, because it's hard to believe the solar panel charges the unit faster than the AC adapter.
So, could you please clarify how long it takes to charge with the solar panel in direct sun?
Also, there seems to be an inconsistency between "it could last me many days of heavy use" and "a few hours of laptop editing and topping off my phone and camera batteries each day gave me about 3.5 days of power", as the described use doesn't strike me as "heavy" and 3.5 days doesn't strike me as "many".
Hi Jacques! Great questions. The numbers I use in my article are a mix of the manufacturer stats and my own experience and observations. The tricky thing with any solar panel charging is that the amount of light the sun provides affects how fast it charges. So much so that midday blue sky I notice a difference versus late afternoon "golden hour" light. The stats are that it should take 2.7 hours to go from 0-100% charge in perfect conditions. I found it to take 3.2 hours because as the time/hours are going by the light is changing, clouds pass by, sun is going down, therefore it takes longer.
As to the usage that I explained, for me I am car camping when I travel like this. I am on my phone and laptop in the evenings once it gets dark post processing, using my electronics to watch tv, scroll socials, do emails etc. To me I consider that heavy usage when I am out camping and using the battery to charge everything every day and working off the battery for the evenings for my laptop.
Fstoppers has also reviewed similar products from FJ Dynamics. I note the FJD 2000W station with 200W solar panel sells for only 20% more than the Bluetti EV55 with 200W panel, and the FJD 500W (which you reviewed last year) with 120W solar panel is on sale now for only $399, about half the cost of the Bluetti with a 120W panel. Can you offer any comparisons of the Bluetti and FJ Dynamics products?
While I have used both brands power stations, I have only used a solar kit with the Bluetti so I cannot give a good comparison. I really enjoyed the flexibility of solar though so whichever you decide I would definitely opt for the solar kits over the non solar if you are working outdoors!
Thanks for your replies. You've actually answered all the questions I posed. I should note that the FJD 500W that's on sale for $399 is only available in the EU version, with EU-standard AC outlets.