The 4 Best Portable Solar Charging Stations Under $50

From electric cars to mobile phones to children’s toys – all of them are designed to run on energy from products that are engineered to be consumed and discarded with little afterthought to their effects on the environment. We are of course talking about batteries. They might seem innocuous on the surface level but there is a whole world of toxicity wrapped underneath their metal casings.

The list of chemicals that go into a simple battery is just frightening. Depending on its type a battery can have compounds composed of lithium, zinc, chlorine, lead and more. If the battery is not disposed of properly, these chemicals leach into the soil and groundwater. It is surprisingly shocking to think about the amount of waste a single person generates through the use of disposable single use batteries in just one year. What makes these numbers even more disturbing is that only 5% of ALL of the total lithium ion batteries produced are recycled properly. 

Now, we are not blaming everyone who uses batteries. They are a necessary evil in the modern world. If you don’t live near a proper battery recycling facility then it can be genuinely difficult to do right by the environment when you end up with discharged batteries. We understand your pain. Instead we want to focus on the solutions that can reduce the use of these disposable batteries in the first place. If you don’t have to purchase them to begin with, you don’t have to deal with their disposal and the guilt that comes with not being able to properly recycle them. 

Thinking about what we can do to solve this problem of single use batteries, our personal solution came in the form of portable solar charging stations. These devices are amazing. Renewable energy is going to be the primary source of energy in the coming century. It will take some time but you can get started on a smaller scale right now. Portable solar charging stations make it easy to travel with electronics and not have to worry about them discharging or using hard to recycle disposable batteries. You can have peace of mind using them because you are going to only rely on the all natural power of the sun to charge your devices.

Here are our favorites from the options available on Amazon:

POWOBEST Solar Charger, Outdoor Solar Power Bank

This beefy battery has a huge capacity of 20,000 mAH. That means it can charge the latest iPhone 4 times over. It has dual 5V /2.1 A USB output ports along with a Qi Wireless Charging pad. That means, you can wireless charge your phone while charging two more phones at the same time. It is perfect to carry this charger on a day’s camping trip and have enough power to juice up the phones for the whole family at least once on one charge. You don’t even have to take it out of the bag to recharge. When you decide to stop for lunch, just whip out the 3 foldable solar panels that the charger comes attached with.

These are highly efficient. They can supply up to 600 milli amperes of current when under direct sunlight. To put that into perspective, that is around 4 times faster than regular solar chargers. So the charger can charge itself in around 6 hours. That is a little more than a hearty afternoon nap. We love and recommend this one for the design. It comes in orange or red colors.

Panergy Solar Charger

Though it is a little expensive, it comes with a jaw dropping 26,800 mAH capacity. That is enough to charge the latest iphone 6 times over. They are high quality lithium polymer batteries. The attached solar charger has a capacity of 1.5W which is acceptable. It comes with a lanyard that allows you to hang the portable solar charger from your backpack while you are hiking. This way it can catch the sun without you having to wait. One major feature is the inclusion of an ultra bright flashlight on top of the device. It is very bright (150-160 lumens) and has three modes. We would recommend this accessory if you do a lot of day as well as night hiking. The only thing you are giving up is a wireless charger. 

Solar Charger,Yelomin 20000mAh Portable Outdoor Waterproof Mobile Power Bank

This one is super affordable at a very competitive price. It comes with an LED light and a compass. The charger is very durable. It is made from ABS, PC and Silicone material. This value charger supports upto 900 charge cycles which is good enough to last over 3 years of hiking and camping all day everyday. It has two USB outputs to charge two devices at once. It can charge a new phone around 4 times over. The LED light can operate in 3 modes: Steady-SOS-Strobe. This should come handy if you ever get stuck in an emergency.

FKANT Solar Charger

Finally this is the best of all worlds on this list. It comes with a massive power bank of 26800 mAH along with wireless charging AND an LED light. It has 2 USB 2.0 outputs and 1 USB Type C output. This variety is very important if you have different phone charger inputs in the group you are travelling with. Along with the wireless charging, you can charge up to 4 devices at once with this solar charger. It comes with safety precautions to prevent your device from overcharging, over-current, over-voltage or short circuit failures. The LED light can last for 32 hours on steady light mode and 65 hours on weak light mode. It has a simple and rugged design that we like. It is a little expensive but we feel the price is totally justified for all the features that it offers. 

We are keeping a close eye on developments in technology that allow us to live better and more eco friendly. A portable solar charging station is going to save you from the hassle of recycling and the guilt of using consumable throwaway products. We highly recommend these if you are an outdoorsy person.

Love,

Scooch and Steve