How RidgeWatt works

Where the numbers come from

Each value carries one of three labels. From the manual: read in the maker's user manual or spec sheet (29 stations, 3 panels). From the brand's page: the maker's official product page (84 stations, 25 panels). Shop listing: only seen at a retailer, treated as approximate (0 stations, 5 panels).

Values collected by our scripts are only published when the exact text they came from is found in the saved source document and the number appears in that text; the first hand-entered records were checked the same way by reading the document. When two sources disagree, we use the manual. When a maker does not publish a value, we show "Not confirmed yet" rather than an estimate.

We have not lab-tested these units. RidgeWatt compares published specifications and applies the makers' own limits; it does not claim real-world capacity tests.

How the compatibility checker decides

A station's solar input has a voltage range and a current limit. We put one or more panels against it, in every way they can be wired (in series the voltages add, in parallel the currents add, or one panel per input), and keep the best option that stays inside the limits.

Voltage. Most makers set the limit on open-circuit voltage (Voc). Some Jackery manuals rate inputs by working voltage (Vmp), and we follow the manual. If a maker does not say which, we use the stricter reading.

Cold mornings. Panel voltage rises as it gets colder. We raise Voc by the panel's own temperature coefficient, or 0.30% per °C below 25°C (77°F) when the maker does not publish one, and check it at 20°F unless you choose another temperature.

Current. Where a manual says the short-circuit current (Isc) must stay under a limit (as EcoFlow's do), going over is "Don't connect". Otherwise extra current is simply capped by the station, and we count only the watts it will take.

Verdicts. "Works": inside every limit, including the cold morning. "Works, with a catch": it charges, but something is marginal or slower, or a cold morning pushes it over a limit. "Don't connect": over a limit that the maker says can damage the station.

Runtime math

Hours = battery Wh x 0.85 / appliance watts. The 85% accounts for losses turning battery power into wall power. Appliance draws are typical averages, not your device:

• Fridge: 60 W (average, compressor cycles)
• CPAP: 40 W (no heated humidifier)
• Laptop: 60 W
• LED lights: 10 W (a few bulbs)
• Starlink: 100 W (standard dish)
• Starlink Mini: 40 W (Mini dish)
• Phone: 10 W (charging)
• TV: 80 W (50 inch LED)
• Microwave: 1000 W (while running)
• Space heater: 1500 W (full setting)

Solar refill time is battery Wh divided by the station's maximum solar input. Real panels usually deliver 60 to 80% of their rating in good sun.

Prices and deals

Every morning we read the brand stores' public product feeds (EcoFlow, Jackery, BLUETTI, Anker SOLIX, Goal Zero, Renogy, Rich Solar) and record the price of the station or panel on its own, never a bundle. DJI's store has no feed we can read every morning, so DJI stations show no price rather than an old one. Prices last checked Oct 28, 2026. A deal is the store's own price below the store's own list price. Amazon prices are not shown, because Amazon only allows prices from its own service; Amazon buttons open that exact product's page.

Money and independence

We may earn a commission if you buy through these links. It never changes a verdict. No brand pays to be listed, ranked or recommended, and the "best for" picks are arithmetic on the published numbers, with the rule stated on each page. Affiliate disclosure.

Mistakes

Found a number that does not match the manual? Email [email protected] with the model and the page. Every fix is dated in the corrections log.

Use our data

The whole catalog is free to download as CSV and JSON, with the source of every value: RidgeWatt data.