How We Pick
A solar guide on SolarKitHQ is a shortlist built from published specs, ranked by a fixed score, with the gaps called out. Here is how that works, and what it leaves out.
The buyers in mind
- Outage planners: homeowners who want a plug-in power station or battery to keep a fridge, a router and a few phone chargers running when the grid goes down.
- Rig builders: RV, van and boat owners putting together panels, a charge controller, a battery bank and an inverter that have to work as one system.
- Off-grid beginners: campers and cabin owners who need power away from an outlet and want gear that does not need an electrician to set up.
Each guide names which of these it serves, because the right 200W panel for a van roof is not the right one for a weekend campsite.
What gets a product cut
We begin with what a US buyer can order now and drop listings that make comparison impossible: a power station with no stated watt-hours, an inverter that gives only a peak figure, a charge controller without a maximum PV input, a battery with no stated chemistry, or a seller we cannot identify. We also note what each kit still needs before it works, such as cables, fuses, a controller, an MC4 adapter or a second panel.
The Solar Score
Every product we recommend carries a Solar Score out of 10, using the same five weights in every category.
| Criterion | Weight | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | 35% | Panels: rated watts, open-circuit voltage, cell type. Power stations: watt-hours, continuous and surge output, solar input. Batteries: amp-hours, voltage, BMS current, stated cycle life. Controllers: charge current, maximum PV input. Inverters: continuous and surge watts, waveform. Solar lights: lumens, sensor range, battery. Cameras: resolution and night vision. |
| Build | 25% | Frame, glass or flexible laminate, junction box and connectors, housing and cooling, terminals, cable gauge, any stated weather rating, and what is in the box. |
| Value | 25% | What you get in the guide’s price range once you count the parts you still have to buy. |
| Safety | 10% | Only what the listing states: UL, ETL, CSA or FCC marks, a battery management system, low-temperature charge protection, overload, short-circuit and reverse-polarity protection, IP rating. |
| Warranty | 5% | Written coverage for panel output, battery cells and electronics, and how long it lasts. |
Where safety does not apply, the score runs over the remaining criteria. Where it does apply and the maker publishes nothing, safety scores zero, and the same goes for a missing warranty. Silence is not a free pass.
What a score cannot tell you
We run no product trials of our own or measure output, capacity or run time ourselves. Every figure here is the maker’s or the listing’s, labelled as such. A score also cannot tell you whether a system suits your home’s wiring or your roof; that is a job for a licensed electrician on site.
When guides change
Each article carries its last updated date, and we revise a guide when a product in it changes or disappears. If you spot an error, write to [email protected]. Our sourcing rules are in the Editorial Policy; safety basics are in the Safety Disclaimer.