Can You Charge A Ryobi Battery With A Solar Panel?
Solar panels are a great way of powering your electronics in a cost-effective way, whether it's installing several solar panels to power your home or finding a portable solution for when you're on the go. If you're a power tool user, and have followed our guides to essential Ryobi tools you definitely need, then charging the batteries for all your tools can be a pain. This is particularly true if you are working on-site or if you bring with you these handy tools on vacation and don't have power outlets nearby.
When stuck outside your home with a low battery, but a sun that is constantly shining, solar power may appear to be an obvious solution to keep your phone powered — but what about your tools? There are several batteries you can choose for your Ryobi tool, plus a Ryobi power station practically designed for camping, but can you use a solar panel? The answer is yes, with some caveats.
What can you power with the Ryobi foldable solar panel?
When you want to power your Ryobi tools on vacation or at a job site, Ryobi offers a solution in the Ryobi 60-Watt Foldable Solar Panel. This solar panel promises to charge your electronic devices, and even your Ryobi tools for free. According to Ryobi, the foldable solar panel has a USB-A and USB-C port that charges your smaller electronics directly from the solar panel.
When it comes to the tools, however, it is slightly more complicated. To charge your Ryobi battery (and you should make sure you have the right battery for your tools), you need to combine the solar panel with a compatible Ryobi power source. Applicable power sources can be one of the many Ryobi power inverters or portable power stations. If this feels like the Ryobi Foldable Solar Panel is aimed at customers already in the Ryobi product ecosystem, you're not wrong.
Can you charge Ryobi batteries with non-Ryobi solar panels?
What if you don't want to use all Ryobi products to charge your battery? It is still possible to charge your Ryobi battery — power is power, after all.
The easiest solution is to go for a solar panel kit that has a built-in power socket like the BLUETTI Portable Power Station with Solar Panel, these come with an inverter and are ready to go, so you can just plug your standard Ryobi charger into the socket and power away. There are even options like the Mobisun Pro that promises a portable power socket on solar power (essentially a big solar-powered power bank), reducing the number of devices you need to just one.
You can also mix and match if you're feeling more adventurous. As solar power becomes cheaper and more easily accessible, there are more companies selling panels than ever before. You can, for example, buy a solar panel from any brand you know and trust, but you still need a separate power inverter in addition to the panel to charge your Ryobi batteries.