About us

Our mission

Our mission is to help you buy the right solar gear the first time. We explain how DIY and off-grid solar actually works, what a complete setup really costs, and what to skip — based on owner reports, teardowns, and published measurements, not manufacturer hype.

Powered by Solar Panels exists for one reason: buying solar gear is harder than it should be. Manufacturer pages all claim record efficiency, review giants rank whoever pays them most, and forum advice assumes you already know your daily watt-hours by heart.

So we do the homework nobody has time for. We read hundreds of owner reports, comb through forum threads, watch teardowns and review videos, and track what gear actually costs once the setup is complete — then publish the straight answer, good and bad.

What we cover — and what we don't

We cover DIY, off-grid, and portable solar: panels, portable power stations, charge controllers, and batteries you buy and set up yourself, for an RV, a cabin, a campsite, or backup power at home.

We do not cover rooftop installer quotes or commercial solar projects. That market runs on installer lead generation, not product research, and it is not what this site is for.

Our principles

Research, not press releases. We never repeat a manufacturer's claim without checking it against owner reports and published measurements.

No pay-to-rank. Affiliate commissions fund the research, but they don't buy placement or inflate recommendations.

Priced like you pay. We score value on the full setup cost — panel plus the controller, wiring, and battery you actually need — not the headline price.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or gear you'd like us to look into? Get in touch.