New to Solar? Here's Where to Start

There’s a lot of bad solar advice floating around online. We try to cut through it with real reviews and guides that actually help you make decisions.

Hey, welcome to Solar Power Nerd. This site started because solar is one of those topics where every search result is either a company trying to sell you a $30,000 roof installation or a blog post full of recycled specs from the manufacturer’s website. Neither of those is very helpful when you just want to know which $60 garden light will actually last through winter.

We review solar products honestly, write guides in plain English, and try to answer the questions that real people actually have about solar power. Browse by category below, or scroll down if you already know what you’re looking for.

Where Most Readers Start

Our most-read pages. If you’re short on time, these will get you up to speed fast.

• Best Solar Power Banks: 16 chargers compared. We tested charging speed, capacity, and how well they hold up after months of use.
• Best Solar Camping Lanterns: 14 lanterns ranked by brightness and battery life. A couple of these are genuinely good enough to replace your old headlamp setup.
• Best Solar Phone Chargers: 15 portable chargers reviewed. Most of them are slower than you’d expect. We found the ones that actually work at a reasonable speed.
• Best Solar Panels for RVs: Our top 10 picks for RV solar, plus a sizing guide so you don’t end up with a panel that can barely run a phone charger.
• Solar vs Fossil Fuels: Efficiency, cost, environmental impact. We lay out the numbers so you can compare them yourself.
• Best Solar Security Lights: 20 motion-sensor lights tested. Some are genuinely bright enough to light up a driveway. Others are glorified nightlights.
• Best Solar Pathway Lights: 20 sets reviewed for brightness and durability. We also tracked which ones still looked good after a few months of weather.
• Best Portable Solar Generators: 10 generators compared. We looked at real output vs. advertised output, because those numbers are almost never the same.
• How Many Panels for 500 kWh?: The sizing question everyone starts with. We break down the calculation step by step so you can do it yourself.
• How Do Solar Panels Work?: Sunlight hits panel, electricity comes out. But there’s a bit more to it than that. We explain the full process without the jargon.
• How to Install Solar Panels: A 10-step walkthrough that covers everything from mounting to final wiring. Written for people who haven’t done this before.
• How Much Solar Do I Need?: Look at your electric bill, do some basic math, and you’ll have a solid answer. We show you exactly how.