Jackery's New Solar Generators Have Something for Everyone and Every Budget

Folks, the power of the sun has been revered for millennia. After all, it's all-life-giving, smiling upon the good and the bad with no discrimination. But, modern times have found a new use for the all-mighty sun; that of powering the systems we use on a daily basis. Heck, entire homes are built to operate on processed sun juice, all thanks to solar panels, inverters, and batteries.

Now, one crew that has been manipulating the sun's power for around 11 years is Jackery. You may have heard of this crew before, as I've covered some of their goods on several occasions. They were born back in 2012 in sunny California, and in 2016 released their first outdoor portable power stations. Since then, they've grown to be a force to be reckoned with and a must for any on-road, off-grid, or penny-pinching family.

As for the newly released goods, they're part of the Plus Series and include three separate systems with which to feed varying on-the-go lifestyles. One system, the 2000 Plus, is available now, but the 1000 and 300 Plus systems are up for preorder now, so we'll focus on those.

To make things easier to understand, let me start with the 300 Plus. Here, we can see the absolute basis for this series, portable and solar-powered recharging and operation. Overall, this puppy is able to hold 288 Wh of juice and has an output power of 300 W, and with dual ports, it can process up to 100 W of recharging power, suitable for multiple devices at once.

One neat aspect of this puppy is that it can be recharged with the standard 40 W panel it comes with, via a wall charger, from your car, or via USB. I am, however, still trying to figure out if I can use a larger solar panel with this puppy because Jackery tells us that the 40 W panel will take up to 9.5 hours, and I don't even think the sun shines for that long in some regions.

Still, with a weight of just 11 lbs, you can see why I'd personally go for one of these babies, especially since I often need to recharge some drone batteries while I'm out and about; one hour of flight time just isn't enough sometimes. Overall, expect to pay $340 for the setup with the 40 W solar panel, or $270 for just the power station while on preorder.

As for the next setup, it's the 1000 Plus. Here, three options exist, so really think about what fits you best. Overall, the least expensive is the Explorer setup, which comes with a capacity of 1,264 Wh but can crank out up to 2,000 W for recharging devices, all at once. It's going to cost you $1,080 but is missing the all-essential solar panels.

But, there's a trick here that the 300 Plus can't achieve, the ability to expand your capacity by connecting subsequent units to your 1000, increasing power reserves up to 5 kWh. Why? This system can also be used as a home backup system in case of outages and will start off at a price of $2,040 because it comes with two solar panels and an extra battery pack to expand capacity from the get-go.

The final setup is the one that's a complete solution for off-grid lovers. For $1,444 you'll get your hands on a 1000 Plus with two SolarSaga 100 panels, with 100 W of processing power each. With four of these panels, Jackery reports a recharge time of 4.5 hours. Cover the whole park with four 200 W panels, and you're back to a full charge in 2 hours.

What does all this mean for you and me? Well, quite a bit actually, and the first and foremost is the ability to power your devices or other electrical systems anywhere you can carry a Jackery solar generator. Throw one into the back of your truck, in your RV, and bring it along to your campsite.

Beyond that, this manufacturer seems to have understood that it's not only the on-road living and home emergencies that call for electrical power; the 300 Plus is perfect for on-the-go photographers, drone pilots, and even film crews where batteries are a must. Imagine bringing a 300 while on a bike-packing trip.

All that's left to do now is get in on the action before the whole early-bird special is up. Once it is, you can expect to pay around an extra 20-30% for these very same products. Just something to think about if you're looking for some free-power solutions. Oh, and the lineup will be expanded even further in September 2023 with the 700 Plus, which will be going for $900 with a 100 W solar panel.