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Solar panels for the Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2

Written by Ian Schneider·Solar & Off-Grid Tester

Anker's product page describes the C1000 Gen 2's solar input three times and agrees with itself twice. The spec table and the comparison card both say 600 W, 11 to 60 volts, through one XT60i socket. The FAQ lower down quotes smaller current limits, and the question beside it names the gen-1 C1000. I'd read that block as a leftover from the older page. The socket itself is the yellow DC plug with the corners shaved off one side, so the cable only goes in one way.

Sixty volts is a tall limit. Thirty-one of the forty-one panels we track publish an open-circuit voltage, the reading a panel gives with nothing plugged into it. All thirty-one are under the line. Among the ten that don't are four of Anker's own PS-series panels, which carry a working voltage on the label and no open-circuit figure.

None of the thirty-one fills the port on its own. Two of Jackery's SolarSaga 500 X do it as a pair, and the pair outweighs the station. With the input full, the battery is done in a little under two hours of good sun. One 200 W folding panel gives about 144 W and takes about seven hours. On a clear Saturday at the cabin I'd set out the one panel at breakfast and let the day do the rest.

The door
11–60 V
Its width
600 W
Plug
XT60i
Full battery, best case
~1.7 h
Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 portable power station
The port diagram calls it the XT60i Input Port. The spec table files it under MPPT, the charge controller that works a panel for its best output. Same socket, two departments.

The door

Every panel we track, lined up at the SOLIX C1000 Gen 2's solar input

Every panel we track with a published voltage, standing in a line by its Voc. That is the open-circuit voltage, printed on the sticker on the back, and the most the station will ever see from that panel. The black line is 60 V. Every bar stops short of it.

The pale cap on each bar is what a −10 °C morning adds, about 10% on this chart. On some stations that cap is the part that decides. Here it changes nothing. Every cap clears the line as well.

Ten panels are missing from the line because their makers print a working voltage and no Voc. Four of the ten are Anker's own PS-series folders. If I had a PS200 on the deck I'd put the Fluke across its bare plug before sunrise and type the reading into the box below. Any panel you own goes in the same way, and the chart places it.

Swipe sideways for the whole line-up.

020406080volts, open-circuit+1++yours?60 V · the lintel11 V · the step

Hover or tap a bar for the panel’s name and its verdict.

  • Fits through the door
  • Too tall
  • Extra height on a −10 °C morning
  • Maker prints only the operating voltage; the real height is above the dashes
  • 1Our pick: BLUETTI PV200

What we'd buy

The best solar panel for the SOLIX C1000 Gen 2

Picked by the numbers on this station, not by brand.

Best overall

200 W
BLUETTI PV200 (200W Solar Panel)

4 panels deliver 576 W.

Best value

Eco-Worthy 200W Flexible HJT Solar Panel 18V ETFE 18BB (GW-L02AM200HJT2)

About $1.75 for every watt it actually delivers here. 2 panels deliver 206 W.

Best to carry

Renogy 200W Portable Solar Panel Blanket (RPP200SB-SE)

138 W from a 8.82 lb panel, the most delivered watts per pound.

A day on solar

How long the SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 takes to charge on solar

A little under two hours, with the input full at 600 W. Two sets we track get it there: a pair of Renogy's 590 W rigid panels, or a pair of Jackery SolarSaga 500 X. One 200 W folding panel gives about 144 W in real sun and needs about seven hours. One 100 W panel gives about 72 W and needs about fourteen.

A good day carries three to six hours of sun that strong. The pair is done with hours to spare. The 200 W panel takes the whole day, and if the day is short it finishes the next morning. The 100 W panel wants most of a long weekend, and on my deck in January I would not count on getting it.

a good day's sun: 3 to 6 h0 h1 h2 h3 h4 h5 h6 h7 h8 h9 h10 h11 h12 h13 h14 h15 hInput full (600 W) · full in 1.7 hOne 200 W panel (144 W delivered) · full in 7.1 hOne 100 W panel (72 W delivered) · full in 14.2 h

Hours of good sun, from empty. Where you live and the month decide how many of those a day gives; the system builder works it out.

Every panel that fits

Solar panels compatible with the SOLIX C1000 Gen 2

Thirty-one fit, and none of them plugs straight in. The box holds an AC charging cable and the warranty card, so whatever panel you choose, the lead to the XT60i socket is a separate purchase. Eleven want an MC4-to-XT60i lead, MC4 being the weatherproof pair of snap-together plugs most rigid panels end in. Jackery's want an Anderson lead, a flat two-blade connector, or a DC8020 lead, Jackery's barrel plug, depending on the model. For each panel: the cable, what one delivers in good sun, and the most the C1000 Gen 2 takes from a set. Sorted by delivered watts.

Own a panel that isn't in the line-up?

Type its voltage into the door chart above for the height test, then put the rest of the label into the panel checker, already set to the SOLIX C1000 Gen 2, for current and plug too. Or build the whole system to see how it keeps up where you live.

The plain answers

How long does the SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 take to charge on solar?

One 100 W panel delivers about 72 W in good sun and refills the 1024 Wh battery from empty in about 14.2 hours.

One 200 W panel delivers about 144 W in good sun and refills the 1024 Wh battery from empty in about 7.1 hours.

At its 600 W solar limit it refills in about 1.7 hours. More panel watts than that won't charge it any faster.

A day gives three to six hours of sun that good, depending on season and place, so one 100 W panel takes 3 to 5 days to fill it. The system builder works it out for your state and month.

What adapter does the SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 need for solar?

Every panel we track needs a cable to reach its XT60i input. None comes in the box.

The cables they need: MC4 to XT60i (11 panels), DC8020 to XT60i (4 panels), Anderson to XT60i (3 panels), DC5521 to XT60i (2 panels) and XT60 to XT60i (1 panel).

10 panels don't have a named plug from their maker, so check the lead before you buy a cable.

Can you use non-Anker solar panels with the SOLIX C1000 Gen 2?

Yes. What decides it is the panel's voltage and plug, not the brand. 31 panels from Renogy, Jackery, Anker SOLIX, EcoFlow, BLUETTI, Eco-Worthy and Rich Solar work with it, as long as the panel stays under 60 V on a cold morning and starts above 11 V.

The strongest single panels here are the Renogy 590W N-Type Bifacial (425 W delivered) and the Jackery SolarSaga 500 X (360 W delivered).

Can you connect two solar panels to the SOLIX C1000 Gen 2?

Yes, joined into one input with a series or parallel cable.

Don't wire two BLUETTI PV100 FX Flexible panels in series: together they would pass its 60 V limit. Parallel them instead.

Past 600 W delivered, more panels only help on cloudy days.

What is the SOLIX C1000 Gen 2's solar input?

XT60i Input Port (spec row: "MPPT"): 11–60 V, up to 14.5 A, 600 W.

Input limits from Anker's documents, checked 2026-09-18 (source). Delivered watts assume 72% of the panel's rating in good sun.

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