Solar outdoor lighting

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Solar Outdoor Lighting

There are a wide variety of outdoor solar lights, namely solar garden, solar spot and solar safety lights.

Solar outdoor fixtures absorb energy from sunlight and convert it into electricity that is stored in batteries. At dusk the solar lights turn on automatically, due to a small photocell device built in to the fixture.

Solar outdoor lighting is excellent to mark and outline the locations of dark areas, namely if the access to a source of electricity is difficult (no wiring is required in solar outdoor lighting).

Outdoor lighting fixtures

Limitations

Outdoor solar lighting systems work satisfactorily in most climates. In some cases fully charged solar lights can remain on for up to 12-15 hours. Just do not purchase cheap and low quality products.

But solar landscape lighting has also some cons in some climates: it may not work reasonably on very cloudy days or climates; a solar lighting system will not work well if the solar cells do not receive enough hours of sunlight - the final performance is always dependent of the amount of sunlight received during the day…

Due to these reasons, in non-sunny climates, if you need an entirely reliable solution, low-voltage outdoor lighting solutions may be preferable.

Advantages of solar outdoor lighting

Solar lighting kits can be used to illuminate most of the outdoor landscape elements, with significant advantages: they are a truly environmentally-friendly option with no running costs, low initial investment and an easy installation..

Installing solar outdoor lighting

Solar lighting has also the advantage of an easy installation, since it doesn’t require any cables or external power sources. The fixture should simply be positioned in a location where it receives direct or indirect sunlight. In cases involving decks or post lights, installation may demand a little more work, but just it.

The more difficult element in installation is to position the fixture in order to get as much sun as possible for as long as possible (every moment of daylight can be important in cold and cloudy climates).

Buying outdoor solar lights: The number of LEDs, and the brightness of the lights

Many outdoor solar lights do not use lamps. They use LEDs (Light Light-Emitting diode), that is, electrical devices with some extra optics added to the chip, that emit light. So, when shopping solar lights, pay attention to the number of LEDs per fixture (each LED emits the brightness of approximately a 2 watts bulb). If you want stronger lights, you should look for light fixtures with a high number of LEDs.

Many decorative lighting solutions use a typical light output between 1 to 3 watts, but other solutions may demand 10 watt, 20 watt or more… In this case you should look for the corresponding LED power (they can be found in the product description).

Obviously, since most solar light solutions involve low light outputs, they are more adequate to darker landscapes. If you locate a solar light in an already partially illuminated area, then the effect of solar light is sensed as negligible. You should take in count what you want in terms of outdoor lighting, and read carefully the product technical descriptions to evaluate its suitability.

The fixtures

There are many types of solar light fixtures, with different functions: general solar garden lights, solar spot lights, solar wall lights, floodlights, pathway lights, deck and patio lights, underwater lights... See: Solar landscape design.

Some of them are very cheap but are also of a poor quality. So, take it also into account.

Operation

Sometimes a new fixture is fully charged and ready for use. Other times, new batteries are discharged and you will need a day or more of sunshine to charge them.

As a rule, solar lights turn on and off automatically – fixtures have a built in photocell device, that switches on and off the light, according with outdoor sunlight level.

Batteries recharging

Some good solar lights can operate perfectly all night, even after several days of bad weather with little sunshine.

But the climate, the season and the weather conditions also counts significantly. Persistent non-sunnier weather will mean less charged batteries, which can reduce the lighting power of the system.

Solar Light Batteries

Most outdoor solar light batteries are AA type inexpensive batteries, that can be bought from many retailers. These batteries may last 1-3 years, but there are high quality batteries (much more expensive) with a duration of 10 years or more.

Can the outdoor solar bulbs be replaced?

Most solar lights use LED's (not bulbs) as the light source. And LED’s have a life expectancy of up to 20 years. Obviously, if the solar lights use bulbs, these can be replaced as any other bulb.

See also:
House Lighting Basics