Solar Garden Lights

Solar garden lights are becoming increasingly popular for lighting residential gardens at night time. The reason why they are popular is almost certainly due to the fact that they are relatively easy to install and because they are an environmentally acceptable solution to achieving a pleasing aesthetic look. They also provide a additional factor in the security of your home, as a home with a garden lit by lights may well discourage intruders more than a home which is surrounded by darkness.

If you are considering highlighting areas of your garden using accent lighting at night then outdoor solar lights may well be the solution. Or you may be looking at patio lights. The variety of different lighting options has expanded considerably in recent years with products now available in almost all shapes and sizes. You will almost always be able to find a suitable light whatevery the effect you are looking to achieve.

Solar garden lights are straightforward in setup and operation. In very simple terms the lights have a solar panel which points into the sun during the day. The sunlight is converted by the panel into an electric charge which is stored in a rechargeable battery. Then when dusk falls and the sun goes down a light meter contained within the lamp triggers the light to turn on. At which point the battery supplies the lamp with power to light the garden for most if not all of the night.

The lights are completely self contained and are therefore easy to install without a complex and potentially hazardous wiring exercise and not needing to draw constantly against power in the home. They therefore improve the energy efficiency of your home whilst continuing to allow you to enjoy the very pleasing effect of your garden lit at night.

The solar garden light tends to be more expensive that traditional garden lights. However the cost of properly wiring in traditional lights may well add to the cost so much so that they are broadly comparable in cost, if not slightly cheaper overall.

Generally speaking people who have installed outdoor solar lighting express a great deal of satisfaction with both their effect and the overall usability of the lights. However, solar garden lights suffer, along with other forms of solar powered products in that solar energy has not really penetrated everyday usage as we might have expected a few years ago. Part of this is to do with price, which previously had made such products prohibitively expensive. This has largely gone now with improvements in technology and manufacture. Solar powered garden lights may still also be perceived as somewhat gimmicky and unreliable. However, as these lights get used more and more the level of acceptance is likely to be greater and greater.

The solar garden light comes in three parts. The first part it the photovoltaic panel which is a plastic casing filled with photovoltaic cells. The photovoltaic cell converts solar energy into an electrical charge. This is ultimate power source for the light and without it the light would not work. A number of factors will affect the power generated by the photovoltaic panel. The first and probably most important is that is should be positioned in a place which achieves full sunlight for as much of the day as possible. Clearly a solar panel positioned below the shade of, for example, a tree would not be as effective as one placed in full sunlight. Other factors that affect the power generated are the size of the panel and the quality or efficiency of the photovoltaic cells.

The charge from the photovoltaic panels is stored in a rechargeable battery. These tend to be nickel-metal hydride batteries. These are the battery of choice because they can be charged and recharged frequently. They are also an environmentally friendly alternative to the nickel cadmium battery which are difficult to dispose of due to the toxicity of cadmium. When fully charged these batteries would be able to supply charge to the lamps for the whole night.

This will not be the case for the lights throughout the year. If the levels of sunlight are insufficient then the charge produced will likely prevent the lights from operating for the whole night. A number of outdoor solar lights have DC backup wiring, however this is not recommended for two reasons. The first is it increases the expense of both installation and operation. The second is that the times when you are most likely to enjoy the effect of solar garden lights is in the summer when it is warmer and you will be able to sit outside. This is coincidentally when there is the greatest sunlight and therefore the best effect is achieved from the lights.

The lamp is the remaining part of the solar garden light. The lamp is usually an LED or light-emitting diode light. This type of lamp does not have a filament and therefore tends to have a very long useful life. Additionally the LED light does not emit much heat and is therefore much more energy efficient that traditional lights. This lack of heat also means that the lamp is not in danger of causing damage to surrounding plants even if the light is placed very close by.

Another advantage of the LED light is its versatility both in size and shape. Products range from floating solar lights, through large accent lamps to strings of garden fairy lights. This versatility is just not available in traditional low voltage AC alternatives.

One disadvantage of the LED light is that whilst bright it cannot currently compete against the brightness generated by traditional low voltage AC lighting. The size of the area needing lighting is therefore an important factor in the selection of solar garden lights. Too large an area and the effect provided will probably disappoint. As with all these potential issues the solution is in the planning. Make sure you purchase sufficient lights for the area you wish to illuminate and you are unlikely to encounter problems.

In conclusion solar garden lights are becoming increasingly popular and available to purchase relatively easily and inexpensively.  There are a great number of online retailers who specialize in selling garden products, including a wide range of solar lights and it would seem that the most appropriate starting point for locating the solar garden light of your choice would be to start with these retailers.