Advantages of Solar Powered Outdoor Lighting
All you have to do is walk or drive around your neighborhood after dark to see examples of solar powered outdoor lighting.
If you are already leaning toward thinking “green,” installing small-scale solar units is a great way to start. Outdoor lighting has become a popular method of using solar power in the home, and solar powered lamp offers safety, security, and beauty. They're also an inexpensive way to try solar power.
Solar lights are not as bright as regular low-voltage lights, but the newer ones provide adequate lighting for marking paths, security purposes, and for highlighting plants if you want to illuminate your garden after dark. The major advantage of solar outdoor lighting is that you just stick the lamps in the ground and you don’t have to dig up your garden or path in order to install wiring.
Using free energy from the sun to produce electricity is one of the most effective ways to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. Solar electricity is especially useful for supplying lights on more remote areas of your property such as at the end of the driveway, or on a storage shed, or for night lights along your walk or driveway.
Some lights will remain on all night, and you can also get ones that switch on when they sense motion. Most parts of the country have sufficient sunlight to power outdoor home lighting but it is still a good idea to position your units in a sunny area.
How does solar lighting work? Outdoor lighting systems use small PV modules to convert sunlight into electricity (PV or photovoltaic refers to converting light into electricity a.k.a. solar electricity). The electricity is stored in batteries for night use. Several companies make units specifically for marking or decorating driveways, walkways and patios. Most of these units are self contained and all you have to do is stake them in the ground in a sunny location. Units vary in size from a 1/8 inch glowing marker to high beam security lights.
If you are thinking that this couldn’t possibly work, think again. Outdoor solar powered lighting is already being used in places where it is too expensive to run electrical wiring. The next time you see lights on a billboard, lighting in rest areas, highway signs, parks and emergency phone systems; you could very well be seeing examples of solar energy being harnessed and used.
Most solar light units will tell you how many hours of sunlight are needed to recharge the batteries for overnight use. Newer technologies of solar cells produce more electricity with a smaller size. Be sure that you get a model that uses replaceable batteries. To keep costs down, most PV modules are small and use small size bulbs and refracting lenses. If you are using solar powered outdoor lighting for security purposes, you will need larger PV modules.
Solar powered outdoor lighting units for home use can be found at hardware stores, discount stores, lighting stores, and online. Small driveway markers will cost $10-20 dollars a light. A porch light will cost $25-50, a garden path light will run $50-100 and a motion activated porch light may cost $100.
There are a variety of decorative models available. Installing a small-scale solar unit is a good way to get a feel for what could very well be the wave of the future as we become more aware of the energy problems facing our planet.
Further reading: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solar Power for Your Home
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