Solar lights have become very popular lately due to their reliability and cost-effectiveness and also due to the fact that many of them are compact and smart devices.
What Are Solar Lights?
Solar lights are commonly used for free outdoor lighting, and they work after the sunset, by keeping the space around them in full light provided for free by the sun.
Solar lights use PV (photovoltaic) solar cells that are turning the sunlight into free energy during the day, and that energy is saved in batteries and used during the night to illuminate the space around them for free.
When choosing new solar lights for your yard, you need to know the top considerations regarding these devices. Before purchasing, it is important to what type of solar lights will work fine for your place.
Matching the light to the function you want it to execute is critical here. Here’s the full rundown on how to choose and use solar-powered lights.
Different Types of Outdoor Solar Lights
Various types of solar lights are available on the market today. It is very important to know what surface of land you want to cover with your solar lights, because these devices use LED lamps with different wattage, and to cover a larger area of land around the pole, you have to choose a stronger device to meet all your needs in this regard.
It is critical to choose solar lights that accomplish the function you need, when you are looking for solar lights produced by a solar light manufacturer.
Here are different types of solar lights that can help you determine what devices would work for you:
Solar Accent Lights
Solar accent lights, source: pixabay.com
Solar accent lights give your landscape a fun and welcoming glow. They are intended to define a room inside the yard.
You can use solar accent lights to mark potential dangers in the environment, such as steps or rocks that may be a safety risk in the dark. Like ornamental statues or figurines, you can use them as garden features themselves.
Solar Path Lights
Solar path lights are used to illuminate sidewalks, walkways, boundaries of the driveway, or other areas around your property. These devices are also used to guide the way on steep stairs or dark paths.
Solar Spotlight/Solar Task Light
Solar spotlights or task lights are used to highlight a special feature in your garden, such as a tree or a sculpture.
Some spotlights are just about as bright as an incandescent bulb of 40 watts, so you might need more than one light to fully illuminate an area. Other models are available with motion detectors that save energy when not necessary. Thus, you can place them close to doors and other entrances as well.
What To Consider When Choosing Solar Lights?
Now that you know the different types of solar lights, here are some of the top shopping considerations that you should take into account:
The Hue
Outdoor solar lighting, source: pixabay.com
Because most solar-powered lamps now use LED bulbs, they can generate a very bright white light. Search for solar lights with tinted covers if you want the feel of incandescent bulbs.
Overall, these lights and their brightness depend heavily on how much sunlight they receive during the day. After a sunny day, they will work at full power have plenty of energy stored in the batteries to provide a bright light all over the night.
However, in cloudy days or during the winter, the solar panels used by solar lights will receive less sunlight, which means less power stored in batteries. The smaller amount of power produced during the day, will generate a smaller amount of light during the night, but even so, they will still cover the area with a soft glow.
Batteries
Read everything you can about the solar lights that you are planning to purchase before buying them because you need to know if the batteries can provide energy for the entire night, or only for a couple of hours.
Modern batteries can store up to two times the load of older models, which means that your solar lights will illuminate the area throughout the night.
Choose a model with settings that can be changed, or one that is preset to start working only when the sun is down.
Because you will use them outside in nature, you have to choose a model that was built for outside use, and even if you may pay more money on such a model, be sure that the panels, the battery and the LED bulbs used by your device will work fine for many years without any replacements.
Quality
Solar street light, source: pixabay.com
Your solar lights will be brighter if the solar panel receives a higher amount of sunlight during the day, but you need to choose the right model that relies on quality photovoltaic cells and LED bulbs with proper size.
Higher-quality photovoltaic cells and larger LED bulbs from a solar light manufacturer usually cost more, because you are buying a better product with more functions and brighter LEDs.
Advanced Circuitry
Whether you live in an area that has a lot of overcast days, or you’ve got a shady backyard, you can still use solar lights. However, the lights will function better if they get at least 8 hours of daylight every day.
Looking for solar lights with advanced circuitry is suitable for such circumstances. This type of technology is intended to help solar lights store energy, even when the sky is cloudy.
On and Off Switch
I know that we are talking about solar lights here, and they usually start working after sunset, however, if you wish to save the energy stored in batteries for later use, you have to look for systems with a power switch. There are even models available with timers that you can set to start working when you want.
Final Thoughts
I hope that this article can become a guide for choosing the right solar lights. It’s now up to you to find out which solar lights are suited for your needs.
Using the power of the Sun, a solar panel, a battery and a few LED bulbs, you can create a magnificent backyard where you can now hold barbecue parties all night without worrying about your electricity bill.
