how to choose outdoor solar lights?
When outdoor sockets are unavailable, using solar lighting outdoors can save lives. But are solar lights really effective? How do they meet the standards for wired lighting? What would happen if your yard is dark, or if you live in a place where you rarely see sunlight? Here is the complete exclusive news about the selection and use of solar lights in the courtyard.
How does solar lighting work.
Photovoltaic cells absorb sunlight during the day to charge the battery, and then turn on the light bulb at night. Since solar lights are powered by the sun, they should be placed in a sunny area – ideally for 8 hours or more per day.
What if you don’t have direct sunlight?
If you place solar lights in a desert courtyard in Tuscan or Palm Springs, they will definitely work at maximum intensity – but what if you live in Seattle or just have a shaded courtyard? It’s not that simple, but even in a completely shaded place, you can still use solar lights. Solar or landscape lighting professionals can help you remotely place photovoltaic panels in sunny areas on rooftops or courtyards, and then connect them to lights in shaded areas.
Types of solar lights
Solar path lights. These are small solar pole lights that can be pushed down the sidewalk to the ground, gently illuminating the path at night. They are not as bright as electric lights, so plan to use more (up to twice) electric lights to illuminate your road at roughly the same brightness as electric lights.
Where to use solar pathway lights.
Solar path lights are an ideal choice for illuminating sidewalks far from outdoor outlets, providing enchanting light along winding garden paths.
Environmental lights and decorative solar lights.
Decorative solar lights, including colored blown glass, decorative lights, and flower garlands, are not as bright as solar street lights. However, when used with multiple or with streetlights and spotlights, they can provide warm ambient light.
Where to use eco-friendly solar lights.
Place several hand blown glass solar lights on the stakes of the garden bed to achieve soft landscape lighting. Or hang a string of solar lights on the outdoor dining table, such as the charming stonemason jar lights displayed here, to bring a warm atmosphere to your next meeting.
Solar powered spotlights.
The brightest solar lights are called task lights or spotlights, and the best solar lights can provide approximately the same power as a 40 watt incandescent bulb. It is still not as bright as a typical outdoor projector, and you may want to double or triple it in places where you want bright direct light.
Where to use solar spotlights. The motion detection solar floodlight can be used near doors and corridors. Spotlights can also be placed in gardens, directing their beams towards trees or other landscape features.
Pay attention to the tone
Due to the fact that most solar lights today use LED bulbs, the light they emit is bright white. If you want the appearance of an incandescent light bulb, look for solar lights with colored lids – they can be labeled as “amber” or “soft white”.
You get what you pay for
The brightness of sunlight depends on the brightness of the sun and the amount of sunlight exposed to it, as well as the quality of photovoltaic cells and the size of LED bulbs. Better quality photovoltaic cells and larger LED bulbs often have higher costs, so to some extent, more expensive solar lights are actually brighter.