May 17 2010
Outdoor Solar Lighting
The use of lighting to enhance the landscape of a home has been part of home design for many years. However, in the past it has required the use of an electrical contractor to install the lighting system based on the plans for the design. Since the advent of solar panels some years ago the use of outdoor solar lighting has dramatically increased.
Initially, solar panels were mainly used for large project like homes and businesses, later, designers realized that using them to light outdoor areas was economical, easier to install and often more aesthetically pleasing due to the lack of wiring that had to be covered up by the landscape.
Although the early stages of outdoor solar lighting products contained very little variety and design, they soon became the popular choice for homeowners who didn’t have the budget to install outdoor lighting systems that required electricity. Homeowners could simply go to the local home and garden retail center and purchase a set of stake solar lights and pop them in the ground.
Today, outdoor solar lighting designs rival those of their electrical counterparts. Homeowners are not longer relegated to settling for cheap plastic designs, they can choose from a full range of lighting systems that are solar powered.
Solar powered outdoor lighting is simple to install. The solar panels that collect the sun’s energy need to be placed in an area where there is ample sun; however, this does not always mean that the lights themselves have to be placed in direct sunlight. There are several styles of outdoor solar lights that have remote solar panels connected to the actual light by wires.
Regardless of where the solar panel is located the sun’s energy is collected and stored in batteries that are inside the light. These batteries in turn operate the photocell that turns the lights on and off according to the level of darkness. This automatic on and off system extends the life of the solar light bulbs. The battery life is typically two to three years with very little maintenance required otherwise. The solar panels themselves will need to be wiped off occasionally to allow for optimal collection of sunlight.
Homeowners who use solar lighting for pathway lights need to make sure they are very careful when trimming the grass around the lights. Weedeater cord can damage plastic stake lights and even destroy them if they are hit hard enough. Stainless steel solar stake lights for pathways are less prone to damage. Moreover, the use of hand shears to trim around the lights or placing landscape rocks around them to prevent grass growth will solve the problem.
Outdoor solar lighting is fast becoming the choice in garden lights. It is an ecofriendly, economical means for adding light to the landscape without spending a fortune on electrical contractors and landscape architects.
-Sharon Chapman
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