With so many options, knowing how to choose solar lights can be a challenge. Here is some advice that will help you make the best selections for your home.
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How do solar lights work?
Before going into the details about types of outdoor solar lights, it helps to understand how solar lights work.
Solar lights have a photovoltaic cell, battery, light bulb and photosensor. The light bulbs are usually CFL or LED. The photovoltaic cell is the device that turns the sun’s light into electricity that is then stored in the battery to power the light bulb.
The photosensor automatically controls when your solar lights go on and off by sensing visible light. When it senses no light, it completes the circuit between the battery and light bulb and the light goes on. When it senses sunlight, it breaks the circuit and the light goes off.
Different types of solar lights for your home
How to choose solar lights depends on your lighting needs. You have a multitude of types of outdoor solar lights for energy-efficient outdoor lighting.
- Solar pathway lights. Lighting pathways makes it safer to walk outside after dark. They can also be attractive accents in the design of your landscape.
- Solar driveway lights. Make it easier to navigate home from the street with lights that keep you on the drive and off the plantings.
- Solar flood lights. If you have a large area to light, solar flood lights are a great option. You can also use them to highlight plantings around your home.
- Solar spotlights. These are some of the brightest solar lights on the market and are ideal for work areas and security. The brightness drives away pests and is a good way to protect your home from wildlife.
- Solar patio lighting. You can set a mood and light up an area for entertaining or relaxing in your yard.
- Decorative solar lights. Christmas lights bring a festive look to your home over the holidays and decorative fairy lights can turn an ordinary yard into something magical. In both cases, you can find energy-efficient decorative lights that fit your sense of style.
- Solar pool and pond lights. Designed to work immersed in water, these lights add delightful ambiance to your yard waterscapes.
- Portable solar lights. Portable solar lanterns and candles can decorate a table or light your walk in the dark.
7 factors to consider when choosing outdoor solar lights
The popularity of solar lights has led to a dizzying array of choice in the market. Here are the factors to consider in how to choose an outdoor solar light.
1. Purpose
Know how you plan to use your solar lights before shopping. Will you need it for a specific function like security and safety, or are you looking for decorative fixtures? Each use will lead to different design choices and functions.
2. Desired brightness
Brightness is now measured in lumens. Lumens is a more useful measure than the old wattage measurement. An old-fashioned 40 watt incandescent light bulb puts out between 300 to 500 lumens. An LED light with the same number of lumens burns only three to five watts.
3. Solar panel type
The three most common solar panels used to power solar lights are amorphous, polycrystalline and monocrystalline.
Amorphous have one photovoltaic layer over the whole surface of the unit. They are thin, flexible, and lightweight.
Monocrystalline solar panels are composed of a single silicon solar cell. They are rigid and heavy, but they are a top performer when it comes to efficiently producing electricity.
Polycrystalline solar panels are made of several silicon crystal pieces fused together. Like the monocrystalline variety, they are heavy and rigid. They are budget-friendly.
4. Battery type
You need your solar lights to work at night with no sun. That is where batteries come in. Batteries store electrical energy as chemical energy in reactions that occur when energy is stored and released.
Lead acid batteries work when the sulphuric acid reacts to the lead. Other battery types include NiCad or nickel-cadmium batteries and NiMH nickel batteries with cadmium replaced by metal hydride. Each has performance differences in charge time, energy storage, weight and length of lifespan.
5. Recharge time and run time
Be sure to know how long each model takes to recharge and how long they will run between charges. You may need a battery that lasts all night–or longer. Running batteries down to zero repeatedly shortens their life dramatically.
6. Type of bulb
Most energy-efficient outdoor lighting uses LED technology. They are dramatically more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs and don’t run the risk of releasing toxins into the environment if broken like CFL bulbs. They are also longer lasting. Here are some comparisons of types of solar lights bulbs:
- 40 watt incandescent = 10 watt CFL or 3 watt LED
- 60 watt incandescent = 14 watt CFL or 6 watt LED
- 100 watt incandescent = 28 watt CFL or 13 watt LED
You can buy a blazingly bright 3,000 lumen LED security flood light or pool lights that range from 1,000 to 20,000 lumens. On the other end of the spectrum are tiny 1.2 lumen colorful fairy lights you can string in your trees.
7. Features and accessories
The features and accessories you need are an important part of how to choose solar lights. You have manual and automated options and some are smart devices for your garden. Other types change color and intensity.
The benefits of using solar lights
People buy solar lights for a number of different reasons:
- Reduce your environmental impact. Solar lights are energy efficient and don’t draw power from the grid.
- Simple installation and maintenance. With no wires, you can easily put them anywhere for trouble-free operation.
- Limit your energy expenses. The cost of solar lighting continues to fall, with additional cost savings on your electric bill. Using them is one great summer energy-saving tip.
- Automation. Solar lights fit well with other outdoor automation ideas.
Frequently asked questions about solar lights
You might have a few questions before you go shopping for solar lights. Here are some answers.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Solar emergency lamp Manufacturer. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Where’s the best place to install outdoor solar lights?
Lighting your doorway, walks and driveway enhances safety. You can hang lights or put them into the ground. They can also be useful as part of your automated home security system.
Do solar lights need direct sunlight?
Your lights will not adequately charge in the shade. Solar cells generally need direct sunlight. Check the specs for nightly run time and recommended charging conditions.
Do solar lights charge on cloudy days?
Solar lights will still charge on cloudy days, but at a much slower rate.
Do solar lights work in the winter?
Depending on where you live, the sun may be lower on the horizon all day, lowering the efficiency of your solar panels. You can tilt them to face in a more southerly direction for a little boost in charging.
Do solar lights need batteries to work?
Your solar lights get energy only when the sun is charging the solar panel, which is why you need a battery. The light charges the battery all day so that the electricity can be used through the dark of the night.
How long do solar lights usually last?
Solar cells and LED bulbs can last a few decades. The battery will be the first thing to wear out. They usually need replacing every two to three years. Be sure to check that batteries are replaceable to avoid the waste of throwing out the whole unit when they reach the end of their lifespan.
Solar lights are an excellent choice if you are looking for low cost installation and energy efficiency without sacrificing style. You can have a safely and beautifully lighted home with minimal maintenance and expense.
The industry of solar street lighting manufacturing has advanced immensely from to today. Many solar companies have emerged as solar lighting experts, but how can you know if the solar street lighting manufacturer is a company that you can rely on? The following five questions will help clients to ask the correct questions when choosing the solar street light manufacture they can count on:
What light fixture are you recommending with the solar assembly?
Many manufactures do lighting, but there only a select few that actually are the best in the business. For example; Hubbell, which SEPCO uses their street light fixtures with their solar assembly, is one of the biggest in this industry. This is a light fixture you can rely on because it comes from a lighting company with experience. Almost all the Hubbell fixtures have 100K lifespan, which translates to around 22 years for dusk to dawn operation, longer for other operation schedules.
What lighting distributions do you have available?
Street lights would usually use a Type II or Type III distribution, but not all the scenarios are the same. Maybe you want a Type V rectangular distribution as you are putting a single light in a small entrance. Do the other solar street light manufacturing companies have this type of distribution?
Distribution patterns allow for task specific lighting and can vary from project to project. Many distributions types can even be used along a single project, even a roadway. Depending on the number of lanes, medians, sidewalks, and other features along a roadway, the distribution patterns need to be set for each light and not generalized for a project. This ensures the lighting coverage is complete and does not leave drivers or pedestrians in the dark.
Do you have a photometric layout to see how much lighting will be below the light fixture and up to how many feet from the fixture center would have light?
This question is a tricky one because you can have 5 foot-candles below the light fixture but at 20 feet from the light fixture there isn’t any light. This is something many companies will boast about, but instead of having even illumination along a large area, there will be spots of light. This also can increase the number of systems required to evenly illuminate a stretch of roadway.
That’s where the light distribution comes on handy since you want a great distribution to a big area and not only a spot. Even illumination also provides better visibility and less eye strain for drivers. Definitely a good safety feature when installing any type of street lighting.
How much battery backup you are offering based in days?
Some solar street lights manufactures offer a two to three day battery backup which is actually a bad solar system design. Mother Nature doesn’t only provide a day or two of bad weather, sometimes there can be multiple days with very little sun. This also causes the batteries to over discharge, making their failure rates increase and increase maintenance and replacement costs.
Providing a minimum of five nights storage for most locations, additional storage for colder climates, will reduce operation and maintenance costs. The depth of discharge for a battery greatly affects the life of the battery, and keeping the battery’s depth of discharge to 20% or less, keeps the cycles at or higher, where just bringing the depth of discharge up to 30% per day decreases the cycles in half. Having only a two to three day storage means you will have to replace the battery every year or two.
Warranty coverage and customer service response?
The warranties on solar street light systems are very important. A one year warranty on the system does not guarantee the system will even make it to a year. The system could only cost a couple thousand, but if you have to pay that every year or two for replacement, it could end up costing you much more after only a few years of operation. Instead, ensuring you are purchasing a system that lasts for 25 years or more will reduce the overall project costs greatly, not only in the first year, but for many years to come.
How does the customer service department respond when there is a problem? Do they stand behind their product and answer your questions? Or do they leave you in the dark and stop responding once the purchase is complete? Speak to the manufacturers and get references.
Anybody can provide service but there is a difference of service and confidence in the product that it is offered. Check the facts always and remember, SEPCO will help you in your solar needs from the quotation, to the installation, and service calls for years to come. We will always look for exceeding customer service and provide help when you need it the most.
Are there any other questions you think should be answered when looking for a commercial solar street lighting manufacturer? Feel free to leave us a comment below and let us know what questions you ask commercial manufacturers before purchasing a product.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in September and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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