Newcastle Herald

Solar lighting: Everything you need to know to harness the sun for your home

Today's solar lights are long-lasting and more powerful than ever with some commercial grade lights illuminating for up to five nights on a single charge. Picture: Supplied.
Today's solar lights are long-lasting and more powerful than ever with some commercial grade lights illuminating for up to five nights on a single charge. Picture: Supplied.

This is branded content from Lighting Style.

Not many people know that modern solar lights are so powerful and reliable that they can even be used as street lights.

Long gone are the days where they were dim, held their power for only a few hours and lasted for less than a year.

New generation solar lights are hardy, long-lasting, environmentally clean, require no wiring, last for years and can even shine through cloudy days.

What are the types of solar lights?

The short answer is that there exists a solar equivalent for almost every type of outdoor light (and even a few indoor lights, where the solar panel is on the outside). This includes solar street lights, bollards, step lights, flood lights, fairy lights, motion sensor lights, wall lights, emergency lights, spotlights, spike lights, lamp posts, deck lights and camping lights.

What is in a solar light?

All solar lights have the following components:

  • Solar panel: This converts solar energy into electrical energy, which is stored for use when it is dark.
  • Rechargeable battery: This stores the electrical energy from the solar panel, and then discharges at night to provide light.
  • Controller: This determines when to turn the light on or off, and when to charge the battery.
  • Sensor: This lowers the power needs of the light by for example deciding that it is day versus night or by sensing motion.
  • LEDs: These devices are called "light emitting diodes" and provide the illumination at night when stimulated with an electrical current.

What are the main benefits of solar lights?

  • Once you've purchased the light, it is free to run.
  • They don't emit any pollution.
  • They're dead easy to install - most solar lights are installed DIY, without wiring and with very little effort.
  • They're extremely safe, having no high voltage components.
  • They're perfect in situations when no power or electrical cabling is available.

What are the main disadvantages of solar lights?

  • The main disadvantage is that their illumination is constrained by the energy the solar panel can absorb and the batteries.
  • They're more complex than normal lights, so have higher upfront costs.
  • Cloudy days reduce their effectiveness.

How do you install a solar light?

The important thing to remember is that when you install the solar light, always point its solar panel directly at the point in the sky at which the sun would be at midday.

Ideally, this should be changed between the summer and winter as the sun moves.

Solar lighting: Everything you need to know to harness the sun for your home
Solar lighting: Everything you need to know to harness the sun for your home

How many hours will solar lights illuminate?

Once fully charged, most solar lights will illuminate between six and eight hours. That said, some commercial grade and heavy-duty solar lights can illuminate up to five nights on a single charge.

Can solar lights handle cloudy days?

The answer is yes, but they will charge slower and less efficiently.

How long will solar lights last?

The component that will give out first will normally be the rechargeable batteries. These should last about four years. They are inexpensive, so many solar lights make it quite easy to change the batteries once they are no longer reliable.

For the largest range of solar lights in Australia, with thousands of products, see Lighting Style.

This is branded content from Lighting Style.