Solar yard lights do not produce nearly as much light as traditional fixtures, but can be great for supplemental and pathway lighting. These devices can be placed anywhere that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. Because each light comes with its own mini solar generator, there is no need to run wiring to the units during installation. Installation of each light will only take a few seconds–the time it takes to push the light into the ground.
Light-emitting diodes are among the most energy efficient yard lights available. Between the longer life of LED bulbs and their energy savings, you can often expect to recoup the initial cost of investment.
Solar yard lights will generate power during the day and store it in a small battery until it is needed at night. The small battery will often be a typical AA size nicad battery. Each energy efficient yard light will come with its own photoresistor. Come evening time, each unit’s photoresistor will detect the change to darkness and send power to light the bulb. Solar yard lights will almost always use light emitting diodes because of their low energy demand. A properly designed unit will be able to produce and store enough power during the day to keep the unit lit for the entire night.
LEDs are becoming more and more common and the cost to manufacture this type of bulb will continue to drop as more people purchase them. LEDs are now widely available and can be found in more than just solar powered devices. Even if you do not decide to install solar yard lights, using LED lamps is an easy way to make your home more environmentally friendly. A thirteen watt LED bulb will be able to produce as much light as a traditional forty watt incandescent light bulb–around 450 to 650 lumens. In addition to the energy you will save, you will not need to change your light bulbs nearly as frequently. An LED bulb will last for about 50,000 hours while an incandescent bulb will last around 1,000 hours–that is around a fifty times longer lifespan.
