Homemade Solar Cell

A few years back, solar lights were a promising idea on paper, but disappointing in practice. They gave off very dim light and stayed lit for a few hours at best.

In the last two years, solar lights have come an incredibly long way. The latest solar lights are an entirely new breed.

The new generations of solar lights are better designed, longer lasting and much brighter than previous models. New solar lights are also cheaper, making them a better value all around.

Think of it as the difference between the original Star Trek of the 1960s and the Next Generation series of the 1990s. The first series incorporated some technologies which seemed futuristic at the time but had become commonplace by the 90s.

The evolution of solar lights is analogous to that of cell phones over the last fifteen years. Cell phones in the mid to late 1990s tended to be very expensive and rather bulky; only a few early adopters thought them worth the trouble. As ever smaller and more powerful microchips have been produced, the size of cell phones has become manageable and the prices so affordable that these phones have become ubiquitous.

Batteries have also come a long way in recent years. Ultra thin batteries are now available which provide more power and longer life than batteries four times their size did only a couple of years ago.

The technologies used in solar lights are no exception to this rapid evolution. New models of solar lights give off bright light for several nights after charging in the sub for just a day.

Solar powered lights have also largely abandoned incandescent bulbs in favor of highly efficient light emitting diode arrays (LEDs).

LED arrays used with a single reflector give solar lights the luminescence of a 220 volt incandescent bulb – but there are many advantages to the latest wave of solar lights over the older models:

1. Long product life: 10,000 hours of use

2. The bulbs are completely maintenance free

3. While they consume less than 3 watts of power, they are 90% more efficient than traditional bulbs

4. Safe to use in any indoor or outdoor setting

LED powered solar lights with their efficient, compact batteries and improved photovoltaic arrays let you harness the sun’s energy to provide free and clean solar powered outdoor lighting.

New generation solar lights are a low cost and efficient outdoor lighting system which offers versatility for outdoor lighting designs.

One of the best perks to solar lighting is it doesn’t need to be wired into your electrical box. They are able to be put anywhere in your yard to give light to your deck, your paths, water features or specimen plantings as long as the solar panel can get sun to stay charged.

You don’t need to worry about adding to your electric bill at the holidays, either. Remember the light show in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation where the power drain blew the whole electricity grid?

With solar powered fairy lights, you can add twinkle to your holiday decorations outdoors or use them for a magical effect in the summer while you have family barbecues.

You can even use solar lights to provide illumination in your tool shed or the garage as back up lighting when the power goes out.

With solar lights, you can enjoy versatile and attractive outdoor lighting which has no operating cost.

They are an incredibly economical source of light which are as friendly to the environment as they are to your wallet.

Since they’re easy enough to install and move as desired, you can change your outdoor lighting configuration whenever you like.

Burglars prefer to do their nefarious work in the dark. A lighting system which stays on all night can be a powerful deterrent to thieves. Best of all, solar powered lights can’t be disabled by cutting your electrical wires and they will continue to light your property whether or not you happen to be home. Thieves would rather move on to lower hanging fruit than to risk being seen.

If you want to sell your home, solar lights can add extra curb appeal to your property. Potential buyers often come by and look at homes at night as well as in the daytime. If they see one home which is darkened and another well lit with these free to use, eco friendly outdoor lighting systems, they will probably prefer the second option.

Take a chance and try out the new world of solar lighting.