Monday, August 16, 2010

Solar Power Lights – Natural Lighting to your House


"Solar Powered Lights" are one among the best innovations made in the renewable energy industry. They are extremely effective not only because they are efficient but also because they have very low maintenance and operating costs. So if you are looking for either becoming self-sufficient in energy or to start to use green products, then you have come to the right place. Now is the right time to start taking steps to creating your own renewable energy source that can churn out a lot of energy and power to meet all your energy needs. One of the huge parts of your monthly electricity bill is the part that comes due to lighting. Having Solar Power Lights is a great first step to take to try and save our planet and also save some money in the process.


In this blog post, I will write about the various ways by which you can utilize solar power lights efficiently. I will also tell you about where you can buy new ones or build some Do it Yourself Solar Power Lights using some guides on the internet.


Indoor Solar Power Lights



Now, when many people hear about solar powered lights, they shake their heads and say that these lights cannot be used indoors because they need constant exposure to the sun to produce light. This, however, is far from the truth. Indoor solar power lights work as efficiently as outdoor ones and can even be used during the night when there is no sun shining. Think of all the electrical energy you can save by simply getting one of these.


How do these Solar Power Lights work?


The best part about these lights is that they are like smart gadgets. They can sort of think on their own and as long as you have a place where there is plenty of sunshine. They use the solar energy during the day when the sun is shining and then store it up so that you can have lighting during the night. Neat, isn't it?


Here's what they are made of:

  1. A photo resistor – This is what your bed lamp has. It basically detects darkness so that it knows when to start letting out light.
  2. Solar Cell – I have talked about how these work and how useful they are in some of my previous posts. They are small and generate just about enough energy to make good lights during the night.
  3. NiCad Battery packs – One of these battery sets will definitely come in very handy.
  4. Controller boards – A small one will do.
  5. LED's – Light Emitting Diodes
  6. A design of your own – You can choose to make your own lamp shade kind of thing or whatever design you choose. Put your "creative" cap on!
These are the basic components that you will require to make a small and simple solar power lights.



If you are not very experienced in using electrical equipment such as LED's and photo resistors, then you can consult someone to put all these components together for you. But, regardless of that, here is how solar power lights basically function.


You need to mount the solar cells on top of a plastic case such that it can face the sun during the mornings. You can use a 4 by 4 solar cell array for the most effective use. The photo resistor also goes and sits very close to the solar cells so that the lighting can automatically be activated during the night. The LED's and the NiCad batteries go on the other side of the module as the solar cells. You can check if the LED works before you assemble it. Do this by covering the light sensors. You will see the LED light up.


How do they turn on during the night?


This is a good question and something that you need to properly understand. It is the photo resistor that turns the LED on during the night. It is important to make sure that your whole set up is installed properly and to make sure that the photo resistors work properly.


However, since you are using a single solar cell, you should keep in mind that you cannot expect to generate too much electricity and at most, you can probably get very little lighting. However you can a group of these to generate a kind of trail rather than use them as a single lamp.


Use them inside or outside?


If you used the above guide to set up your own solar powered lights, then it would be ideal for use in your garden or in the yard. Basically, I am not saying that you cannot or should not use them inside. You can definitely use them inside as well. But you would need to keep it outside to let the solar cell do the work and soak up all of the solar power energy and then bring it back inside so that the photo resistor can switch the light on during the night. They would be best used outside in the yard or the garden.


You can also get a little innovative and set up plenty of solar cells together so that you can generate more energy from the sun because of a larger surface area. Furthermore, you can buy your own solar powered lights from various stores available locally and online at various websites. You can also find used solar cells put on sale at eBay for really cheap. This can really eliminate the need for the other traditional garden lighting that you have been using so far and also if you are willing to spend the time, replace your indoor lighting as well, partly at least if not fully.


The best solar energy advantage is that these solar power lights can last for a long time without any problems and also have large warranty periods. So check them out.


Hoping for a greener future,


Andy.

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