By Mark J. Donovan
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Solar Exterior lighting provides a number of benefits to the home. Besides
providing exterior home lighting they also add beauty to your home’s exterior.
Unlike outdoor spotlights which can bathe an entire backyard with lighting,
solar exterior lights are more appropriate for spot lighting of walkways, patios
and doorways.
The Benefits of Solar Light
Fixtures
Solar outdoor light fixtures operate
off of stored sunlight energy and thus they cost nothing to operate.
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| In addition, solar outdoor lighting requires no electrical
wiring and no power source other than sunlight, and thus can be installed
virtually anywhere in your yard. They are also safe to operate as they are
low voltage and require virtually no maintenance.
Solar outdoor lighting is frequently used in garden landscape projects,
around walkway perimeters, exterior doorway entrances and even around swimming
pools.
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Solar exterior light fixtures are
available from many manufacturers and come in a variety of styles and finishes.
Manufacturers offer solar post lights, solar lanterns, solar wall mount lights,
solar deck lights, solar motion sensor lights and even solar flood lights. Solar exterior light fixtures come in
a variety of exterior finishes, including copper and stainless steel finishes.
Besides providing lighting and home security, solar outdoor lights and can also
dress up your gardens, patio or walkway as decorative pieces. |
Solar Outdoor Light Fixture
Technology
At the heart of a solar lighting
fixture are a small solar photovoltaic panel, a battery, a photo cell switch,
and a series of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). During daylight hours, the
photovoltaic panel converts sunlight into electricity that is stored in the
battery. As twilight occurs the photo cell switch turns on the series of LEDs.
The LEDs are powered by the charged battery. At sunrise, the photo cell
switches the LEDs off, thus turning off the solar light fixture. A typical solar
light fixture is designed to provide 8-10 hours of lighting on a fully charged
battery.
So the next time you are considering
adding outdoor lighting to your home take a look at solar outdoor light
fixtures. They are a great alternative to conventional lighting and are a great
Do It Yourself project, as they are low voltage and require no external wiring.
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