Green Planet Living

It was not so long ago that solar powered lighting for pathways, gardens and general landscaping was quite a luxury for the average homeowner. You had to spend a lot of money for installation, an electrician, and watch your electrical bills climb.

Not so anymore with the proliferation of inexpensive and very attractive solar lighting sets and accessories. Now, you can light up the yard or that dark passageway at night with abandon (check those neighborhood covenants, though), without harming the planet or your electrical bill.

Today’s outdoor solar lighting marketplace offers an amazing array of options for your lighting needs, including solar pathway lighting, solar flood lights, motion-sensing solar security lights, and colorful solar globe lights. Some solar lights even have built-in bug zappers! (see picture)

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) Revolutionized the Solar Light Industry

Outdoor Solar lights became a better option when the manufacturers started using Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lights in them instead of the power-hungry incandescent lights we have been using for centuries. Before LEDs, the solar lights used to fade out within an hour or so.

LEDs use a tiny fraction of the power an incandescent light uses and generates very little heat (which is usually what runs your batteries down). You have probably noticed that LEDs are the standard now in traffic lights and new automobile tail lights. They also last indefintely…so you will probably never have to replace them.

A Host of Solar Lighting Options for Your Home

So, let’s take a look at what options are out there today for your solar lighting.

1. Solar Light Sets: These sets are usually the best value for people looking to light up a pathway or a landscaped section of their yard or lawn. Generally the solar light sets included up to 15 lights in an affordable package and are designed to light up the ground around the light. You can even mount them to your deck posts (with attachment accessories).
2. Solar Flood Lights: If you are looking to light up a wall or tree, solar flood lights can do the job and are a relatively new addition on the store shelves. This is because the lights demand more power…and that was not available until recently.
3. Solar Garden Rock Lights: These are a very cool new addition to the solar lighting community ( I am going to order some!). Tiny LED lights are embedded into faux rocks and look great…if you are looking for a more natural look. Check them out here!
4. Solar Garden Ball Lights: These lights are great for bringing a “new age” look to your back yard (or front, if you dare!). Take the typical glass garden ball, and put glowing colored light in it…very cool.
5. Multi-colored Solar Lights: Finally, if you want to add a splash of color to your yard, you can find sets of different colored lights or even lights that change color. These make great party lights as well.

That should get you started on your solar lighting adventure. Remember that solar landscaping lighting is good for the planet and will add some pizazz to your home and garden. They are also cheap enough now to experiment with the vast array of options. Enjoy!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 at 12:02 pm and is filed under Green Landscaping, Solar Lighting, Solar Power. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.