Fits Everywhere
Many people prefer having their houses brightly illuminated when they return home at night. The Sunforce 80 LED solar motion light will illuminate your way when you approach your house! The body of the appliance is made of durable plastic which is resistant to any weather conditions. The peculiar feature of this light is an independently mounted solar panel. You can place it on the roof to catch the maximum amount of the solar energy during the daytime. Sunforce solar light is shipped with a 15-foot long wire allowing you to install the spotlight separately from the panel. This feature is certainly a major advantage for any potential customer! The spotlight itself is mounted on a wall and can be tilted or directed at a specific area in your yard that you'd like to illuminate.
Simple Controls
Another amazing feature of this solar light is a possibility to adjust its settings. You can find all necessary controls on the body. You can set the light output up to 900 lumens and make it switch on automatically when it gets dark or a movement is detected. Another control dial allows you to adjust the level of dimming. When the movement is detected by the motion sensor, the search light starts to shine brighter. It is very useful as it saves the battery charge. There are two more controls allowing you to set the sensor sensitivity and the duration of light once the movement is detected. Our verdict is that this solar light will be utterly helpful if mounted on the garage. It will help you feel secure when parking your car in the dark. It is sufficiently powerful to illuminate a fairly large area around your house!
| Last updated price | $35.99 |
| Stock | In stock |
| ASIN | B00FDQPCR2 |
Light Up Your Way
Path lights can be placed anywhere in your yard, illuminating the pathway, driveway, patio or porch. If you would like to have this kind of illumination in your yard, we recommend taking a look at the Moonrays 91381 Payton Solar Light. These path lights do not require electricity since they are fully autonomous and help you save money. Each of them has an independent solar panel and a NiCd battery that accumulates enough energy during the daytime to provide electricity for lighting your yard all night long. The LED lamp shines with a warm white light with the temperature of approximately 3,000K. It should also be mentioned that you can quickly install these lights wherever you want. Just stick the peg in the ground and slide on the lamp. The path lights are wireless and you can place them at any distance from each other in any place. We are convinced that a set of 8 outdoor lights of this type will be sufficient to illuminate your pathway to the house at night. The lights are easily installed and work right out of the box. Anybody can do this without any assistance. It is a superb solution for any owner of a house. These path lights shine 360 degrees around and cover the 12-feet area with a patterned light. Thus, you can use these lights to decorate your yard.
Solar Power Today
Do you know that there is one more way to use solar energy apart from turning it into electricity by means of solar panels? There are also so-called thermal solar collectors. They differ from solar panels by the operating principle. The power is generated by the steam turbine driven by steam which is heated by sun rays. These power plants have a lower transformation capacity in comparison to the solar panels. Current solar panels are made of silicon which is relatively easy to produce. A single silicon cell is not enough to accumulate a significant amount of energy, so a multitude of cells is combined into one large solar panel. All cells in the panel are individual and can be replaced separately if damaged or out-of-order. Usually, the whole panel is covered additionally with tempered glass or durable plastic. You can see solar panels everywhere these days. They are present in pocket calculators and watches, while large solar stations can supply enough power for the whole town.
| Last updated price | $98.86 |
| Stock | In stock |
| ASIN | B00A52B7CS |
Anywhere & Anytime
You will hardly find a better solution for illuminating your yard than a set of the InnoGear Solar Wall Lights. The set of 2 spotlights can be placed in any place you choose. They can be stuck in the ground near your porch or along the lawn, or you can mount them on a wall of your house. The lamps will illuminate any object of your choice with a bright warm 200-lumen light. In the autonomous mode, the solar panels charge batteries during the daytime. At night, the lights turn on automatically and shine continuously for 8 hours with the maximum brightness. You can also switch them to the half-bright mode, increasing their operation time up to 16 hours. You should not worry about the bad weather because the body of these solar lights is moisture-resistant (IP65 waterproof class). In our opinion, this set of solar lights can satisfy most customers and owners of detached houses who'd like to have their yard well illuminated at night.
Candle in the Dark
Many centuries ago, before the invention of electricity people used to light candles to illuminate their homes. Candles were common in royal palaces, castles of the nobility, and poor shacks. Candles were lit at dawn and burned all night long in houses of the rich. Poor peasants put their candles out before going to sleep. It was too expensive for them to keep the light on for long. The only exclusion was the night before the wedding of a daughter. Only then a poor family could afford this luxury. There was an ancient superstition common among people that the candlelight granted a force to a bride. This force could protect her family in the future. The purpose of candles was not only to illuminate a house but also give people the sense of hope and security. The light of a candle could save a pilgrim who had been wandering for many days and nights looking for a place to hide. The lit candle and the optical lens made a beacon that saved thousands of seamen long before electrical lighthouses were built. It was the candlelight that brought many ships back home to their harbors.
Additional Info
| Last updated price | $29.99 |
| Stock | In stock |
| ASIN | B00WUD4EQG |
Direct the Light at the Area You Wish
A distinctive feature of the Vinus Solar Dual Head Lights is a dual-head telescope design. It allows directing each spotlight at a separate area. You only have to release one screw on the body of the appliance to turn the lamp on. The body has IP44 waterproof rate and can resist even pretty harsh weather conditions. Each lamp contains 7 white LED lights featuring 40 lumens brightness. There is a motion sensor between the lights and it has the detection range of approximately 7 feet and covers the angle of 120 degrees. It is advisable to select the place for head lights carefully since this solar panel requires a direct exposure to sun rays throughout a day. In this case, the panel will receive a sufficient amount of energy to charge batteries and efficiently function afterward. The Vinus Solar Dual Head Lights also feature a dimming function. It increases the light brightness when someone approaches and switches to the dim light mode after a while. This feature allows each spotlight to save the battery charge in the dimming mode and yield the maximum light output when it is necessary.
The main advantage of the Vinus head lights is the independent positioning of each spotlight. As we've mentioned, you can illuminate two areas simultaneously.
First Steps to Capture Solar Energy
Solar panels, like many other innovative devices, appeared in the middle of the XX century. Though long before that, in 1839, a French physicist Antoine Cesar Becquerel designed a prototype of a chemical crystal panel that could accumulate solar energy. In 1873, Willoughby Smith from Britain found out that gray selenium changed its electrical resistance under the direct sunlight and could transmit the current. Later, as a result of research at the end of the XIX – beginning of the XX centuries scientists made a breakthrough and succeeded in using solar energy. The first man to speak on potential capabilities of solar panels and renewable energy was Giacomo Luigi Ciamician in 1912. Almost fifty years later, on April 25, 1954, researchers from Bell Laboratories made a silicon-based solar panel featuring the transformation capacity of 4%. Their names were Calvin Souther Fuller, Daryl Chapin, and Gerald Pearson. Four years later the USA launched the Vanguard 1 satellite powered by solar panels. The further development of this technology allowed manufacturers to reach the transformation capacity of 15% - 20%. We can expect more upgrades of solar panels in the near future.
| Last updated price | $0.00 |
| Stock | May be out of stock |
| ASIN | B01EIY77ZE |
Easy to Install
Searching for a decent outdoor solar light we have come across this Swiftly Done model. Unlike many other similar appliances, this solar light can be installed without any tools and skills. Actually, it's mounted in no time and is ready to work right out-of-the-box. The solar light has a mounting hole for a screw or can be attached to any surface with the help of adhesive tape. Just peel off the tape and it's done! You should not worry about wires or cables since the model is wireless and fully autonomous. The solar panel charges the battery in the daytime. This charge is sufficient for over 12 hours of operation. The lamp remains in the dim light mode until it detects some motion. Then, it activates the bright light mode. The LED lamp is eco-friendly and features the power-saving technology. Its lifespan amounts to 50,000 hours, much longer than the useful life of any ordinary lamp. This light has a heatproof and water-resistant body, so the weather doesn't, actually, matter - it will continue working.
In all, it is a great option for the outdoor illumination that will satisfy the pickiest customers. The built-in automatic light sensor will turn it on in the evening and off in the morning. And the motion sensor will turn it bright when somebody gets within its range. A top-notch choice for any homeowner!
Did You Know?
Did you know that the Solar Impulse company introduced a prototype of a solar-powered plane on June 26, 2009? In March 2015, the Solar Impulse 2 plane made a flight around the globe. The plane took off from the Abu-Dhabi airport and made interim stops in Varanasi, Nanking, Hawaii, and New York. The plane made the world's best result by the length of a flight distance for solar-powered planes during the non-stop flight from Nagoya to Hawaii. The total duration of the flight was 118 hours. It was not an easy task and even was suspended temporarily due to the motors overheat. On April 21, 2016, the world tour of Solar Impulse 2 was resumed and finished in the same Abu-Dhabi airport on June 26, 2016.
| Last updated price | $17.49 |
| Stock | In stock |
| ASIN | B00EGFKOZ6 |
Infographics
What is a Solar Light
Solar lights represent the perfect solution for people wishing to illuminate their yard or front porch when it is dark. During the day, solar panels accumulate the solar energy and charge the built-in batteries. At night, the batteries provide electricity to illuminate the desired area. This type of illumination is very convenient because it is fully independent of any power source and you do not have to worry about cables and wires. And what's more - it's totally free!
If you need to have a better indoor illumination (for example, when you read a book or use your PC) we recommend you to look at our desk lamps review.
What Features to Compare
Installation and Design
Making your choice of a solar light for your house, you should start with the type of installation and peculiarities of the design. The right choice depends on the tasks you set for this appliance. Some solar lights can light your pathways in darkness. They have special pegs for stocking such lights in the ground. Other solar lights are mounted on a wall or any other vertical surface. In general, they have holes for the mounting screws. Solar lights are very often attached close to a porch for illuminating the front yard. The light can shine in a certain direction, providing the light and security. The material the body of a solar light is made of is also rather important since it should ensure sufficient protection from weather conditions and other external factors.
Light Output
The light output of a solar light is also a crucial issue you should pay your attention to. This feature defines the quality of illumination. You should be able to rely on the brightness of a solar light in order to see your yard well enough at night. The temperature of the solar light also matters. It is measured in Kelvins and means the visual quality of the light. The light with the temperature of 3,000 Kelvin is considered to be warm. The natural daylight has the temperature that equals approximately 5,000 Kelvins and any illumination with the temperature exceeding 6,000 Kelvins is called a cold blue light.
Extras
You should also carefully study all extra features of a solar light. Some outdoor solar spotlights have a built-in motion sensor and their brightness changes if any movement is detected within the range. In this case, the key criterion is the sensitivity of the motion sensor. It is advisable to choose a solar light equipped with an adjustable sensitivity sensor if this feature is necessary for you. Moreover, you may want to be able to adjust illumination brightness or direct it at a specific point for security purposes. Many solar lights feature appropriate functions and adjustments to fulfill such requirements.
Sources:
1. Joshua Duvauchelle How to Choose the Best Outdoor Solar Lights for You, eHow.
2. Brian Barth Using Solar Outdoor Lighting, LoveToKnow. April 28, 2014.
3. Philip Bates 10 Reasons You Should Use Solar Lights Around Your Home, MakeUseOf. April 29, 2016.
4. Laura Gaskill How to Choose the Right Solar Lights, Houzz. April 14, 2014.
5. Annie Josey How To Choose Solar Lights For Your Yard, Pegasus Lighting. December 22, 2015.
6. Kathy LaLiberte How To Choose A Solar Garden Light, Gardener's.
7. How to Choose Solar Lights, Improvements Blog.
8. How to Choose your Solar Lights, eBay. February 28, 2014.