The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Outdoor Solar Powered Lights

Outdoor solar lights have several clear advantages when compared to standard electrically powered lights, but it’s not at all a one-sided contest. This article takes a look at the arguments both in favour and against solar lighting. First, the positive side of things.

Undoubtedly a primary benefit is the sheer ease of installation that solar lighting offers. There are no cables to connect and hide – all you have to do is place each light fitting where you think it would look good. When the evening comes then you can admire your new purchase and, just as easily, move it around if need be until you find the perfect location.

Cost is another major factor. The initial outlay for regular (electrical) outdoor lighting is less than for solar lighting but you also need to add in the full lifetime costs of each product. Other than replacing rechargeable batteries once they get beyond their effective recharging capacity, there are no costs associated with running solar powered lights and little in the way of maintenance.

In addition to scoring well for low maintenance and ease of installation, solar lights are also highly reliable and intrinsically safe in an outdoor environment, not to mention endlessly adaptable with seemingly limitless different uses. And that’s before you even get to see range of available formats and styles.

So is outdoor solar lighting all sunshine and roses then? Well, only if you can actually guarantee the sunshine; if you have a naturally shady aspect, or seasons that reduce the hours of daylight for half the year, or mixed weather that can result in several overcast days then your solar lighting won’t always be able to get its full charge and will suffer.

Outdoor solar lights can also be adversely affected by physical impediments such as snow or leaves covering the solar panel. One solution is to remove the batteries and recharge them from a mains charger but obviously this is not practical if you have a lot of lights. This brings up the issue of batteries; rechargeable batteries have a limit on the number of times they can be charged and solar lights totally discharge their batteries on a nightly basis which reduces their lifespan.

Regular mains electric outdoor lighting is slightly cheaper than solar powered equivalents but the difference isn’t hugely significant for most domestic installations. For larger scale landscape lighting it might be an issue but you would have to carefully compare the operating and purchase costs to assess the impact.

When it comes down to it though electric outdoor lights score over solar lighting in two specific areas. Firstlly they’re almost always noticeably brighter and they stay bright all night. Secondly they can be switched on and off rather than relying on detecting changes in light levels.

So on balance then, if all you want is a limited amount of lighting that you can bring home and have working that same evening, plus you don’t need it on all night attracting low flying aircraft then outdoor solar lighting is a great choice. For more sophisticated setups and greater control you probably want to put the effort into installing regular electric lighting.

Check out this related article to discover more about the solar lantern.