Why Not Try Solar Christmas Lights This Year?

Solar Christmas Lights- sounds a bit like a bad joke, but as the Holidays are approaching it is time to think about holiday decorations and solar Christmas lights give you the opportunity to go all out without shooting your power bill to the moon. Still if you are anything like me, you enjoy checking out the beautiful displays of lights that many people like to put up on their houses and front yards. Below is a video of some one who went all out- how would you like his power bill? That would be a good reason to consider solar powered Christmas lights.

So just what are they. Well it all starts with a solar panel. Now if you just attached a solar panel to a string of lights- that would be a joke. You would have a string of lights that would only shine when the Sun was shining. Fortunately the principle involves a battery that is charged by the Sun and the battery powers the the lights at night. Now this does present some problems. If you use traditional bulbs the battery life is a bit short. But as you can see in the video below if you use LED lights then your battery life is extended by a factor of about 10.

Anyone could build their own system but it is cheaper to buy one that is already set up. Now if you are mechanically inclined and have the time, I personally think that building your own is more fun, but it does take more time and you have to locate all of the parts. While this takes time and I'd be glad to help you find the parts at my environmental information and product site, it is the "fun and educational" way to go. For a fraction of the price,however, you can find kits already to go. These vary a bit in price and quality but the concept is pretty much the same.

Now if the Sun hardly shines where you live then it would not be practical to use any type of solar lighting, since the system requires sunlight to charge the battery.  Also realize that the quality of the battery and the solar panel have a lot to do with how long the lights will shine.(another advantage of building your own) Note that systems vary in price and the main difference is in the quality of these parts and some of it has to do with the size of the LEDs. In the lesser expensive units the LEDs are quite small but this can be quite beautiful and it all depends on the effect you want to create.

In all there are many reasons for considering Solar Christmas lighting or Solar lighting of any kind for that matter. Everyone can agree that saving money on the power is one of those. The environmental issues are another reason for many, and even if you think Global Warming is a conspiracy, you have to admit that since the non renewable energy sources are being rapidly depleted, eventually everyone will end up turning to renewable sources like the Sun and wind. If you start switching over now you will be helping to extend the life of non-renewable sources on the planet.  Another reason is that it would be fun and educational if you decide to build your own.

In closing would like to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season, and if you decide to try this out let me know how it works for you. If you would like more information you can check out my solar christmas light blog.