Ever wondered how solar powered lights work? Think they just work like glow sticks that will run out half way through the night and leave your backyard in the dark? Solar powered lights are a brilliant piece of engineering that, once you understand, will give you confidence in making them a part of your backyard, or even inside your home.
The heart of how solar powered lights work is found in the photovoltaic cell. This is the chip that transforms solar energy to a current of electricity. That current is carried over a wire into a battery located somewhere in the solar powered light. The quality of the photovoltaic cell and the clarity of the plastic which covers the cell determines how efficiently the solar powered light converts sunlight into stored energy.
The energy is stored in the light’s rechargeable batteries. These batteries are a slightly different sort from the disposable batteries you buy in stores. They are known as NiMH batteries instead of the disposable NiCAD batteries which are more typical and do not react well to being discharged and charged repeatedly. Unlike NiCAD batteries, NiMH batteries are safe to dispose of and pose no harm to the environment.
When the solar powered light is turned on, the NiMH battery releases energy through a wire to the LED lights. These are small lights without a filament that require very little energy to light up and have a very long usage lifespan. Typically LEDs will last over thirty times as long as conventional filament light bulbs.
As you can see, the components of solar powered lights are designed to run on their own be maintenance free for much longer than their light bulb and wire alternatives. As long as the solar powered light gets adequate lighting to renew its rechargeable batteries, the solar powered light will be a long lasting addition to your property.
Tags: adequate lighting, nimh batteries, nimh battery, solar energy, solar lights, solar powered lights, sunlight