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Solar Power Lights Offer A Green Touch For Outdoor Illumination
from: One place that many home and business owners are really keen on taking a green approach involves their outdoor landscaping. Native landscape designs are being pushed to limit water consumption in areas all over the world, and now many people are also discovering the benefits of using solar power lights in their designs.Solar power lights for outdoor use can provide a number of benefits especially in landscaping. These self-contained systems can provide the illumination that home and business owners desire without the added impacts on the environment. Although solar power lights for outdoor use can range in actual style, the standard design include such things as:
• A solar panel or panels to drive the systems – In the case of outdoor lighting, solar panels are generally small and are designed to only garner enough energy to power the lights included in a kit. These panels are also designed to blend in fairly well with outdoor surroundings.
• An inverter and battery – Solar power lights for outdoor use do tend to have an inverter and battery in the mix. These components in most kits are designed to take the DC power that solar panels produce and turn it into usable AC power. This, in turn, is stored in batteries during the day for operating the lights at night.
• A light sensitive timer – Many solar power lights for outdoor use come with a light sensitive timer that turns them on when the sun goes down. This is excellent for ensuring proper illumination when it is needed and conserving power when the sun is up and the lights don’t really need to be on.
• The lights themselves – This is where the variance factor can really come into play. Solar power lights can range from outdoor street light designs to strings of small lamps used to outline flower beds. Home and business owners will also find solar powered flood lights are available.
• The bulbs – Although this is not always true, most solar power lighting kits include LED light bulbs. These highly efficient bulbs require less power to operate and last longer than standard incandescent designs. Depending on the design of the bulb, LED lighting systems can also provide more illumination. They are, for example, often the bulbs included in solar powered flood light kits.
Solar power lights can add greatly to the appearance and environmental friendliness of an outdoor landscaping design. This type of self-contained system gathers its own power during the day, turns itself on at night and then shuts down again when the sun comes up. Considering the self-sufficiency of this type of system, it’s fairly easy to understand why many home and business owners are turning to the sun’s energy to illuminate their nights.
Solar Power Electricity Specific links
Solar Power Electricity News
Germany sets new solar power record, institute says - Reuters
 BusinessLIVE | Germany sets new solar power record, institute says Reuters By Erik Kirschbaum | BERLIN (Reuters) - German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity per hour - equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity - through the midday hours on Friday and Saturday, ... German Solar Power Plants Produce 50% of the Nation's Electric Energy On Saturday Germany sets new solar power record A Fair Price For Energy In Europe ? |
Utility regulators more than double California's solar power goal - Los Angeles Times
 Los Angeles Times | Utility regulators more than double California's solar power goal Los Angeles Times Above, solar panels shade the rooftop deck of a Hollywood Hills home. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times / September 21, 2011) By Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times SACRAMENTO — California is poised to more than double its targeted electricity output ... California Expands Rooftop Solar-Power Program California Expands Net Metering Program for Solar-Power Sales California and New Jersey Utilities Top Annual List of 2011 Installed |
Solar Power to Cut High Electricity Costs at NJ Sawmill - GetSolar.com
 GetSolar.com | Solar Power to Cut High Electricity Costs at NJ Sawmill GetSolar.com A provider of commercial solar power systems, recently announced a 243-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system at Riephoff Sawmill was recently completed. The project marks another milestone for solar power in New Jersey, which is second only to California ... |
Plug-in solar panels: Worth the cost? - Christian Science Monitor
 Christian Science Monitor | Plug-in solar panels: Worth the cost? Christian Science Monitor The device converts your solar panel's low voltage direct current into high voltage alternating current. Because the voltage (electric potential) from the inverter creates an electric version of back pressure against the voltage from the power company, ... |
Saudi battles heat, dust to build solar power, save oil - Gulf Times
 Gulf Times | Saudi battles heat, dust to build solar power, save oil Gulf Times Doing so would allow it to slash the volume of oil it burns in power plants bankrolled by billions of dollars worth of saved oil earnings. “At world market prices, solar is competitive if you use crude oil to generate electricity,” said Maher al-Odan, ... |