PV Gap

Enrique Said:

My wife is obsessed with solar powered lights for the garden. What should i do?

We Answered:

Talk to her, try and make her understand how you feel and where you are coming from.

Mae Said:

Is it possible to get solar powered lights for the garden that actually works well?

We Answered:

Solar Powered lights require enough light to charge the solar batteries. If the charging is impeded in any way, the light will be dim. I found that the LED lights take less engery to charge and stay on longer, even when we have had numerous cloudy days. Make sure you get a charging unit for the solar powered lights that can be mounted in direct sun. That means there will be a wire. Otherwise, if the solar panel is located on top of the light, you will need to be sure that the panel is exposed to light for a good portion of the day to get them charged properly.

Reginald Said:

Would solar powered lights work even if it hasn't been a sunny day?

We Answered:

i left my solar fairy lights in my shrub since last xmas . the solar panel is in the open where it would get the most sun in that part of the garden, but they have lit up nearly every night since xmas. only if its been very dull for a few days they haven't come on but otherwise yes they do come on. just make sure the panel is in the open where its in the brightest spot. even if its not sunny but a bright day they work but wont stay on for hours like they would on a sunny day in the summer. i have since bought a load of solar lights for this xmas as i was very impressed

Andrew Said:

How do solar powered lights work, how do they know to come on at night???

We Answered:

Two different but related effects happening here: the solar power is a plate of solar cells which generate a tiny amount of electricity when exposed to light. This power is saved in small batteries in the unit.

When the sun goes down, a photo-cell, which is essentially the same thing, but used as a switch, switches the lights ON when the outside light goes OFF (or at least reduces to a preset amount). The photo-cell shuts the light back off when the sun comes up again in the morning.

Mildred Said:

Can solar powered Christmas lights be used indoors around a window? ?

We Answered:

they need more direct sun light , and they can be used any where you can get the sun light , the longer in sun the longer they run