Yard Fairy Q&A: Solar Lighting

A Yard Fairy reader asks:

"Can you tell me about solar landscape lighting? How efficient is it and what types are available? Thank you!"

The Yard Fairy responds:

Great question and thanks for writing in! Here are some salient points about solar lighting.

Pros:

• Solar lights are the greener option because they do not run on electricity and therefore do not require coal fired power

• Solar lights are easily installed and moved

• Solar lights provide a gentle light

Cons:

• Color of solar light can be too blue, which does not compliment the landscape

• Some less expensive units can be flimsy

• Solar lights may have a shorter life span than higher quality low voltage lights

Some fun and easy to install options in solar lighting:

Solar String Lights, many of which are available in interesting designs and themes such as solar butterflies, solar birds, maple leaves, flowers, pumpkins and others.

Solar Motion Sensor Lights are easy to install and will last a lifetime. These run on a solar cell, which is separate from the actual lights. This means that you do not need to locate the lights in a sunny spot in order for them to "collect" solar energy.

Solar accent lights serve as way to dimly illuminate a path at nighttime. They turn on and off automatically, and can be found in many styles. In the case of these lights, the solar cell is built into each light so these must be placed in a sunny spot.

Visit www.yoursolar link.com for some nice lights that would be worth a look. They also do solar light recycling which is another great thing for the environment.

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