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Monday, June 8, 2009

Solar Christmas Lights for Bright and Low-Cost Christmas Holidays

By John Monsholi

Solar Christmas lights are one of the most popular Christmas decorations nowadays, due to their cost efficiency and attractiveness. These types of lights will allow the homeowner to save up to 100 W per each string of Christmas lights. Solar Christmas lights add magic to any Christmas, since they do not have to be turned on or off. The lights will automatically turn on with the onset of the evening.

One of the advantages of solar Christmas lights is that they eliminate the need of a power outlet. You can decorate any tree in your garden, no matter how far away it is from the house. Decorating your Christmas trees this way is much safer, easier and more cost-effective.

Solar Christmas lights come with little solar panels, which easily stick into the ground, as well as, they can be placed on a branch. Solar panels include solar cells (usually 4 cells), a rechargeable battery and a light sensor. Solar cells convert the sunlight into electricity, and on a sunny day the sun will give enough energy to completely recharge the battery.

When looking for solar Christmas lights, it is better to opt for the lights equipped with special polycrystalline solar cells, which allow the lights to emit bright light for hours even after being charged for merely a few hours on a rainy, snowy or an overcast day.

How to calculate how long the lights will shine after the sun goes down? It is actually quite easy. Solar Christmas lights will usually stay on for about one hour at night, after being charged for about one hour in the daytime. Therefore, if the area where you live gets about eight hours of sun per day, you will also get about eight hours of shining lights in the evening.

Solar Christmas lights come in different shapes, such as round, teardrop and oval shapes. The lights also come in different colors, such as the yellow, red, green and blue. You can also find a specific type of light, which you would prefer to see on Christmas, starting with a soft light and up to a very bright light.

Once Christmas is over, it doesn't mean that you have to take your solar Christmas lights down. You can keep them in your garden, in order to; for example, decorate arches in your garden with this pleasant type of light. The lights can also be used for various other holidays, such as anniversaries and birthdays, as well as for lighting of pathways, porches, etc.

When choosing your solar Christmas lights, it is better to look for the lights with a rechargeable and replaceable AA battery. This type of a battery will allow you to enjoy your Christmas lights, even if they did not recharge on rainy or snowy days. All you would need to do is to charge batteries with a regular charger. Lithium batteries are not a good choice, since most likely you won't be able to replace them, yourself.

Main advantages of solar Christmas lights are that they will allow homeowners to save hundreds of dollars on their electric bills. Other advantages include eliminating the need in electrical outlets, not having to turn the lights on and off, and not having to worry about the wires running across your yard.

It might be a good idea to watch your yard for at least two or three days before placing your solar lights. The most important thing to note is that the area, where you want to place your solar Christmas lights, does not get a shadow cast. Another important thing to remember is that solar Christmas lights operate best when their solar panel is in direct sun throughout the day. - 16477

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