7
Reasons to
Buy Solar Lighting by Paul
Yates
I
don't think that a day goes by now without someone
mentioning the phrase "carbon footprint" and we all know that this is
not a fad, it is here to stay. It is a continuous source of concern to
me that
even in this consumer society that we live in that we all do our bit to
be
environmentally friendly and contribute to creating a low carbon
footprint.
I
wrote some articles a while ago that looked at the environmentally
friendliness
of the barbecue and if one argues that the energy consumed by a
barbecue
compared with any other form of cooking then certainly the charcoal
barbecue
can be considered environmentally friendly provided the wood source for
the
charcoal is harvested by coppicing.
As
the nights draw in this fall and the patio lights come out there is an
ever
improving technology that we should be considering and that is solar
lighting.
This environmentally friendly lighting is basically is a photo voltaic
cell
that captures the sunrays, converts the light energy into electricity
that is
in turn used to charge a battery. Now we all know that battery
technology has
improved considerably with the advent of laptop computers and video
cameras but
the other area that has improved rapidly to bring solar lighting right
up there
is the LED or light emitting diode.
The
LED is basically exactly what you get in many head torches these days
and as we
know these torches offer great light with little power consumption and
bulb
longevity and it's this same technology that is being applied to solar
lighting.
So
let us get down to the nitty gritty, why should you buy solar lighting?
1.
LED bulbs will never burn out during the lifetime of the product. How
many
times do you have to change normal bulbs and at what cost?
2.
Your electricity bill will be reduced and it is environmentally
friendly
lighting. Your neighbors can gossip all they like but you can rest safe
in the
knowledge that your carbon footprint is under control.
3. Battery technology
means that solar
lighting can work without interruption for 10 - 12 hours which should
be more
than enough for anyone. Recharge time of course is dependent on the
amount of
sunlight available.
4.
Solar panels are weatherproof so there's no maintenance, in fact you
can even
use one panel to charge a multitude of lights.
5.
Solar lighting is self sufficient so there's no need for an outdoor
power
source. Really handy for an idiot like me that can fix a wall light but
doesn't
like to mess with high voltage electricity.
6.
Again the point about no high voltage electricity - it's safe.
7.
The more LEDs (or fewer) there are in the light the brighter (or more
subtle)
the lighting will be. This means that you can light pathways with low
intensity
lighting and with a few more LEDs you can creat a wall mounted
spotlight.
I
know I am going to have some fun this summer creating my own night time
garden
and preparing my patio area for some great late summer barbecues. If
only
someone could invent an environmentally friendly patio heater then I'd
be over
the moon.
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