An example of solar lights are simple driveway lights.  These outside lights couldn’t be easier to install.  No electrical experience is necessary when installing solar driveway lights.   Solar driveway markers are designed to simply be taken out of the package and pressed into the ground.  They consist of a post that is driven into the ground, the solar light fixture housing, an energy efficient light bulb, a rechargeable battery, a small solar panel, a small charge controller circuit (to prevent the battery from being over charged), and a photo electric eye (to automatically switch these outside lights on when the sun goes down). Another type of solar lighting is solar walkway lighting. These handy solar lights will make your walkway much safer to walk on at night and add to the beauty of your landscape.

There are really only two main things to keep in mind when installing this type of outdoor solar light fixture.  The first is that the posts that you are supposed to drive into the ground are often made out of plastic.  Care should be taken to avoid bending or breaking the post if you are driving it into hard soil.  You may have to use a small shovel to dig a hole for the post to go into.  The second thing to keep in mind is that the fixture must be installed in a location where it will be exposed to enough sunlight for the built in solar panel to fully charge the battery each day.  Plan out where you would like the solar driveway lights to be and then watch the area periodically throughout the day to see if there is an adequate amount of sunlight in the location.  These solar lights don’t have to be in direct sunlight all day but the longer it is exposed to the sun, the better chance it has fully charge.

Another type of solar light fixture is composed of a solar panel that is connected to the light fixture via a long cord.  Outdoor flood lights fall into this category. These porch lights are much more flexible in where you can install it.  A general rule of thumb when installing solar panels is to install them facing South.  With this type of solar light fixture, you can mount the panel in a location where the sun will shine on it for the majority of the day, and you can install the actual outdoor flood light in a shady location.

Solar patio lighting is also easy to install.  You generally just mount the solar panel in a sunny location and mount the solar light fixture in the area where you will want to have light. Outdoor patio lighting can not only light up your patio, it can also be a real mood enhancer if used properly.  Might I suggest that you install patio lighting on a dimmer switch so you can turn down the lights to set the appropriate mood.  This will give you much more flexibility in how you can use the patio lighting on your patio.

Another very popular type of solar lighting is solar garden lights.  These clever light fixtures can really change the mood of any garden when used properly. Solar rock lights are also very handy and require not installation at all. Solar rock lights are perfect for solar pathway lighting. All you have to do is position them where you would like the light. That’s all there is to it.

As you can see, these solar lights can be easily installed by inexperienced people.  Most are designed so that no wiring needs to be done.  This means there is no need to hire an electrician and therefore they make perfect DIY’er projects.

Solar decking lights are also easy to install and can save you quite a bit of money on your electric bill. Many people install often install a solar spotlight on their decks. After the initial purchase, you’ll never have to pay a penny for the lighting that they give you.

After taking on the job of installing solar lights on your home, you can relax in your rocking chair under you patio umbrella lights and feel satisfied that in a small way you are doing your part to help save the planet.

Another really cool use of solar panels that many people don’t think about are these flexible, portable charging stations.  I have several of them and take them with me when I’m enjoying the great outdoors.  When I need to charge one of my portable electronic devices such as my Kindle 4 or my cell phone, I simple unroll the flexible solar pad and plug my devices in.  Then while I’m eating lunch or taking a break, my gadgets get charged up.  If you don’t own one of these portable solar pads, you really should buy one.  They’re great!

The reason that people install solar driveway lighting is so that they have some sort of visual reference when backing out of their driveway at night. These handy solar light fixtures are usually spaced every few feet along the perimeter of both sides of your driveway. If you have a curved driveway, they are especially handy and may prevent you from driving your car into your bushes or rose garden. While driveway markers are primarily designed to keep you from driving off the edge of your driveway, they also add quite a dramatic effect to your landscaping at night. Keep in mind that creative use of outside lights can really improve the look of your property during the twilight hours.

Solar powered driveway lights are extremely easy to install. There are basically two types to a solar power driveway lights you should be aware of when making your purchasing decisions. The first types are simply designed for you to press into the ground in and a sunny location and forget about them. What could be more simple than that? The second type of solar driveway light is designed to be glued down to your driveway. These are quite easy to install as well. The hardest part is getting them evenly spaced. Since you have to glue down these solar driveway light fixtures, you want to make sure that you have the spacing perfect before you apply the glue. If the spacing is not perfect on solar driveway lights that press into the soil, all you have to do is pull them up and reposition them but at the spacing isn’t perfect if for the glue down type, you have to pry the light fixture up being careful not to break it, scrape the old glue off of it and glue it back down in the correct position.

The only thing really worth mentioning about installing solar powered driveway lights, is to make sure that you install them in an area where they will get plenty of sun exposure. If you install a solar driveway marker in the shade, it won’t get enough sun exposure to thoroughly charge the battery. This will mean that the solar driveway light won’t provide much, if any light throughout the night. Solar rock light can be used as driveway lights and the are easy to move around if you choose to.

Driveway lights can also be used to line your walkways as walkway lighting. They will make your walkways much safer and nicer to look at.

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