It is easy to see why some people would think solar panels are pointless during darker seasons like winter. However, there is more to solar lights during winter for your business or home. In fact, learning about how solar lighting works is a great way to save money one way or the other.
Should You Use Solar Lights During Winter for your Business?
Should you use solar lights during winter for your business? The answer lies within the mechanics of solar panels. Not all solar panels or solar lights are created the same. However, most of them operate in similar ways. Solar panels come with built-in batteries that can store power for long periods of time.
Most solar panels will charge the batteries which then power your business. However, the batteries have enough energy storage to last an average of 14 days without any sunlight. Not to mention, most solar panels can collect diffused irradiation, sunlight through clouds.
That’s not to say there is no drop off in the amount of power that is stored during cloudy days. However, the batteries will cover the slack for the time that is needed.
Solar Lights
Solar power is a great way to save money on energy costs for your business, but not all solar lights are the same. Some solar lights are the lights that you often see outdoors with tiny solar panels on top of them. They are often used in gardens, along walkways, or even as wall lighting outdoors.
The solar panels talked about above are the ones that you might see on top of a business, in a field, or on roofs around town. The question is, do solar lights operate the same way as solar panels? The answer is yes.
Collecting Solar Power
Solar lights do operate the same way as solar panels. The idea is simple, collect power from sunlight, be it direct or diffused through clouds. That power is stored in a battery that powers the light itself. The sun will go down but the light will stay on because the power has already been collected and stored.
Think of it this way, solar power is like charging your cell phone at night. You charge it up while you sleep and then disconnect the charger when you leave for the day. Sunrise is like plugging in the charger, sundown is like leaving for the day for solar lights.
Still, the winter months will slow the process which could make the lights run out of energy if they are not charged enough before the sun goes down. This is why which fixture you choose is important. Some fixtures come with other ways to charge if necessary, while others come with bigger batteries for more power storage which translates into longer-lasting light.
Solar Lighting Options
The options you choose will determine how the light operates. For example, you can buy a car that has Bluetooth integration, but that doesn’t mean that every car with the same make and model has Bluetooth integration. It is important to check out the features of the solar lights before you purchase to ensure they have batteries for power storage and how long that stored power will last.
You will want to find out how much power is stored in each fixture you consider and how long that power will last with basic usage. You can make a better judgment call after you have that information.