Solar Energy Lights - Saving Money And Reducing Global Warming
Knowledge about solar energy lights is essential if you want to save money and reduce your impact on global warming.
According to one person's estimate the average person spends up to 90% of their time indoors under artificial lighting.
You can make a huge difference
through using solar energy
and light up your life! Especially so if you combine a solar energy source with compact fluorescent lights.
Compact fluorecent light bulbs take a quarter of a regular lightbulb's energy only, and can last 20,000 hours! That is ten times as long as the most long-lived regular lightbulb.
But not quite as long as the
longest-lived regular lightbulb ever - 105 years!!
But...
What are compact fluorescent lights?, you ask.
OK, I am going too fast. Let's go through it together, step by step...
Oh... But you are in a hurry? Then
Yes, for compact fluorescent bulbs too.
So, here we go...
The International Energy Agency has said that the world will need about 60% more energy in 2030 than it did in 2002.
At the same time fossil fuels as energy sources will still meet most of the world's needs by then. But current oil reserves are estimated to last up to only about 40 years.
Doesn't add up to a sustainable future, does it?
This situation is a problem. The effects of global warming are well recognised and noticeable in climate change involving increased storm activity, rising ocean temperatures and water levels.
Using solar energy lights is one action you and I can take. It is in your power to reduce the effects of global warming by your personal action by
- Using a solar energy source, and
- Using lights that consume energy sparingly
Solar energy lights are practical everywhere
- Home lighting
- Street lighting
- Public buildings
- Business
- Anywhere else!
There are of course various solar energy sources to generate electricity. They include
- Hydropower energy
- Wind power energy
- Direct solar energy
- Biomass energy
You can use some of these energy sources yourself in your home. You may find that your local or state authorities have incentives for you to do so through solar energy grants or rebates.
Solar LED lights
Solar LED lights, short for Light Emitting Diodes, can automatically turn on at dusk and turn off at dawn without using a timer. They are often used for night time garden lighting.
A LED light is not a bulb. It is a light-emitting chip encased in crystal clear solid resin. It is a full spectrum light, meaning it has all the light frequencies of daylight. This is important because we were made to thrive on such "whole" light. When we do not get enough of that we get the SAD syndrome. Like people do in countries where day light hours are short for parts of the year, or who spend much time under part-spectrum lights.
Solar lights can come with their own solar panel or wind turbine to receive solar energy and with batteries to store absorbed solar energy during the day. They need no outside power source.
Compact fluorescent lights
Compact fluorescent lights that run on solar energy are a very cheap option even though they are still expensive to purchase. When comparing their energy consumption and service life with that of ordinary light bulbs however they are the clear winner.
Generally they can be expected to last 10 to 15 times longer than conventional light bulbs. They give more light too. Four times the amount of light per Watt.
You will save a great deal of energy with just four compact fluorescent lights in your home. One light will save 630 lbs of coal or 51 gallons (229.5 liters) of oil being used. It will avoid 1072 lbs of carbon dioxide being emitted. So, they're a true powerhouse! Use them.
Advantages of solar lights
It is easy to see why solar energy lights have a bright future with so many advantages
- Low energy consumption
- High efficiency
- High luminosity
- Long operating lifetime
- Reverse polarity protection
- Resistant to flicker effect and radio/TV interference
- Automatic frequency control
Solar lighting is just right for the standard 12 Volt solar energy system. It delivers a great quality lighting without great power cost, useable for all lighting requirements.
Can I use DC power for my solar energy lights?
Yes, you can.
In fact it makes sense if you only use small loads such as leaving a night light on or charging a mobile phone battery. Or anything using less than 50 Watt. Using 12 Volt power by running your DC solar energy through an inverter for such purposes is inefficient use of your solar system. For example using a 25 Watt light at 65% efficiency would actually use 34 watts or 11 watts extra.
Solar energy lights for the street
Street lighting is also an ideal use of solar energy lights, whether in urban or remote rural settings. Its advantages include
- Impervious to power black-outs
- Unaffected by cost of grid power
- High luminosity
- Long operating lifetime
- Available in various light strengths
- Programmable to any requirements
Solar energy lights changing our world
Of course using solar energy lights alone is not going to deliver a sustainable world. You and I must start thinking differently about limits, dependence and our inevitable vulnerability in our unpredictable world. The brightest, pollution-free, global-warming fighting solar energy lights will only show up inequities, greed, poverty and preventable illnesses and impairments even more sharply.
The warm light of our relationship to each other, yes you and me, is essential to a flourishing world. We are truly interdependent, with each other, with our environments and with our values and actions.
There is so much more to solar energy lights than you thought isn't there? Learn more about alternate energy sources on my other pages and I'll meet you there. OK?
There is so much more to solar energy lights than you thought isn't there? Learn more about alternate energy sources on my other pages and I'll meet you there. OK?
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