As solar energy technology progresses, the potential applications of the technology only increase. There are numerous reasons why people and communities decide to switch to solar energy, ranging from reducing costs to self-sufficiency and environmentalism.

However, there are some typical uses for solar lights which have become almost synonymous with the term ‘solar lights’. These are by far the most popular solar solutions, but others are becoming more accessible by the day.

 

Street Lights

A lot of cities, particularly in the states of the ‘Sun belt’ have made the switch to solar power to run their street lights like these https://www.streetlights-solar.com/solar-street-lighting.html. The advantages are clear – once the light pole is installed, it requires no connection to the electrical grid and it doesn’t contribute to the overall consumption of electricity. If you believe that the savings are insignificant, you probably don’t know that 10% of all electricity in the USA is spent on lighting. A 10% cut of electricity spending can amount to a lot of money, particularly in big cities.

What’s even better is that these street lights use LEDs as the source of light. LEDs are incredibly effective and spend minute amounts of electricity, ensuring that solar street lights can run for longer times even if there are days without enough sunlight.

Parking Lot Lights

People in the USA love their cars and drive everywhere we need to go. That means we expect there to be plenty of parking space wherever we go. Businesses and other institutions often have large parking lots which need to be illuminated at night. However, lighting such large areas can cost a lot of money, particularly if the business works every day.

Solar parking lot lights solve a lot of these problems. They are no more expensive than regular parking lot lights to install, but once they are installed, they don’t incur any other cost in terms of electricity. Each light pole is independent, so even if there is a power outage or one of the poles is damaged, the other lights will be unaffected and continue working normally.

 

Garden Lights

These are a lot different than the previous two categories, mainly in size. Whereas street and parking lot lights are fairly big and tall, solar garden lights tend to be smaller and less bright. Their main purpose is decorative and they can be found in gardens all over the world.

The secondary use of these lights is illumination of gardens without the necessity of drawing cables through the garden. This makes them ideal for gardens and other landscaping efforts which are far from a source of electricity. They are often used for vacation homes and patios.

Signage Lighting

Companies need to advertise in this modern world. The most common and effective marketing is done online, but there are numerous other avenues of marketing to explore. Having a large sign illuminated and well-positioned also helps a great deal.

However, traditional signs tend to be fairly expensive to maintain, both due to the cost of electricity and the regular replacement or lightbulbs. However, solar LED solutions solve both of these problems. Solar panels ensure that the sign is completely independent from the electrical grid and that it doesn’t cost any more money once it is set up. Furthermore, the LEDs are not only efficient, but also highly durable, lasting over 50 times longer than the incandescent solutions.

Even though these solar lighting solutions are the most popular and the most common, that doesn’t mean that other, more innovative solutions are not just around the corner. Solar lighting is the way of the future.

 

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