How Are Solar Garden Lights Made?
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About Solar Garden Lights
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Solar garden lights, courtesy www.plant-care.com
Solar garden lights are lights that are used to provide accent light to gardens in the nighttime. Household electricity is not needed, as the lights receive all of the necessary energy from the sun. Once more, they are portable and extremely easy to install, usually requiring no more than space in the ground to "plant" them and an area that receives enough sunlight to make them effective. They may be used on patios, garages and other outdoor areas.
Solar Light Components
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Energy is collected by the photovoltaic panel, which is usually only a few inches across and embedded in the top of the solar light's frame. This panel uses a molecular reaction to create electricity from incoming light rays. As in larger solar devices, the small panel immediately channels this electrical charge to a battery where it can be stored for later use. Located beside or within this photovoltaic panel is the light sensor. This sensor detects how much light is present, and will tell the light when to come on and turn off, switching them on at dusk as the sun goes down and turning them back off again in the morning. Some solar lights may have timers that take the place of this sensor.
When activated, the solar light is designed to use its rechargeable battery to turn on a light emitting diode (LED) light. This light panel is affixed to the inside of the light and may face down or out depending on the configuration. The diodes, when stimulated by an electric current, produce light as part of a simple molecular reaction.
LED lights are known for being long-lasting, easily manipulated and requiring very little energy to operate--they are used for LCD screen backlighting as well as solar lights. The amount of light produced depends on the battery's charge, which in turn depends on how much sunlight it was able to absorb throughout the day.
Exterior
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This entire system is encased in some type of covering, depending on the type of solar light. Many lights use inexpensive, light metals that have weather-resistant coatings and can be painted in a variety of colors. More expensive lights may be housed in finer metals, such as copper, or have plastic shells designed to imitate flowers. The bottom end of many solar lights is formed into a stake-like base that can be used to plant the device in the soil.
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