Solar lights are practically the only type of lighting that will be effective during winter. The only other candidate, which is the CFL bulb, proves itself to be inadequate for use during cold weather. It takes too long for a CFL bulb to reach its peak brightness.
Additionally, it tends to use a lot of power to sustain that brightness. It is, therefore, not a cost-effective gadget to use for winter garden lighting. To maximize the potential of your solar lights during winter you have to attend to a few things:
Angle the panels in precisely the correct tilt for receiving the maximum of sunlight.
Your solar panels need to be oriented towards the sun. Since the sun shines straight downwards at the equator, people should turn their solar panels towards the equator. That means that for locations above the equator panels have to be facing south and for locations below the equator, the orientation should be to the north.
At the equator, the solar panel should be lying flat on its back. In other areas of the map, the tilt angle should equal the latitude of the area. As you go north, the tilt angle should be the negative of the latitude. The opposite conditions are true as you proceed southwards.
For maximum efficiency, clean the panels regularly
Since the power you need to run your garden lights is derived from the activity of the solar panel, it is important to keep the panel in tip-top shape and clean all winter. this means that it will have to be regularly checked for snow, debris and animal droppings. The ideal time for cleaning them will be at night. You will need to disconnect them from the solar batteries to do this. the following morning, you will need to bring them out in the sun and connect them to the solar batteries.
If you do this regularly during winter, you should be able to enjoy your winter garden lights for most of the winter nights. If you observe that practice the whole winter, you will improve your chances for enjoying solar garden lighting as often and as long as possible.
Selecting your solar panels
The solar panel's efficiency is rated as a percentage of the total amount of sunlight it receives. That percentage figure is equivalent to the portion of the sunlight it receives that it can successfully turn in to power. The best ratings today are pegged at 16 % and the worst ones are a mere 9 %.
In general you should buy panels/lights with an efficiency rating of 14 % and above.
Cold weather is conducive to solar panel activity
The cold of winter increases the activity of solar panels. During summer their efficiency goes down. If not for the fact that winter days are shorter and winter skies are often clouded, solar garden lighting should be performing best in winter. In some way, the fact that panels are extra-effective during winter does something to compensate for the frequent cloudy skies and snows.
Winter is the best time for your solar lights
In addition LED bulbs burn brighter in winter. That is also the effect of lessening the resistance provided by heat. The electrons responsible for lighting up LED lights work unimpeded in cold temperatures.
So, with the winter climate being favorable for solar panels and LED lights, the only thing for you to do is to keep your solar lighting equipment clean and to charge your solar batteries well to make sure you enjoy your winter garden lights.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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