Many of us are on the fence and are going back and forth about whether or not we should buy solar lights. I was in this situation but realized the benefits of solar energy and solar lighting to be exact are tremendous. I’m also the type of homeowner who is adamant about how my landscaping looks. I take great pride in having a garden, and backyard that look great. With solar lights you can greatly improve the way your home looks because let’s be frank they look much better than electricity powered lighting fixtures. I’m also a homeowner who appreciates quality and if something is promised to work an x amount of years then I expect the promise to be fulfilled. Solar lights if installed correctly as well as maintained properly should work continuously without the need to do anything else. Yes you’ll have to make sure they are placed right and if something obstructs the solar panels from the direct view of the sun then you’ll have to take care of that. But that should be about it, they were not designed for you to go up on your roof to change their light bulbs, or LEDs every 6 months or so. This is not what these energy savers are all about. I would say the most difficult thing I was faced with was what kind of solar light units should I buy. Also how to position them and most importantly which kinds of solar lights should I buy. This can be overwhelming but I managed to get it right. The first thing that I did was set a budget for how much I was willing to spend on solar lighting. If I went over the costs then I was prepared to buy them in phases. The first lights I purchased were the ones that I deemed to be most important, these are ones that would go on my roof.

These lights were more important than landscaping lights because of several reasons. The first is to provide security and secondly also to provide lighting around the house. After all who wants to take out trash in pitch darkness. Selecting these outdoor solar lights were much easier choice than selecting solar yard lights for your home. Considering that I did not know a thing about them or what made them work, I first did a little research. I wanted to familiarize myself with how they function including knowing the most important parts inside the fixture. This is necessary because to visually comprehend how something works is important to me. Solar lights were becoming a part of my home and an important one at that and it’s only appropriate to know everything about them. There really isn’t too much to it. Out the box a solar light comes with the the solar light, solar panel which are also called solar cells, NiMh rechargeable batteries and a cord that runs from the solar panel to the light itself. Mentioning the cord I know some might have the wrong idea about wireless. This term is used to mean that wires are not necessary from an electric outlet. There are some designs that are completely wireless. These are the kind that have the light and solar panel in the same unit.

The solar lights I purchased came with a wire but this wasn’t a problem at all for me because the lights were atop my garage and the solar panel was installed on the roof which wasn’t visible. I did the installation myself and this saved me time and money. The particular brand I purchased was motion activated. It came with 6 LEDs, was weatherproof and I was able to set a timer for how long I wanted the lights to be illuminated when the motion sensor automatically turns them on. As long as you are getting sunlight then you don’t have to worry about anything else. The sun is important because that’s how the the batteries are able to recharge. So for me personally solar lights were a good choice. They gave me the lighting I needed, were easy to install and best of all there aren’t any operating costs.

We all have access to a free, bright and renewable source of light – the sun.  Agreat way to utilize it after dark is with solar lights.  Solar lights have come a long way in the last few years and offer a wide array of styles, shapes and materials.    They are powered by rechargeable batteries and can light up an area for the entire night.   The lights are powered by light emitting diodes (LEDS)  which rival hard-wired lights.   They are very durable and can last for up to 1,000 hours.

Solar light have several advantage over hard-wired lights some of which

Require no wiring

Powered by the sun 
Fast and easy to install 
Energy saving 
Recharged by solar panels under sunlight 
Light turns on automatically when dark 
Super bright LED for brighter light output 
Rechargeable Ni-Cd AA battery which are included

Safe water resistant 
CE certified 
LED bulb never burns out 
Up to 10 hours of light when dark 
Corrosion resistant 
LEDs can last up to 100,000 hours 
Batteries are rechargeable and should last for approximately 2 years before replacing

Solar Lights are totally free standing, simply fit the light components together, press the spike into the ground or screw on to the wall mounting, it’s that simple!   Add them along pathways or set them up as spotlights.  Add some unique lights and be the talk of the neighborhood.  

There may be even more advantage to solar lighting based on your application.   They do offer a real alternative to hard-wired lighting and are real versatile.   They allow you the option to spending time outdoors after dark and allow you to light up any areas you may want.  Solar lighting  is a very versatile way to light up your yard.

NAIROBI - As many as 120 million households in Africa will be living off-grid by 2015, creating one of the world’s largest markets for portable solar lighting in the next five years, according to a report.

‘Solar Lighting for the Base of the Pyramid Overview of an Emerging Market’ was published by Lighting Africa, a joint International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank initiative that is developing continent-wide programmes for solar lighting.

The report projects an up to 65 per cent growth rate in sales of portable solar lights, comparable to the recent explosion in mobile phone sales on the continent. Currently, only 0.5 per cent of some 140 million African people living without regular or reliable access to electricity have such lights.

The growth will be fuelled by entrepreneurs using the latest technologies and designing products to suit consumers’ tastes, the report says. But the market could grow even faster if distribution and financing were scaled up, it says.

Arthur Itotia, Lighting Africa programme manager, told SciDev.Net that the initiative does not just aim to light households but also to save people money and reduce the health risks associated with fuel lamps.

“By converting from kerosene to clean energy millions of consumers can improve their health, reduce their spending on expensive fuelsand, ultimately, benefit from better illumination and more productive time in their homes, schools and businesses.”

The report also found that an average African household could spend US$225 less a year on kerosene by using solar lighting.

Lighting Africa is helping to build the market for off-grid lighting acrossSub-Saharan Africa by investing in consumer education, improving access to financing and looking at new ways to distribute the lighting.

Dana Rysankova, senior energy specialist in the Africa Energy Unitat the World Bank, said that Africa’s high population growth and low levels of access to the grid mean that it will soon surpass Asia in the number of people without electricity.

The lessons learned from Africa, she said, are being used to give advice to other areas.

“For example, Lighting Africa advised another World Bank project in Haiti that was disseminating solar lanterns after the devastating earthquake there,” said Rysankova.

But other experts warn that such noble ideas risk being overridden by market forces especially if left solely in the hands of private sector players.

“Much as the idea is great and tenable, the implementers need to shape the market to allow poor households to buy the lights,” said Simon Mugambi, an independent energy market consultant.

An alternative power source that has been around for many years. It is one of our most plentifully form of energy yet still highly not being used used. Solar energy comes from the Sun. The Sun is needed for existences of all living things on our planet. The energy of the Sun is an ongoing study by scientists for its many potential uses. 
With the cost of our utilities and fuels constantly increasing we are looking for a more economical way to fulfill our energy needs. The use of solar energy will greatly reduce the need of many of our fossil fuels. It is a much more safer form of energy than mining for coal or drilling for oil that have cost the unnecessary loss of lives. Solar energy is found in two forms. Solar photo voltaic energy panels converts the Sun’s radiation to usable electricity. Solar thermal energy panels collect the Sun’s heat.

There has been huge concerns over the use of fossil fuels and its effect on our plant. Finding a cleaner source of energy is impertinent for our survival. Concerns over the greenhouse effect and the damages being done to our planets ozone layer. These changes have occurred by our dependency of the use fossil fuels. Solar energy is a clean reusable form of power.

We have come a long way since solar energy was first used. By the use of solar collector panels many major business have gone green. Solar collector panels are widely used throughout the world. The energy savings would be astronomical if all new homes built had solar collector panels. They now come in many different sizes and can be used to operate anything that requires some type of electric current.

Solar photo voltaic energy is used for electricity which can be stored by battery banks or the grid inter-tie. Batteries like those used to store electricity to operate a car till the solar cells in the battery expire. Solar cell batteries are used in a variety of products from watches to out door night lights. A big use for the solar cell batteries are in hybrid cars.
A most widely used method is the grid inter-tie. Where your solar power is tied directly into your home or business power grid. In this method on days when you are not needing the use of electricity it is being fed back into the power grid and your meter will run backward. Than when you do need it you draw it back out when the Sun is not supplying you with solar power. Some may choose to use a combination of both methods for storing their solar energy for electricity.

Solar thermal energy panels collects the Sun’s heat in either water or an anti-freeze mixture. Solar thermal energy is used for space heating and water heating. These methods are used to heat your home or business as well as the hot water. Solar Thermal energy is stored using a thermal mass, water tanks or rock bins that hold heated air. Solar thermal energy panel collectors have three grade uses.

The low-temperature solar thermal panel collectors provides low heat of less than one hundred and ten degrees fahrenheit. One of the main use would be to heat a swimming pool. A medium temperature solar thermal panel collectors heat ranges are above one hundred and ten degrees fahrenheit up to one hundred and eighty degrees fahrenheit. Which would be used to heat a home or business hot water heater. High temperature solar thermal panel collectors start at one hundred and eighty degrees or higher. They are used by utilities or independent power producers to generate electricity to a power grid.

We have come a long way since solar energy was first used. The energy savings would be astronomical if all new homes built had solar panels. They now come in many different sizes and can be used to operate anything that requires some type of electric current.

This is quite a recent trend from Christmas lights manufacturers. Not surprisingly, it’s probably in response to the current dire economic conditions. In this post, I’m going to start off by briefly give an overview on how solar Christmas lights work. Then I’ll discuss how they provide you with cost savings and end with some of the ways you can do your decorations with these lights. After reading through this, you would be more inclined to consider solar lights over the traditional forms of lighting for the coming holiday season.

Solar Christmas lights essentially function in the same manner as solar powered garden lights. They consist of a solar panel to absorb the sunlight, a controller board connected to a battery in which the converted electricity is stored, and an optical sensor that detects whether there is light or darkness in the surrounding. So straight away, you’ll already see some of the benefits. These lights won’t use power from your mains since their power source is the sun as they charge during day time. Also, you don’t have to be constantly vigilant to know when to turn the lights off when not needed – it’s pretty much automatic. Such efficient energy usage is definitely most welcomed especially nowadays.

The energy cost savings can be attributed to the type of bulbs used in these solar lights. Being LED bulbs, they use less energy than the traditional incandescent bulbs. Also, they last much longer with good quality LED solar lights possessing rated lifetimes of up to 100,000 hours. Thirdly, they tend to burn brighter than the old style bulbs. So you can now enjoy better lighting decoration for your home at a lower cost.

At the moment, you might find that the range of shapes and colors of solar Christmas lights to be limited. This can only improve over time as demand increases. This is more than offset by the cost savings they can achieve. There are other flexibilities offered by solar lights. Since they generally use a battery, they won’t need to be connected to a power outlet. For example, normally you place your Christmas tree in a particular corner of your house because it’s closest to an outlet. Otherwise, you might be running those annoying (and potentially dangerous) long extension cords across your room. If you used solar string lights, you wouldn’t face these issues. With this in mind, you can probably start to imagine some of the other possibilities on decorating your home – e.g. draping colored solar lights across your fence.

Remember, Christmas is a time of joy which doesn’t need to be costly to you and your family each year.

Once you have decided to buy solar lights, the next step of course is choosing the right one to suit your needs. The range of choices available nowadays is fairly huge. You can get solar lights in various shapes, sizes, material and with different fixtures. You’re almost practically only limited by your imagination.

In this post, I want to tackle a few main areas that would very likely form part of your selection criteria. I intend to go through lighting purposes, installation location and surrounding environment factors. If you get a handle on these basic points, you should be able to make a more informed decision or at least ask the right questions when approaching a solar lighting sales person.

Firstly, ask yourself the question, “Why do I want a solar garden lighting?” or “How am I going to use the solar garden lights?”. Understanding the reason behind it will allow you choose an appropriate type of lighting. With this question, I’m looking past the obvious benefits that solar lights offer over conventional lights. For example, if you intend to use it as part of the security to your home, then solar security lights would be better suited than simply generic purposed solar lights for garden. If you wish to provide lighting as a guide when you drive up to your home, then there are specific solar driveway lights. If you want to show off your beautiful garden design at night, then you can get solar powered landscape lighting. Knowing the lighting purpose is closely linked to the installation location.

Generally, when you install your LED solar lights, it would be preferable to avoid any areas where sunlight has difficulty reaching – that is, covered areas and low areas. If you could find a spot where the solar panels can have direct full exposure to sunlight, that would be ideal. Thus, doing some pre-planning and knowing the layout of your yard before shopping for your solar lights is important.

Apart from understanding the contours of the surroundings, there are the environmental factors. Yes, using solar lights would be good for the environment but this is not what I’m referring to. What you should take into consideration is the kind of weather conditions your solar lamp lights would be exposed to. If you expect proper operations in harsh wet weather then pay attention to solar lights containing water resistant components with switches that are well insulated. Also, ask yourself how the choice of your lights affect your neighbors. This is somewhat associated with the location of installation as well. If you bought wall mounted solar lights that used extremely bright bulbs which shines into your neighbor’s window, than this might pose a bit of a problem.

Now that you have an idea of the primary criteria to keep in mind when you shop for your next set of solar lights, you should be able to plan your purchase more carefully.

Well, the U.S. has taken it one step further — it has gone to the World Trade Organization for “consultations” about China’s green energy subsidies, specifically for wind power manufacturing. As a result of investigations triggered by a United Steelworkers’ complaint, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced on December 22, 2010, that the U.S. is requesting consultations with China under the WTO’s dispute settlement provisions.

The U.S. says that under China’s Special Fund for Wind Power Manufacturing program,

. . . China appears to provide subsidies that are prohibited under WTO rules because the grants awarded under the program seem to be contingent on Chinese wind power equipment manufacturers using parts and components made in China rather than foreign-made parts and components.

According to a USTR press release, China is giving large grants to Chinese manufacturers of wind turbines and their components while excluding foreign parts manufacturers.

The size of individual grants currently available under the Special Fund for Wind Power Manufacturing ranges between $6.7 million and $22.5 million, and the recipients of these grants – Chinese manufacturers of wind turbines and Chinese manufacturers of parts and components for wind turbines – can receive multiple grants as the size of the wind turbine models increases. USTR estimates that grants provided under this program since 2008 could total several hundred million dollars.

These consultations are the first stage of the WTO’s dispute settlement process. In many cases, the parties at this point will reach an agreement to resolve the issue.  If agreement isn’t reached, the next stage is more serious and formal — it involves adjudication by a WTO panel and perhaps by the Appellate Body, and then the ruling’s implementation.

Some observers caution that the U.S. should be wary, as it could face challenges to its own funding of green energy programs and its “Buy American” program:

In President Obama’s stimulus bill, $71 billion was dedicated to clean energy funding, with an additional $20 billion for loan guarantees and tax incentives to support clean energy projects.  President Obama’s budget proposes $150 billion over ten years in clean energy and efficiency programs.  Clean energy job creation is also one of the central tenets of the Administration’s new Middle Class Task Force.  Given these policies, and other proposals pending in Congress, the United States needs to tread carefully in denouncing green-energy subsidies as violations of WTO rules.

In terms of green energy, the best approach is to let the market work, without subsidies that distort that market. Government support through green subsidies and incentives for particular industries, whether by foreign governments such as China or by the United States, are a form of industrial policy intervention to pick winners (and losers) and can lead to unintended consequences in addition to the trade implications, e.g., heavy support for corn ethanol and its effect on food prices and the environment.

The Lib-Tory coalition government plans to fix prices for electricity in an effort to persuade the private sector to invest in new, alternative, and low-carbon forms of energy generation.  The aim of this price guarantee is to ensure the UK has the electricity generating capacity it needs while still meeting climate change targets.   About a quarter of the ageing coal fired and nuclear power stations will reach the end of their operational life in the next ten years.  Roughly half will have to go due tightening environmental regulations and many of Britain’s ageing nuclear plants have simply got to be decommissioned and shut down.

The government wants industry to build a new generation of power plants using low-carbon alternative technologies including renewable sources like wind, hydro or tidal, nuclear and clean coal and gas.  Those private investors will expect some form of return on this investment, so a range of incentives will give those same investors the certainty they say they need.    All forms of low carbon generation (including nuclear) will benefit from a feed-in tariff with long contracts and a guaranteed price for the electricity produced.  There would be extra support for what are described as younger technologies like offshore wind and wave power but the government maintains that there will be no specific subsidy for the nuclear industry.   Dis-incentives are also in place, such as support for the carbon price which will make it expensive to generate power using coal.  An emissions performance target should also put the brakes on any new coal-fired electricity generation schemes.    This new framework has been described as a once-in-a-generation chance to set energy policy for the next 20 years, promoting renewable power generation rather than the high-carbon alternatives.  For once, both the politicians and the regulator (Ofgem) admit that there will be a cost involved in doing all this and guess who will pay for it?

Ofgem has estimated that bills could rise by as much as 25% over the coming decade while the price comparison website uSwitch reckons that domestic energy bills will rise by £500 a year.  Even the Secretary of State, Chris  Huhne, has come clean by admitting that the average electricity bill of £500 a year would rise by £160 a year over the next two decades (although he claims that the increase  would be £190 a year if nothing is done).  There is no alternative?   Probably not in the short to medium term, but within 20 years ITER should come on line.  This is an experimental Tokomak fusion reactor which uses magnetic confinement to control the hot plasma and is scheduled to be built in 2018.  It’s hoped ITER will be the first such device to break even by getting more energy out than is put in.   Nuclear fusion has many theoretical advantages over nuclear fission.    It’s most definitely low carbon and has the potential to produce more energy.  We would have a virtually inexhaustible supply of fuel from deuterium in seawater and unlike present day atomic fission plants, fusion produces no nuclear waste products.

ITER is experimental and it will take several years of testing using hydrogen before slowly moving to a deuterium and tritium mix that should achieve full power.    If successful, the next step would be prototype fusion power plant maybe around 2030. Proving that fusion is entirely safe and economically viable would be the final and perhaps most difficult step.

Another potential route to nuclear fusion is Inertial Confinement which uses multiple lasers fired on a pellet of deuterium and tritium to heat the fuel to the necessary high temperature for fusion chain reactions to take place.    Two facilities pursuing this method of achieving fusion are the National Ignition Facility operating now in California and Laser Mégajoule (LMJ) which is planned for France in 2012.  Inertial confinement is much less efficient than Tokomak magnetic confinement, but a “fast ignition” device called  HiPER  is in the planning phase and should be ready around 2020.

DIY Solar Energy – Do It Yourself And Save The Planet!

Are you looking for an affordable residential solar power kit solution? Did you know that you can do DIY solar energy, and get solar energy into your own home? As you read this article, you will discover more about the various types of solar energy kits, and what you need to get started with do it yourself solar energy. As you read this article about DIY solar energy, you will discover more about: * DIY Solar Energy – Understand Your Energy Needs * Residential Solar Power Kits – Hot Water * Residential Solar Power Kits – Other Interesting Solar Power Systems * Residential Solar Power Kits – What Kind Of Electric Do You Want To Generate? * Residential Solar Power Kits – Electric – Small Systems * Residential Solar Power Kits – Electric – Big Systems * DIY Solar Energy – Understand Your Energy Needs The first point to think about when it comes with DIY solar energy is to understand your energy needs. For example, do you want to power your home? Do you want to put solar lights in your backyard? Do you want hot water from solar energy? Understanding what kind of power you require will help you find the right kind of residential solar power kit for your needs. Some of these may need the assistance of a qualified electrician, for example, when it comes down to powering your entire home with solar energy. * Residential Solar Energy Kits – Hot Water In the west, when we think about solar energy, we often think that it means some kind of solar power panels and equipment that makes electric. However, there are other systems. Residential solar power kits also come in the form of hot water generators. These kits can easily be fitted with the right tools. If you don’t have the tools, a plumber can complete all the parts that you can’t fit. * Residential Solar Power Kits – Other Interesting Solar Power Systems There are many small kits such as garden lights. These DIY solar energy kits can easily be completed by you. * Residential Solar Energy Kits – What Kind Of Electric Do You Want To Generate? If you intend on generating electric from solar energy, there is one thing to consider. Do you want to produce small electric, such as powering a caravan or television in a remote place or do you want to power your home? * Residential Solar Power Kits – Electric – Small Systems Small DIY solar energy kits that generate electricity are easy to do it yourself. You will need solar power panels, an inverter and charge controller. * Residential Solar Power Kits – Electric – Big Systems If you intend to power your entire home with solar energy, I suggest enlisting the help of a qualified electrician. There are a lot of points you can do it yourself, such as DIY solar energy power panels, and then get the electrician to connect everything up. That way you do it yourself, save some money, and get a safe system.

We learned earlier this month that China was kicking rear and taking names when it came to investing in windpower, accounting for nearly half the $20.5 billion invested in projects in the latest quarter among 30 countries surveyed (though some of its practices have been called into question by the United States). An example of the sort of projects being pursued comes now from state-backed China Everbright, which announced it is beginning work on wind-power projects at three sites in Shanxi Province that could eventually have a generating capacity of 450 megawatts (MWs).

Everbright points out that wind power is on the list of “key alternative energy industries” pegged for support inChina’s 12th Five-Year Plan. Under that plan, the government aims to reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels from 90 percent now to 80 percent in 2020, with wind making up a big chunk of the new sourcing.

Everbright said it is optimistic about the sites in north central Shanxi Province, on the Loess Plateau,  where windresources are rich.” It said the three projects will be implemented in phases, with Phase 1 generating 150 MW.