Decorative street lighting has already become an integral element of not only the New Year holidays. However, such decorations require significant energy costs. With the advent of LED light sources and solar panels, this problem has been resolved. In this article, we will talk about the main types, advantages and disadvantages of LED solar lights, and photos of decorative illumination of personal plots may inspire you to decorate your own home or garden.
Scope of application
Solar-powered LED garlands are widely used for decoration of building facades, roofs, windows. In the park areas they are decorated with trees and bushes, in the garden plots - gazebos, open terraces, verandas. Often, on the eve of the holidays, you can find LED sculptures on the streets of metal mesh, plastic or acrylic. Illumination in the form of extensions over the road creates a festive mood. The railing of stairs and balconies look great with lights.
Garlands on the solar battery are used to illuminate advertising boxes and display cases. Flashing lights attract the attention of passers-by, which is used for marketing purposes.
Device and principle of operation
Solar-powered LED garlands consist of a polycrystalline photocell, an automatic on / off relay, a drive, LEDs connected in series or in parallel, and a controller. Some models are also equipped with a motion sensor, decorative shades or a protective housing.
A polycrystalline battery converts the energy of sunlight into electrical energy. Its main advantage is the ability to work effectively even in cloudy weather. However, it is worth mentioning that on a short cloudy winter day, the device’s charge may not be enough to fully illuminate at night, and the radiation may be dim. The battery is mounted on the roof or facade of the building in the place of the best sunlight. Some models have a special foot for fixing the device on the ground.
The converted energy is stored in the battery. When fully charged, the device will power the illumination for 8-10 hours.
The relay is designed to automatically control the operation of the garland. The device detects a decrease in the ambient light and turns on the illumination. At dawn, it automatically shuts off.
In the design of the garland, LED bulbs are used. They are small in size and consume a minimum of energy, while emitting bright, even light. One of the advantages of LEDs is the ability to adjust the brightness and color of the illumination. The design, as a rule, involves the parallel connection of several chains of series-connected bulbs. If one of them burns out, only one circuit is disconnected, and the rest continue to work properly.
The controller is designed to regulate the sequence of ignition of lights. It allows you to create a smooth, chaotic flicker, the effect of a waterfall and others.
Advantages and disadvantages
Reviews of LED solar lights made it possible to highlight a number of advantages and disadvantages of this decor.
One of the main advantages of devices is their autonomy. The garland does not need to be connected to the network, wiring. This allows you to hang the illumination anywhere. The device is fully powered by free solar radiation, which significantly reduces energy costs. LEDs do not heat up, which allows you not to be afraid of a fire when installing illuminations on trees, wooden or fabric arbors. The combination of LED lamps and a moisture-proof braid makes the garlands very durable. The manufacturer claims that the devices can last up to 10 years. Another advantage of LED solar-powered lights is the automatic on and off illumination.
Among the shortcomings note the impossibility of repairing a burnt circuit due to difficulties with restoring the tightness of the device. Also a minus is the dependence on the duration and brightness of sunlight in the daytime.
Kinds
Manufacturers offer seven main types of LED solar lights with which you can decorate the exterior of the infield, city streets and buildings.
- Linear This is a classic model of three or more parallel connected LED chains. This garland is often supplemented with decorative shades of rattan or plastic: frosted balls, stars, snowflakes, flowers, insects.
- Fringe. It is a chain of lights of different lengths hanging from the base. It is used for the decoration of building facades, windows, shop windows, stair railings, road extensions.
- A curtain. It looks like a fringe, but the chains are of equal length from 2 to 9 meters. Such garlands look great in store windows, gazebos, on terraces.
- Grid. As it is not difficult to guess, the chains of this garland are connected in a mesh cloth. Used for the decoration of facades, windows, columns.
- Duralight. This is a linear garland in a flexible PVC tube. Such a housing additionally protects the LEDs from weathering. It is widely used to illuminate windows, shop windows, architectural features of facades, advertising boxes.
- "Melting icicles." Such a garland is similar to a fringe, but separate chains of lights are enclosed in PVC tubes. “Icicles” look original on trees, cornices, as a banner over the road.
- Sculptures. They are a frame made of metal mesh, acrylic or plastic, inside of which there are LEDs.
Conclusion
LED illumination on solar panels is widely used for decoration of personal plots and city streets. A variety of species allows it to be used to highlight trees, arbors, facades, sculptural groups, advertising boxes. A large list of advantages and a minimum number of disadvantages allowed autonomous LED garlands to become the main way to decorate city streets.