Solar string lights are simple decorative tools, but ones that allow and possess great flexibility in use and application. Depending on the string lights you get they can be Christmas themed or simple white lights. The white lights have more general purpose for other times of the year, and could be used in decorations even for Halloween or just as a way to cast an interesting light to the house or yard for a party. The nice thing is that it’s an environmentally beneficial product that has practical use and effect. For the purpose of this article the focus will be on Christmas lighting though, some people have a lot of fun decorating for the season but in doing so drive their own electrical bill up. While doing so they are also putting a greater demand on resources that produce waste and pollution.
Quite often when something is made solar power it must rely on a lesser amount of electricity. However because of some improvements to solar panels, batteries, and lighting, solar string lights can provide a satisfying light for outdoor decoration. Ten years ago solar string lights, or other sorts of solar powered lights, would be impossible. Especially for Christmas lighting, during the winter, and around the solstice specifically, there isn’t a lot of light.
Now solar string lights might not be a solution for the more northerly residents of the United States, it’s obviously out of the question in Alaska where there can be entire days without sunlight. However, because of the improved technology, solar string lights are a possible Christmas lighting solution to a vast portion of the United States.
Where’s the environmental benefit? One thing we tend to not realize is the amount of electricity some people use to decorate their house for Christmas, it’s not the cause of the environmental movement in and of itself, but it is a small thing you can do to improve. So if you want to reduce the impact of that on your budget or on the environment solar string lights let you have the lighting you want. If you tried to do the same with batteries you’d either have to constantly recharge them (using electricity) or be replacing them frequently. Batteries have a lot of environmentally unfriendly nastiness to them and filling the landfills with them is not a good thing, nor do you want to fuel the production of more and more batteries. While solar powered lights do use batteries since they have long shelf lives they won’t have nearly the same impact the replicable ones would. So while they won’t save the world, nor will they save your budget by themselves, inventions like solar string lights give you an environmentally, and budget conscious solution to exterior Christmas lighting.
