All solar lights have rechargeable batteries. These are the ones that store energy from solar panels photovoltaic cells during the day and are the power source for night operation. The short answer is yes, solar garden lights work by using the energy of the sun to recharge the rechargeable batteries inside the sunlight unit. But most of the time batteries come with the units and you don’t need to buy your own.
Why do solar lights require batteries?
The reason why solar streetlights require batteries is that they store solar energy from the sun. As we mentioned, you don’t need to replace or recharge these batteries for your light to work properly and continue to provide you with light when it gets dark. All solar garden lights are powered by low-capacity rechargeable batteries. Mostly, they are made of LED lights that consume less battery power.
Without solar batteries, solar lights would not be able to store the energy absorbed by the sun, meaning that they would only work when there is sunlight, during the day. Once the electricity produced by the solar panel starts to flow, the batteries are charged and the electrical energy is stored. You should get the right kind of sunlight for your needs, and it’s also good to know how long each one will last before you make a purchase. First of all, the solar panel of each light is likely to need cleaning, as a layer of dirt can accumulate and prevent sunlight from entering.
Rechargeable battery types for solar lights
Solar lights require special type of battery, such as rechargeable batteries, to work properly. Almost all solar garden lights use a NiCad (nickel cadmium) rechargeable battery or a NiMH (nickel metal hydride) rechargeable battery. Solar garden lights need a place to store the energy they absorb from the sun, so they require rechargeable batteries. Regular batteries cannot store energy in the same way as NiMH and NiCd batteries, damaging solar lights.
How to check your solar battery?
Choose batteries depending on the power and type of solar lights you use to light your garden. NiMH batteries in solar lamps may cost a little more, but they are more environmentally friendly than NiCd batteries. An easy way to check if rechargeable batteries are dead is to simply remove the battery cover and briefly replace them with regular batteries, long enough to check if the light works. But it is not advised to use regular batteries as it can potentially damage your solar lighting system.
What is the average lifespan of solar battery?
The average lifespan of a typical lithium-ion battery for a solar garden lamp is about 2 years, although it may be longer in many cases. Calculating the total voltage required for each sunlight and the energy depletion rate of the batteries would give you the exact battery life. Apart from this, you should not put non-rechargeable batteries in a rechargeable solar garden lamp. If you’ve had them for a few months and it’s not winter (when there isn’t much sunlight), it might be time to change the rechargeable batteries.
When should i change my solar light battery?
There are other problems that affect solar power and lighting that solar lights produce, so batteries are not always to blame. Nickel-cadmium batteries, also known as NiCad or Ni-Cd batteries, are special batteries that will provide your solar lights with decent light performance. They use solar energy to generate electricity, but it needs to be stored somewhere so that the lights can work when they need it most, and it’s at night. It’s a good idea to change the batteries in your solar lamps regularly; maybe every one or two years.
