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Solar Batten Lights – A Buyer Guide
Oct
Solar-powered Batten Light: An Introduction and a Buyer Guide
Solar-powered batten lights are a type of LED light that features a built-in, or an attached solar panel, and battery pack. Batten lights are usually hung from the ceiling or attached to walls to provide ambient lighting for places like stores, restaurants, homes, and gardens.
They provide lighting for extended periods in an environmentally friendly way. It’s no wonder why these types of solar-powered lamps are becoming more popular!
In this blog, we will be going over some essential information about solar batten lights and how they work while also giving you our top advice to pick the best solar-powered batten lights that work perfectly for you.
What Is A Solar Batten Light?
A batten light is a type of lighting fixture that is usually long and thin with cool white lighting. Batten lights are typically mounted on the ceiling, hung from the ceiling, or fixed on the side walls. If more than one is installed, they will be in rows to create even lighting and visual harmony. They provide plenty of light to illuminate large areas.
Solar-powered batten lights use solar panels to collect energy from the sun and store it until needed at night or when there’s no natural light available. Although some models in the market don’t have a battery pack, batteries are required to store solar energy. It allows you to take advantage of your evening time by extending the lifespan to the evening hours after dark.
The purpose of a batten light is to provide illumination and security, which makes it perfect for outdoor patios, walkways, garages, garden sheds, workshops and other areas where you need basic or extra lighting.
Moreover, they are particularly perfect for emergency lighting (for example, when there is an outage), off-grid applications (where no grid exists) or remote locations where it is hard or impractical to connect directly to main electrical lines (such as mining sites).
How Solar Batten Lights Promote Green Lighting?
Solar batten lights are an excellent alternative to traditional lighting; they are environmentally friendly and cost-effective.
Solar power is a renewable source of energy that helps reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The production of electric energy from solar panels releases no toxic chemicals into the air and does not produce any waste products or pollutants. It means using this type of light will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in your surroundings, benefiting both you and nature at large.
With the growing demand for energy-efficient solutions, solar power is becoming increasingly popular among homeowners and businesses looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
Pros and cons of solar power batten lights:
Advantages:
- Solar power is very cost-effective, which means that it will reduce your monthly energy bills. You will no longer have to pay for electricity from the grid as these lights are powered by sunlight alone.
- As the lights don’t use the electricity from the mains, they don’t get hot and there is no risk of electrocution. They are safe not only for kids and pets, but also for natural habitats.
- Unlike conventional electrical systems, you do not need to install wiring or hire an electrician to set up the system. You can simply place the solar panel on your roof or any other place with an unabstracted exposure to the sunlight and attach it directly to the light fixture.
- If your garden shed, workshop or garage has a distance from the main building there won’t be any extra costs for running wires to them.
Disadvantages:
- Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is not suitable for every scenario – for example, if you want a continuous power supply throughout the night, every night.
- Solar batten lights require direct exposure to sunlight for 6 to 8 hours per day to work properly. You should ensure they are not under the shadow of the trees or surrounding buildings. We recommend using them mainly in areas where there is plenty of natural sunlight available most days throughout the year.
- Solar-powered lights are not as bright as conventional electric ones. If you want to light up a large area or need lighting for doing precise work, you need to consider getting solar lights with higher brightness or adding to the number of lights you intend to apply.
- Also, these lights are not as durable as conventional electric lights. The battery pack used in solar lights has a limited life span and needs replacement within a few years.
What to look for when buying a solar batten light?
Main elements of all-in-one solar batten light packs
A basic solar batten lighting pack usually includes a solar panel, a battery pack, an LED batten light, and connecting cables. Normally, there is a solar sensor embedded in the solar panel. The sensor detects when it is dark and automatically turns on your lights. It switched off the light at dusk to allow the battery to recharge over the daytime.
Other elements included in that more expensive pack are installation brackets for the solar panel and the light fixture, remote control, and in very few models, wall switches.
Solar-powered batten lights also come with different features that can range from turning off automatically after several hours to being waterproof, having a motion sensor, and having multiple levels of brightness.
There are several things to look for when buying a solar-powered batten light:
1- Look for a batten light that is durable and long-lasting:
You want to ensure that the product is durable, long-lasting, and will provide you with years of illumination. One way to check this is by looking at the IP Ingress Rating. The higher the IP rating, the more durable product and the more suitable it is for outdoor settings.
An IP65 rating indicates a reasonable strength against outdoor weather conditions such as dust, humidity, and rain. IP67 is even better, and IP68 represents the highest level of weather-resistant and waterproofing of a light. A light with IP68 can be immersed in the water for an extended time.
Admittedly, Solar batten lights with IP68 are rare in the current market. We don’t recommend you invest in a batten light with an IP lower than IP65 for outdoor use.
2- Look for a batten light that has a wide angle of illumination:
The angle of illumination should be at least 60 degrees so that one light fixture can cover a wide enough area. For the solar batten light lighting angle of 120 degrees is desirable.
3- Look for a reliable batten light:
The reliability of a solar light depends mainly on the quality and capacity of its battery. Batteries with higher capacity will support longer hours of lighting per night. The quality of the battery and the technology used in the circuits will ensure a longer life span for the battery and the lighting package in general.
The size of the solar panel is also a factor determining the quality of the solar lighting pack. A small and inefficient solar panel won’t absorb enough energy during the day to fully charge the battery.
As a rule of thumb for a reliable solar batten light look for at least an 8000mAH battery with a min of 5W solar panel supporting the battery. Anything less than this won’t be strong enough to support a large area of lighting for more than a couple of hours.
Solar-powered batten lights are a great alternative to traditional electric battens and provide many benefits for your home. They’re easy to install, have no running costs and can be used in your outdoor settings and undercover areas such as garages, garden sheds, verandas, etc. with no need for electrical wiring or power supply.
Great article on solar batten lights! It’s always helpful to have a guide when considering a new product, and this article provides a comprehensive overview of the features and benefits of solar batten lights.
I appreciated the breakdown of the various factors that should be taken into account when selecting solar batten lights, such as brightness, battery capacity, and installation method. The comparison of different brands and models was also helpful in providing a sense of the range of options available.
The section on the benefits of using solar batten lights was also informative. It’s important to consider the potential cost savings and environmental benefits of using solar-powered lighting, especially for outdoor areas that may require lighting throughout the night.
Overall, this article provides a helpful guide for anyone considering solar batten lights for their outdoor lighting needs. Thank you for sharing your expertise and insights on this topic!