Posts tagged "solar lights"

Charge AA Batteries With Solar Garden Lights

Are You Prepared for the Next Blackout?

Are you aware that you can charge your “AA” rechargeable batteries with those spooky solar lights alongside your driveway? You sure can! What does it take? Almost no effort – they are already designed for charging batteries.

Solar garden or landscape lights provide little illumination; however, they do have two very important features:

1. They are cheap

2. They work quite well as simple solar charging units for AA size NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) or NiMH (Nickel Metal Halide) rechargeable batteries.

At this writing, Amazon.com sells Moonrays 91225 Solar Powered Plastic Path Lights in a package of 10 for about $30. I haven’t used this exact model but most are about the same.

These outdoor solar lights normally are powered by one or more replaceable “AA” sized NiCad batteries – which naturally means it will also charge them.

For $30 I get a charger for at least ten “AA” batteries. Not bad at all.

These solar path lights may seem like just a minor feature in your landscaping; but if your regular battery charger has disappeared or broken, they might save the day and more than justify their cost. Some of us have a more serious need for this capability; if you get power outages, your usual battery charger will be useless. Using that solar light to charge batteries may be your only option. You might view it as the smallest possible solar energy emergency backup system.

If you already have them functioning in your garden, that’s okay but keep in mind that they will keep on cycling every day and even the best rechargeable battery wears out in a year or two at this rate.

I prefer to keep a set in storage and not use them at all until needed. Of course the batteries still need to be tested and charged every so often and not left to sit for long periods uncharged.

You’ll also have to check to see which kind of batteries are recommended for your specific model of solar patio light. Most recommend NiCad but some will take either.

There is a difference between how NiCad and NiMH batteries are charged and it appears that I should be able to charge NiMH batteries in any of these solar light chargers because they charge so slowly. These are probably “trickler chargers” and are not likely to damage any battery.

Because of the extremely high capacity of NiMH batteries, it might take several days to fully charge them, depending upon light conditions. But I still have not tried it.

Another key point: Most of these lights (perhaps all of them) have a photo-sensitive switch to turn the light on and off at dusk and dawn. If you buy your solar garden lights just for producing light, it’s not a problem. But if you are going to use them exclusively as emergency chargers, you should avoid discharging the battery by disconnecting the bulb.

This is a simple way to make sure you can recharge small batteries.

To do the heavy lifting of recharging my back-breaking 90-lb lead-acid batteries, I built two 65 watt solar panels out of low-cost grade “B” solar cells, plywood and some acrylic sheeting. I used the design from the tutorial videos in GreenDIYEnergy.

It was easy to make and works very well. You may want to check out the Sizing your Solar Power System before you start building your own solar project.

How To Install Solar Panels At Home

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Home Solar Panels Installation

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Chemical Free Cleaning!

Cleaning agents usually contain very powerful chemicals meant to remove stains, kill germs or dissolve rust and mineral deposits, but all these substances are a threat for our health.Paint, oil, grease, germs, stains and blotches are the nightmare of cleaning and the enemies of good health, and people use very powerful agents to eliminate the problem. Given the immense environmental problems, some companies have taken up manufacturing eco-friendly cleaning products. Organic solvents and powerful cleaning agents can also be derived from vegetables and plant ingredients, and here we have the solution for eco-friendly cleaning.Save energy, click here for more info!

There is a widely spread lack of confidence in the capacity of eco-friendly cleaning products to remove resistant stains. Even in the absence of toxic solvents, there is no compromise in terms of efficiency, because high-quality eco-friendly cleaning solutions do a great job. We try to clean and remove the dirt that surrounds us by soiling air and water. Why switch to eco-friendly cleaning? First of all your home will be clean from toxic fumes and chemicals, you will sleep better and enjoy a great sense of well-being.

There will be less health hazards for children and babies who may come in contact with toxic cleaning residues. Nor will there be any more fumes from spray bottles. With eco friendly cleaning, you can say goodbye to home poisons. You can eliminate the hazardous substances by using household pickup days, and replacing them with safer versions. Eco-friendly cleaning provides a safer environment for your children. Moreover, the water pollution would drop by the use of non-toxic cleaning agents. The alternative to the ready made eco-friendly cleaning products is the use of homemade solutions. Find out more about renewable energy!

You can find eco-friendly cleaning tips on the Internet as many web sites promote green cleaning. Further try to change the cleaning accessories too, and replace them with some natural ones. The mops, rags and sponges should be all natural and reusable. A responsible human being living in the 21st century should mind the durability, health and environment impact of the products he/she purchases for home use. This kind of changes will also bring considerable savings.Renewable power is our future. Find out more!

Buy Earth Friendly Products!

Earth friendly products are goods and services that don’t have a negative impact on the environment either in the manufacturing process or the consumer. The eco-labels on such products tell consumers that the items are organic or natural. Unfortunately, many people lack green education and they have no familiarity with the concept of earth friendly products. Plus, the present international standards do not allow for a standardization and the implementation of an all green regulation. Sometimes the environmental specifications on the labels are not enough to increase consumer awareness and more needs to be done.Save energy, click here for more info!

Earth friendly products have started to receive a growing attention on the market. Winning over market segments takes time, patience and commitment, and we won’t witness earth friendly products dominance in the too near future. Momentarily, organic food is probably the most advertised because of the benefits it provides for health. This seems to be the right alternative to the conventional food saturated with chemicals, pesticides and additives. The average consumer does not even know how many options there are available in terms of earth friendly products from the bio-degradable bags to sustainable building materials. Find out more about renewable energy!

Green living, clothing, green building, pet care, toys, gifts, furniture, body and bath products and lots of others make the main categories of earth friendly products that you can shop for. Some items are now widely available on the shelves of the supermarkets, but others can only be purchased online. Just search for them, and you won’t feel disappointed. You can first find some information on the Internet, and then check the local supply store to see whether they have the items available. Renewable power is our future. Find out more!

To sum it up: there is no toxicity for body or environment in earth friendly products. They are made of raw materials, with organic dyes without any chemical addition at all. For the moment, we cannot speak of a predominance of earth friendly products, but there is no doubt that the diversity has significantly increased over the last ten years. The offer should increase proportionately with the demand. Plus, eco-friendly products receive full support from international organizations such as Greenpeace that contribute to the conservation, regeneration and protection of the planet’s environment.