We regularly take our solar lights to exhibitions, events and customer meetings, and one thing we’ve noticed is that people are often surprised by what solar lighting can do.

If you’ve never seen a solar ground light in action before, it’s understandable. How can something so small provide reliable light throughout the night? Will it still work in winter? And what happens when it rains for days on end?

We’re asked questions like these all the time, so we’ve rounded up five of the most common questions we hear about solar lighting.

How do solar powered lights work? (yes, this question comes up a lot)

This is probably the question we’re asked most often – particularly when we demonstrate our solar lights at exhibitions.

The basic principle is actually very simple.

During daylight hours, a solar panel converts light from the sun into electrical energy, which is stored in a rechargeable battery. When it gets dark, a light sensor tells the solar light to switch on, using the energy stored in the battery to power the LED.

When daylight returns, the light switches off and the battery starts charging again.

And the best bit? There’s no need to connect the light to the mains electricity supply.

Solareye80 ground lights are completely self-contained, meaning there’s no external wiring or power supply required. This makes them particularly useful for locations where connecting to the mains would be difficult, disruptive or expensive.

Of course, there’s a little more to it than that. The quality of the solar panel, battery, electronics and LED all play a part in how well a solar light performs. That’s why not all solar lights are created equal.

If you’d like to know more about what’s actually inside a solar light and how the different components work together, take a look at our blog, What’s Inside a Solar Light? >

Do outdoor solar lights work in winter?

Yes – but this is an important one.

Solar lights rely on daylight to charge, so naturally they receive less energy during the shorter, darker days of winter. However, that doesn’t mean they stop working when the clocks go back.

The key is having a solar light that has been designed with those conditions in mind.

Solareye products are designed to optimise charging in Northern European weather conditions, including the UK. They don’t need bright, direct sunshine to charge – daylight is enough – although more available light will naturally result in more energy being generated.

We also use high-capacity batteries to store energy. This means that energy generated during brighter periods can be stored and used when there is less daylight available.

For example, a fully charged Solareye80 ground light can provide more than 200 hours of continuous illumination. As the light only operates when it is dark, that gives the battery plenty of reserve capacity to help maintain performance through periods of cloudy weather and shorter winter days when they don’t charge as much.

Positioning is important too. Solar lights need access to as much daylight as possible, so surrounding trees, buildings or dense vegetation should be taken into consideration when deciding where to install them.

In other words, solar lighting can absolutely work in a British winter – but choosing a quality product and installing it in the right location matters.

For a deeper look at how solar lighting performs during the darker months, read Do Solar Lights Work When It’s Cloudy or in Winter? >

Are solar lights waterproof?

They can be – but, again, it depends on the product.

Outdoor lighting needs to cope with much more than a bit of rain. It can be exposed to heavy downpours, standing water, mud, dust and, depending on where it is installed, pressure washing or even temporary submersion.

That’s where IP ratings come in.

IP stands for Ingress Protection and the rating tells you how well a product is protected against solids such as dust and liquids. The higher the rating, the greater the level of protection.

Solareye80 ground lights and Solareye Bollard Light is IP68 rated, meaning they are designed to withstand dust ingress and prolonged immersion in water under specified conditions. They are also IK10 rated for impact resistance, making them suitable for demanding outdoor environments where they may be driven or walked over.

So yes, you need not panic every time the forecast says rain.

In fact, we’ve tested our products in real-world UK conditions for years – because if a solar light is going to be used in Britain, it needs to be able to cope with British weather.

Learn more about IP68 certification with our blog IP68 Certified – What Does IP68 Mean? >

Do solar lights need batteries?

Yes – but perhaps not in the way you might be thinking.

A solar light needs a battery to store the energy generated by the solar panel during the day. That stored energy is then used to power the light when it gets dark.

So, while solar lighting doesn’t need a connection to the mains electricity supply, it does need a rechargeable battery.

The important thing is the type and quality of battery being used.

Solareye products use long-life lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄ or LFP) batteries. These are designed to cope with repeated charging and discharging and have an anticipated lifespan of 8+ years.

But what happens after eight years? It’s not a case of the battery suddenly reaching its eighth birthday and giving up. Like all rechargeable batteries, its capacity gradually decreases over time. A new, fully charged Solareye80 ground light can provide up to 200 hours of illumination, so there is a substantial reserve of stored energy. Even if that capacity gradually reduced to 150 or 100 hours as the battery ages, that would still provide considerably more energy than is needed for a typical night – even in winter, when the lights may need to operate for around 16 hours.

For products such as our Solareye Bollard Light, their batteries also have a life expectancy of 8+ years, but they can be replaced when required, extending the useful life of the light. Solareye80 ground lights are different – the battery is integrated into the sealed unit and isn’t designed to be replaced.

So, when you’re considering solar lighting, it’s worth looking beyond simply asking “how long does the battery last?” Battery chemistry, capacity, how the battery is managed and whether it can be replaced all have a bearing on the long-term performance of the light.

Are solar path lights easy to install?

One of the biggest advantages of solar lighting is that you don’t need to install electrical cabling. There’s no trenching for power cables, no connection to the mains and no need to bring an electrical supply to remote areas of a site.

Exactly how easy installation is will depend on the type of solar light and where it is being installed.

For example, Solareye80 ground lights are designed to sit flush with the surrounding path surface. Installation therefore involves creating an 80 mm x 30 mm hole in the surface, positioning the light and securing it in place.

For more information on installation, check out our instructional video or downloadable guide.

If you’d rather not make a hole in the path surface, we also offer a surface mounted option called the Solareye90 ground light.

Solareye Bollard Light is available with either a flat-mounted post, which can be bolted down to a concrete pad, or a planted post, which can be set directly into concrete. This means you can choose the installation method that best suits the site and the ground conditions.

Once installed, there’s no electrical connection to make and no ongoing power supply to maintain. This can make solar lighting particularly useful for paths, cycleways, parks and other outdoor spaces where installing mains powered lighting would involve significant excavation, cabling or disruption. It also means that solar lighting can open up possibilities in locations where conventional lighting simply isn’t practical.

Solar lighting: is it right for your project?

If your only experience of solar lighting is decorative lights you can pick up from a high-street shop or garden centre, you could be forgiven for being sceptical about its ability to provide reliable outdoor lighting.

These products are designed for a very different purpose. Commercial solar lighting needs to be extremely robust and if it is to be used in the UK, designed to store enough energy from the relatively low levels of sunshine we experience, to provide reliable illumination after dark – including through the shorter days of winter.

That means the quality of the solar panel, battery, LED and electronics all matter. So does the way those components work together as a complete system.

At Solareye, our solar lighting is designed specifically for Northern European conditions, with products for applications including pedestrian walkways, cycle paths, parks, public spaces and other locations where a mains connection isn’t practical or desirable.

And that’s perhaps the biggest advantage of solar lighting. It isn’t simply an alternative way of powering a light – in the right location, it can make lighting possible without the need for mains electricity, extensive cabling or the disruption that comes with installing it.

If you’re considering solar lighting for your project, we’d be happy to help you find the right solution for your site.