Today more and more people discard the idea of using standard electric lights and are exploring the possibilities of using economical and eco friendly solar lighting solutions.

The Solar Path Lights. Image by Your Solar Link.

Path solar lights are an excellent choice for lighting paths, walkways, driveway perimeters or other regions around your home and in your landscape. They are often used in multiples to guide the way along a set of stairs or a dark walk.
Video below is showcasing the Stainless Steel Conical Path Lights. They are sold in sets of 2 at Your Solar Link’s website.

These solar path lights are 5 and a half inches in diameter and 14 inches high.
To get the most benefit from the sun, try to position your solar lights in a sunny place. The fixtures turn on and off automatically for your safety and convenience. This also allows you to “store” the electrical charge for a special event and ensure the longest possible run time.

A solar panel that collects sun energy during the day is located on the top of the light fixture. This highly efficient solar panel collects enough energy during the day to provide 8 to 10 hours of free light during the night. This Stainless Steel Solar Light set uses 2 ultra-bright LEDs for maximum light output and minimum battery usage. It comes with 1 rechargeable Ni-Cd AA battery. The lights are safe and water and corrosion resistant.
No wiring is required to install your Solar Light set, no need to call an electrician, just stick the ground stakes in and they are ready to go!

Have a look at them in a night setting (video). These solar path lights emit a soothing glow and softly light up flowers and shrubbery surrounding them. They release just enough light to guide you along a path or accentuate the beauty of your garden.
Solar path lights fall into the category of solar accent lighting and are designed to mark a place. You can use them exclusively or to compliment other types of outdoor lighting. Perhaps somewhere where you don’t need extremely bright (like a solar spot light), but want something subtle, producing just the right amount of light.

This Stainless Steel Solar Path Light set is an excellent savings not only because you can buy it at a lower price from www.yoursolarlink.com, but also because you get free, clean and renewable solar energy while using them.

A solar-charged light might seem like just another green gadget to the average American, but for families in rural Africa, it could prove revolutionary.

One or two Solar Pebbles can provide enough light for one home, as houses in rural Africa are generally small.
Image from timo-aim.com.

Product design consultancy Plus Minus Design is trying to replace unsustainable and potentially dangerous lanterns in the homes of off-grid Africans with the Solar Pebble. Engineered with the economic constraints of developing-world citizens in mind, the Solar Pebble will provide one hour of LED light for every two hours of charge, and will cost only $2.70 to manufacture.

A fully charged Solar Pebble can provide up to 22.5 hours of LED light.
Image by Plus Minus Design.

Plus Minus Design, based in Leeds, U.K., was founded by three undergraduate students at the University of Leeds. While studying product design and engineering, Adam Robinson, Henry James, and Tom Eales were given the opportunity to work with SolarAid, a charity in the U.K.

SolarAid, which works to fight poverty and climate change, worked with the students to develop a solar-powered alternative to kerosene lanterns. Those lanterns, commonly used in rural Africa, draw 20 percent of an average Malawian family’s income, SolarAid said, and pose respiratory health problems, as well as create fire hazards.

Image from i.pbase.com.

The undergrads spent months researching life in Malawi to design a product that addressed the needs of rural families, but also took environmental, economic, and lifestyle factors into consideration. Local maintenance, potential for the development of children’s education, and adaptability to charge other devices were the team’s key requirements.

Though mobile phones and portable radios are common in rural Africa, individuals must travel to locations with mains power for charging. With this issue in mind, the engineers designed the Solar Pebble to charge phones and portable devices in addition to providing light.

Plus Minus Design was also able to address the need for local maintenance with a simply designed product assembled through snap-in parts and repairable with basic tools.

The Solar Pebble provides light and a means of portable charging, but its implications are even greater. The lamp will ship partially assembled, providing jobs for locals who would finish assembly. Furthermore, Plus Minus Design hopes the lamp will increase radio usage, providing rural African families with HIV/AIDS prevention information.

According to Robinson, the Solar Pebble will launch in Uganda and the U.K. by midsummer.

Article by Sharon Vaknin.
Read more at Green Tech.