Solar Powered Flood Light: The Ultimate Buying Guide

Solar-powered floodlight is a type of light that has a solar panel made up of photovoltaic cells. These cells draw in sunlight and then use the energy generated to convert it to power or electricity that enables lighting your floodlights.

This ultimate buying guide will give you an overview of solar-powered floodlights ranging from their features, benefits, applications, and several other elements.

Keep reading:

Features To Look For In Solar Powered Flood Lights

Solar Powered Flood Lights

A Solar Powered Flood Light

Some of the features you should look for in solar powered flood lights include:

  • Watt rating
  • Efficient solar panel
  • 7 volt, 2200 MAH large lithium-ion battery
  • Large cable for connection
  • Motion sensor
  • Remote control for adjustments of brightness and timer.
  • Wide-angle
  • Dusk to dawn sensor

Main Components Of Solar Powered Flood Light

The main components of solar powered flood light include:

         i.            Panel

Every solar-powered floodlight comes with a full assembly of mounting hardware and angling brackets to make sure that the solar panel is properly angled and sturdy.

This enables the solar-powered floodlight to capture as much solar energy as it can.

There needs to be a balance between the strength of the material and the weight because the panel will be sitting in a delicate position for a long time.

It will also be facing the wind and several weather fluctuations.

       ii.            Fixture

This is what houses the light in the solar-powered floodlight.

The solar-powered floodlight tends to come in a wide range of LED fixtures which are embedded to form a full array.

Light fixtures of high quality tend to be wired in a parallel configuration rather than in series.

An Image Showing Major Components Of A Solar Powered Flood Light

An Image showing the Major Components Of Solar Powered Flood Light

     iii.            Energy Management System

It controls the power between the fixture of light, battery, and the panel.

In simple terms, it is the brain of the entire solar-powered floodlight system as it can control the output of light and maintain the health of the battery.

     iv.            Pole

The poles for solar-powered floodlights tend to vary in terms of their material and height.

The common lifespan of an ole for solar-powered floodlight is about 50 years.

       v.            Battery

Batteries for solar-powered floodlights come with the right wiring system, mounting materials, and battery box.

     vi.            Miscellaneous Parts

This component of solar-powered floodlight tends to vary depending on different manufacturers. Most often, you are likely to get fixture arms, wire harnesses, extra materials, and mounting brackets.

   vii.            Nuts And Bolts

201 stainless steel is the most widely used nuts and bolts in solar-powered floodlights. It is light in weight very strong and resistant to corrosion.

 viii.            Electrical Cables

The highly recommended electrical cables for solar-powered floodlights are those with 4-millimeter cross-sections.

     ix.            Connectors

Connectors for solar-powered floodlights tend to be waterproof and make the installation process very easy. Connectors that are labeled enhance the installation and connectivity of controllers and drivers.

       x.            Photosensor And Motion Sensing Detector

The photosensor is used in determining whether it is dark or light on the outside.

The motion-sensing detector light can detect movement or motion within a given distance from its radius.

These components both function together to make sure that light in the solar-powered floodlight is turned on at night or whenever motion is detected by the system.

A 3 Head Solar Powered Flood Lights With Motion Sensor

A 3- Head Solar Powered Flood Light With A Motion Sensor

How Solar Powered Flood Lights Work

Solar-powered floodlights work by flooding the given area with light.

This is because they produce a very wide beam of lighting for a surface area of about 120 degrees.

They are best suited for illuminating outdoor spaces which are large by maintaining a big lumen output.

Solar-powered floodlights tend to use the sun’s rays and batteries to function.

The solar panel captures the high-grade light from the solar light in the solar cells and then builds the electricity which the solar-powered floodlight works off of.

The battery then stores the electricity that is created by the solar panel which is used for illumination during the night.

Why You Should Invest In Solar Powered Flood Light

You should invest in solar-powered floodlight because of the following reasons:

  • Solar-powered floodlight is easy and quick to set up.
  • It is resistant to rust, water, and also weatherproof.
  • Needs minimal costs of installation and very little maintenance.
  • Offers better visibility to eliminate darkness during the night without using your electricity.
  • Has a longer lifespan as it mainly uses lithium-ion batteries.
  • It is possible to install it on poles and walls without using any mess wiring.

Limitations Of Solar Powered Flood Lights

Solar-powered floodlights have very few limitations and these include:

  • The comprehensive efficiency of solar-powered floodlights tends to be determined directly by the intensity of sunlight.
    Therefore, it is not possible to meet these conditions in cases where there is insufficient sunlight condition.
  • The solar panel for solar-powered flood light needs to be directly radiated by the sun and should not be covered by any shadow thus limited accurate installation.
  • Regardless of its operation, construction, and maintenance cost condition, the initial investment of solar-powered floodlights tends to be a little high.

Types Of Solar Powered Flood Lights In The Market

Solar-powered floodlights are available in a wide range depending on their purpose.

Some of the types of solar powered flood lights in the market include:

  • Regular floodlights: it is generally a standard type of solar powered floodlight without any additional parts and features.
    It has a very simple design and is easy to use.
  • Security floodlight: it tends to be used for purposes of security and is well equipped with additional features such as a timer and a motion sensor.
    They normally offer protection to your property from people that are unwanted and scare wild animals away from your space.
    In addition, a security floodlight can be utilized as a light at the front door.
    They will make it possible for you to walk safely to the front door and climb the stairs safely.

A Security Floodlight With A Motion Sensor And Timer

Security Floodlight With A Motion Sensor And Timer

  • Landscape flood lights: they come with a ground mount that is very strong which makes it possible to install them on the ground with ease.
    Majorly, they are used for purposes of decoration rather than any other thing and they are available in several colors.
  • All-in-one-fixture lights: this type comprises of solar panel, motion light sensor, battery which are united to form a lamp.
    They are suited for individuals that do not have so much space as they are installed on the wall.
  • Work lights: they tend to be more durable and are available with a stand that can be adjusted and is very bright.
    Their brightness ranges between 1,000 and 2,000 lumens.

Portable Work Light With A Stand

A Portable Work Light With A Stand

  • Flagpole lights: they come with a mount that is suited for installation on a post and may be used at night or for decorative functions.
    Some of the designs may be installed on the top of the pole while others onto its body.

Flag Pole Solar Flood Light

Flag Pole Solar Flood Light

How Lumen And Wattage Compare in Solar Powered Flood Lights

The brightness of a light is described in terms of a lumen in a solar flood light.

On the other hand, the usage of light in solar-powered floodlights is described in wattage.

Solar-powered floodlights which are more efficient tend to produce tend to emit the same amount of brightness as efficient lights such as incandescent of 60-watt.

It is therefore important to mainly focus on the lumen, that is, the actual brightness of the solar-powered flood lights rather than wattage.

Some manufacturers tend to offer information on the square footage each area can be illuminated by a solar-powered floodlight.

Therefore, you must measure your area before you buy the solar-powered flood light with a perfect lumen count.

How To Check Quality Of Solar Powered Flood Lights

Some of the ways which you should use to check the quality of powered flood lights include:

  • The quality of solar-powered flood lights can be ascertained by comparing the thickness and thinness of their structural components.
    You should check the thinness and thickness of its outer case and that of the inner structure consisting of aluminum pate and aluminum substrate.
  • For the quality of its battery, check if it’s a special solar powered design or not.
    At times some manufacturers may use starting power supply as the battery for storage.
    This is not however recommended as it may decrease the lifespan of the solar powered flood light.

Best Material For Making Solar Powered Flood Lights

Some of the best materials which are used in making solar powered flood lights include:

  • Silicon: it is used to make most of the photovoltaic elements of the solar powered flood light.
    Melted silicon is rotated slowly to extract a very pure silicon substance which is then hardened to form ingots.
    Thins slices are then cut from this ingot and then pressed to make it possible to install solar cells on them.
  • Aluminum: it is used mainly in the production of the hardware of solar powered flood lights to ensure that it is protected from damage.
  • Stainless steel: it is also used in the production of the hardware of solar powered flood lights.
    It is light in weight, weatherproof, and resistant to rust thus ensures the durability of the solar powered flood light.

Benefits Of Solar Powered Flood Lights With Motion Sensor

Some of the benefits of solar powered flood lights include:

  • They can detect motion in a given range moving around the solar powered flood lights.
  • Able to turn on the light whenever any motion is detected.
  • They can send microwaves in a way that they can detect the motion in the areas being monitored.
  • Motion sensors in solar powered flood lights are easily adjustable and will not pick motions of certain objects like tree branches or windblown objects which are common outdoors.

Possible Causes of Failure in Solar Powered Flood Light

Some of the possible causes of failure in solar powered food lights include:

  • Damage to the lighting source: at times, the solar powered flood light may stop functioning if the source of light is destroyed by either humans or nature.
    This may cause the solar powered flood light to either flicker or stop functioning.
    You can solve this by changing a new lighting source or checking it.
  • Damage to the solar panel: when the voltage of the solar panel is less than DC12V, it cannot charge the battery.
    Thus it will stop functioning or be short of time. This can be solved by changing a new solar panel which can function well.
  • Reversal of the terminal ole of the solar panel: the solar powered flood light may stop functioning once the battery has run out of power after installation.
    In this case, you should eliminate this failure by making sure it is connected well to the positive (+) and negative (-) for both the battery and solar panel.
  • Glass sheet: it is mainly used for casing and tends to be about 6-7 millimeters thick although it is very thin.
    It also serves the purpose of protecting the silicon solar cells inside the system.
  • Plexiglas: it makes it possible for the sunlight to penetrate through the solar cells of the solar panel.

Factors Affecting the Lifespan Of Solar Powered Flood Lights

Several factors may affect the lifespan of solar powered flood lights and some of these include:

  • Installation: it is important to be careful when connecting the solar system and organizing them into arrays to ensure that they have a longer lifespan.
    Installation of solar powered flood lights requires you to take into account their safety and that of the entire connected system to ensure durability.
  • Soiling: when dirty particles begin to accumulate, on the surface of the solar pane of the solar powered flood light, it may affect its lifespan.
    This is by reducing the amount of sunlight got by the PV cells.
  • Weather: some changes in weather conditions tend to be catastrophic.
    For example, windstorms may have the potential to damage the solar panel of solar powered flood lights.
    Therefore, it is essential to install solar powered flood light at a given distance away from trees to ensure it lasts for long.
  • Temperature: it is important to assess the average temperature of your region when purchasing solar powered flood light to ensure that it is sufficient.
    When the solar powered flood light is kept under favorable operation conditions, it will remain under good working conditions for a long.
  • Maintenance: solar powered flood lights require regular maintenance to increase their lifespan and improve their efficiency.

How To Choose Best Solar For Flood Lights

Some of the factors to consider to ensure that you choose the best solar for floodlights include:

  • Weather and climate: solar powered flood lights require sunlight and thus you should put this into consideration.
    Select solar panels that can better charge batteries to ensure that they operate at optimum levels.
  • Cost: it is important to select solar that is not only efficient for your solar powered flood light but also within your budget limit.
    It is good to look beyond the price as cheap will not always mean efficiency.
  • Rate of charge: you should consider the charging rate when determining the best solar for your solar powered flood light.
    This is because the rate of charge which is given to a battery is the amount of power that it can emit.
  • Lighting quality: a good solar panel should ensure that the solar powered flood light is very bright.
    This is because the more lumen rating it has, the brighter it will be.

Quality Marking And Certifications Solar Flood Lights Must Have

Some of the quality marking and certifications which solar flood lights must have include:

  • ISO9001: 2008
  • GB/T19001-2008
  • EN55015:2006
  • EN61547: 2009
  • EMC 2004/108/EC
  • 2002/95/EC
  • 2006/66/EC
  • IEC 62321: 2008
  • EN 60529: 2000
  • EN61000-6-3: 2007
  • EN61000-6-1: 2007
  • ISO9001- 2015

Where To Install Solar Powered Flood Lights

You can install solar powered flood lights in the following areas:

  • Parking lots
  • Streets
  • Outside the house
  • At a shed or remote garage for security
  • Above door stairwells for illumination use
  • To illuminate signs as a solar sign lighting
  • On a porch as a night light
  • As an indoor motion light for staircases
  • For the illumination of art objects in the garden

A parking Lot Illuminated By A Floodlight

A Parking Lot Illuminated By A Floodlight

Factors Determining Cost Of Solar Powered Flood Light

Some of the factors determining the cost of solar powered flood light include:

  • Light brightness: the brightness of the light of solar powered flood light is important to check and it is determined in terms of lumens.
    The cost of solar powered flood light will therefore vary depending on its lumen rating which may range between 300-800 lumens.
  • Choice of solar panel: the type and model of the solar panel that is selected will determine the overall cost of the solar powered flood light.
  • Mounting hardware: the kind of hardware which is used in the installation of solar powered flood lights tends to determine the overall cost.

Recommended Installation For Solar Powered Flood Light

Solar powered flood light needs to be installed in a location where they can absorb enough solar power that can be converted into electric power.

Therefore, solar powered flood lights should not be installed under areas with shadows.

This is because it can resist environmental constitutions that are harsh and absorb the sunlight throughout the day.

When the right solar-powered flood lights are selected, their installation tends to become easier.

You can either do it yourself or it can be done by a solar panel installation expert.

How To Maintain Solar Powered Flood Light

You do not require to use so much time in maintaining solar powered flood lights.

Instead, all you will need to do is to occasionally wipe off the solar panel to ensure that there is efficient charging.

When the surface of the panel for solar powered flood light is covered by dust, it may affect its absorption of sunlight.

Factors Determining Brightness of Solar Powered Flood Light

Some of the main factors which determine the brightness of solar powered flood light include:

  • Location of the solar powered flood light
  • The layout of the solar powered flood light
  • The roof orientation and the shading
  • The design of the system of the solar powered flood light
  • The quality of the equipment
  • Maintenance and operations of the solar powered flood light

Batteries To Use in Solar Powered Flood Light

There are several batteries to use in solar powered flood light and some of these include:

  • Nickel-Cadmium batteries (Ni-Cd): they are the type of batteries that are rechargeable which contains two chemical substances, that is, nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd).
    They use nickel oxide hydroxide as the positive electrode and Cadmium hydroxide as the electrode that is negative.
  • Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries (Ni-MH): they use an alloy that is hydrogen-absorbing which makes them environmentally friendly and have a higher capacity.
  • Lithium iron phosphate batteries (LiFePOH): it uses LiFePO4 as cathode material and they are safe, stable, reliable, and very durable.
  • Lead-acid batteries: they can provide low self-discharge, very high power, and function well in low and high temperatures.

How To Fix Blinking Solar Powered Flood Lights

Some of the ways to fix solar powered flood lights include:

  • Ensure that the solar powered floodlights are on.
  • Determine the pull tab by the battery compartment.
  • Conduct s test run by covering the solar panel of the solar powered flood light
  • Clean the solar panel of the solar powered flood light thoroughly.
  • Reposition the solar panel of the solar powered flood light.
  • Turn off the solar powered flood light and leave it to charge for about 72 hours.
  • In case all these processes do not help, then you should check the battery of the solar powered flood light.

Ways Of Switch Solar Powered Flood Light ON/OFF

When you have solar powered flood light that has an on and off switch, the switch requires to be on when it is being used.

When the solar powered flood light is not being used or you need to preserve the life of the battery, you should ensure that the switch is off.

In case you are not sure of when solar powered flood lights need to be on or off, manufacturers will always be ready to walk you through the basics.

They will inform you when you should have solar powered flood lights switched on or off.

Why Most Solar Powered Flood Lights Use LED

Some of the reasons why solar powered flood lights use LED include:

  • Eco-friendliness: LED in solar powered flood lights ensures that they use less energy to provide a glow which ensures a low carbon footprint.
    Solar-powered flood lights which use LED provide the same amount of energy as their counterparties just at a fraction of performance.
    They also tend to last longer because they produce minimum waste.
  • Brightness: solar powered flood lights tend to be brighter as compared to a traditional bulb.
  • Motion sensing ability: LED in solar powered flood light make it possible to combine all other security benefits to make sure that there is a motion-activated ability.

A Yard Using LED Solar Powered Floodlight

A Yard Using LED Solar Powered Floodlight

Importance Of IP Rating in Solar Powered Flood Light

IP ratings are vital in solar powered floodlights.

They guide on the best practices and standards when it comes to solar powered floodlights.

Some of the IP ratings that you might find on solar powered flood lights include IP ratings like IP44 or IP45.

Some of the importance of IP rating includes:

  • It means that the solar powered floodlight is protected from solid objects such as dust, liquids, and sand.
  • The numbers on the IP rating in solar powered flood lights show the hazards that the product is protected from solid objects and also against liquids.
  • The higher the number of the IP rating the higher the protection level of the solar powered floodlight.
  • Products with low IP ratings are suitable for indoor use and need to keep away from water. While the products with a high IP rating can be used for outdoor places.

Can Solar Powered Flood Light Work In Winter

Yes, solar powered floodlights can work in all weather.

Either in extreme heat, rain, or winter. Solar powered flood light work by harnessing UV rays.

UV rays can be harnessed whether there is sunshine or not.

This means to save solar energy; you do not necessarily need to seed the sun to shine to harness solar energy for solar-powered floodlights.

What you need is for the UV rays to hit your solar panels at a constant projection daily to ensure that the solar powered flood light batteries do not go flat.

It is important to note that the angle at which you have installed the solar panels will determine the energy storage of solar powered floodlights.

That’s why manufacturers recommend installing solar panels in a tilted manner.

So that they would get off any particles and snow for optimized energy conversion.

Following the above procedure will ensure that your solar powered floodlight works perfectly during winter.

Recommended Wattage For Solar Powered Flood Light

Out-door floodlight need not be too intense or too dim.

This means that the wattage used for solar powered floodlights is controlled.

The essence of solar-powered energy is to save energy, this means that the wattage used is usually low.

Besides, the average lumen rating of solar powered flood lights is 300 to 800 lumens that cover a distance of 100 square feet.

Solar power is stored in batteries that range from as low as 100 mAh to as high as 50,000 mAh.

The wattage depends on the size of the batteries that support the solar powered floodlight.

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For any questions or inquiry, contact GoldMore sales team.

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