There are a myriad of options out there when it comes to garden lighting, but one of the best developments is the use of solar garden lights. These are simply lights set up for the garden that get their energy naturally from the sun, and then using this reserve of energy, solar garden lights light up the garden. A lovely symmetry, don’t you think? And far superior than having a cable run into the garden to provide a source of (electrical) power!

How exactly do solar garden lights work their magic? Without getting into any technical details, it’s simple: they are equipped with small solar panels. When the sun is shining, these solar panels are able to capture a tiny, tiny fraction of the energy emitted. Then, this energy is re-purposed into powering the equipped lights. (FYI, the solar cells themselves are usually made up of either pure silicon, amorphous silicon, or crystalline silicon. For more information on the technical set up of a solar powered light, check out this post from How Stuff Works.)

This means that you only get lights from a solared powered garden light if there’s been enough sun during the day for the solar panels to capture. The specifics vary from model to model, depending on how many solar panels are used and how efficient they are, but it generally works so that if it’s sunny for much of the day, the solar garden lights will keep light until late at night, and even through the night. Some solar powered garden lights won’t last as long though, and may give you a return of about half – for instance, 8 hours of sunlight will give you 4 hours of solar powered garden light. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but this means that the garden will be lit up all the way up to most peoples bedtimes.

Like any garden or home accessory, solar garden lights come in a wide variety of designs. Many are self contained, meaning the solar panel and the light are all together in a compact unit. Others attach to a solar panel that can be placed a few feet away. These types of units are ideal for a set up in which the lights need to be placed in such a way that direct sunlight wouldn’t hit them, but with the attached panel running a few feet away, you’re still able to capture solar energy. Prices vary quite a bit, but expecting to pay around $100 for a solar garden lights set from a standard home improvement store is probably about right for most people getting started with solar garden lights.