Solar landscape lights look wonderful around the patio, in the garden, or as part of any outdoor landscape lighting design.

If you want your patio, garden or deck to look magical at night, and you’re conscious of energy conservation, solar landscape lights are a great outdoor landscape lighting solution.

Like most outdoor landscape lighting fixtures, solar landscape lights work on a low voltage system.

Low voltage lights are very energy efficient, and extremely safe to use in any outdoor space, including the garden and patio, and even in and around water features.

They’re also the perfect choice for lighting outdoor spaces because they radiate a subtle, ambient glow, rather than a strong glare. Solar landscape lights are even more energy efficient because they work on energy from the sun, which is abundant and free.

The energy collected during the day is stored in a battery, and is usually enough to turn on the lights for a few hours in evening, which is when you need them.

Components of a solar outdoor landscape lighting system.

Another great advantage of solar landscape lights is that they’re so easy to install. Because there are no cables to bury, they’re even easier to set up than mains powered lights, and the low voltage system means that they’re safe enough for anyone with a few basic carpentry and electrical skills to work with.

The solar lighting fixtures themselves come in many shapes, sizes, styles and designs. There are soft accent lights to highlight features of the garden or patio, lights designed specifically to be used in or around water features, and stronger spotlights and floodlights for illuminating outdoor entertainment areas and hazard areas like steps, stairs and level changes.

The fixtures can be treated as sculptural garden design features in themselves. There are many stunningly designed pieces available which are works of art in themselves. Alternatively, you may want the fixtures to be as unobtrusive as possible, either by being simple and elegant in their appearance, or perhaps even camouflaged as rocks or pavers.

You’ll also need a solar panel, which is usually integrated into the design of fixture itself, a battery, and a controller, which often includes a light sensor so the system switches itself on when it’s dark enough, or it may include a timer. Kits which include all of these items, plus a few extras like mounting brackets and perhaps some colored filters, are available from outdoor landscape lighting or home hardware suppliers.

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