Christmas is one of the best seasons of the year. And decorating your Christmas trees, houses and gardens is part of the fun. However, it is not so fun when you receive the gigantic power bill in the following month.
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
If you think those tiny light bulbs wouldn’t cost you, think again. According to a report from the Center for Global Development, the U.S. spends approximately 6.6 billion kWh on Christmas lights alone.
To put it into perspective, the same amount of electricity could power 14 million refrigerators.
It is also much higher than the yearly electricity consumption in some countries, such as El Salvador.
Celebrating Christmas does not have to put a dent in your wallet or consume so much energy. One solution that came to mind is the solar-powered Christmas lights.
How Do Solar Christmas Lights Work?
Solar-powered Christmas lights work pretty much the same as the other PV products: sunshine is captured and converted into electricity, which, in turn, powers the device. In this case: the Christmas lights.
These solar Christmas lights are equipped with a battery that stores the energy, which was harvested from the sunlight during the day. In the night time, the energy stored in the battery is deployed to power the Christmas lights.
Pros and Cons of the Solar-Powered Christmas lights?
Pros:
- The obvious, cost-saving. The solar Christmas lights do not need electricity. Therefore they cost you nothing on the power bill front.
- Environmentally friendly: They do not pollute the environment by emitting greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
- Longer durability: Solar-powered Christmas lights do not have filaments, which is usually what causes the light bulbs to break. Therefore they could last ten times longer than the traditional Christmas lights.
- Safer: Unlike their old-school counterparts, the solar lights do not need extremely long extension cords to function. Consequently, there is a lower probability for you and your loved ones to trip over a wire.
Cons:
- The up-front cost is higher: Like all PV products, the solar lights also cost more than the traditional ones.
- They depend on the sun: Solar energy is intermittent by nature. Therefore how long your Christmas lights will stay lit in the night depends on how much energy your solar lights can save up during the day.
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