Solar Powered Lights
Jun/090
Harnessing the power of the sun and converting it to energy is a good way of not only preserving our natural resources, but is also a way to protect our environment and prolong the existence of life on the planet. This might be the selling point of these interesting little gadgets called Solar Powered Lights, but I’m sure that right now, their contribution to the preservation of the environment is not that significant yet.
Artificial light sources like lamps and light bulbs and other lighting fixtures and furniture work only when there is electricity. The electricity used come from power plants that generate the electricity needed by the consumers. And to generate the electricity needed, different natural resources are used but the most common resource used to produce electricity is fossil fuel or coal.
Looking at this scenario, there are two possible threats to both the planet and its inhabitants with our use and reliance on coal. Firstly, this resource is finite - fossil fuel will eventually be depleted. With the sudden increase of the human population within the last decade or so, and the exponential increase of the necessary resources required to maintain and provide the quality of life demanded by the species, it is not impossible for this natural resource to be drained and used up. Secondly, to produce electricity, coal must be burned. This will release gases and pollutants in the atmosphere that will harm our planet.
Given these two situations, dangers not only to our way of living but also to the survival of this planet, are posed by our dependence on the use of fossil fuels. This is the reason why environmentalists propose that we, as responsible human beings, should be open to the idea of sustainable living through the use of renewable sources of energy.
Solar Powered Light is one of the possible options when it comes to harnessing renewable energy for home consumption. A built in solar panel in the solar powered light converts solar energy into electricity and stores this electricity in a rechargeable battery. When night comes, you can use the electricity in the rechargeable battery to light the lamp.
With this technology, your usage of electricity is lessened, especially at night when you consume energy for lighting.
But, as we mentioned earlier, the significance of this technology may not be that much yet. The problem with this item is that it only works outdoors. For it to gather enough solar energy in one day, the solar panels, which are built in the lamps, must be out doors. This means that the solar powered light should be placed outdoors.
In terms of replacing fluorescent light bulbs or incandescent lighting inside the homes with solar powered light, the technology is still imperfect
to completely substitute the conventional appliances. But, with further study and development, there will come a time when not only lighting equipments could be powered by solar energy but every other mechanical and electronic device we have could be powered by it as well.
The development and the use of this product is the first step that we could take in order to achieve that sustainable living environment that we need.