Solar lighting is expensive. It is unreliable. It only works in warm, sunny locations. Despite proven benefits and growing popularity, misinformation abounds when it comes to what solar lighting is, how it works, and who it works best for. Fortunately, you don’t have to believe everything you hear. Qualified solar lighting professionals—that’s us!—can help you […]

When you look up at the sky at night, what do you see? If you’re like most people living in or near an urban center, chances are, you don’t see much. In fact, recent data shows that only about 20% of Americans can see the Milky Way from their homes. That’s because light pollution, or […]

One of the biggest blunders buyers can make when considering solar lighting solutions is evaluating the individual system cost instead of the total project cost. It can mean the difference between investing in 15 lights that meet your requirements and needing to buy 50—or more—to achieve the same result. That’s because each project has its […]

If we asked you what the best country for a solar-powered light would be, what would you say? Mexico? Australia? Brazil? While a country with a warm climate and year-round sunshine might seem like the obvious answer, if you look at the top countries in the world for solar capacity—Germany, China, and Japan—you’ll notice that […]

One of the biggest perks of solar lighting is that it is self-contained, meaning it doesn’t rely on the grid for power, and it doesn’t require trenching to install. But this perk is only a perk if you understand how solar lighting works, and build your systems to take full advantage of it. Because solar […]

In the span of a decade, LEDs have transformed everything from car headlights to Christmas trees to streetlights. And it makes sense: compared to their conventional incandescent or high-pressure sodium (HPS) counterparts, LEDs use less energy, produce better, more direct light, and last almost seven times as long, resulting in significant cost savings. Given the […]

When it comes to solar lighting, the times you want to use energy are rarely the same as when your panels can produce it. Peak electricity generation typically happens around midday; peak consumption happens after dark. That means that if you want to power an off-grid light after dark, you’re going to need a good […]

It’s no secret that the U.S. electrical grid is in dire straits. Over the past several decades, energy production and consumption have risen steadily, placing an untenable burden on a system that was never intended to carry such a sizeable load. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, the lower […]

Operating profiles. Array-to-load ratios. Depth of discharge. There’s a lot to consider when undertaking a large-scale lighting project and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you don’t “speak solar.” We’re here to help. Whether you’re evaluating specs and components for a specific project or simply seeking to better understand the technology and benefits of off-grid […]

Solving big problems starts by thinking small   On September 21–23, 2019, the UN Climate Action Summit took place in New York City, drawing together representatives of government, the private sector, civil society, local authorities, and other international organizations to develop solutions to the climate crisis facing the planet. Many eyes were on 16-year-old Swedish […]