The great thing about solar motion lights is they automatically switch on as soon as motion is detected – anyone trying to make their way into your garden or yard area uninvited will cause the lights to switch on.

Fortunately, motion sensitivity can be adjusted so that the lights don’t come on with every passing car or cat. The top brands of solar motion sensor lights can detect movement from 25 feet away and can use a regular electrical supply in the event of a run of cloudy days where a full solar charge isn’t available.

Sometimes a solar street light will be used to provide light where previously no road illumination had been provided – either because of cost considerations or the impracticality of putting an on-grid light in a particular place. Other times a new solar light will replace an normal light to pass on cost savings to the state or authority involved. Of course, you don’t have to be a governmental organization to enjoy the same economic benefits.

Most solar powered street lighting is sold in stand alone units – each unit being just like a normal street light except that at the very top is the solar panel used for recharging, while the actual light itself is a little further down the pole.

Installation is usually pretty straightforward. And of course, you don’t have to use them on a street – they make great deck or garden lights too. Prices depend largely on the robustness of the construction and the power output of the light and range from around $190 into the four figures range.