Modern technology has created many ways to save money. This includes one of the most common hits to any energy bill: lighting. While running your lights inside your house typically requires a full solar panel setup for your whole home, different places around your house can utilize the power of the sun to save money on lighting without the need for a whole-house setup. These MicroSolar LED Solar Shed Lights kits are a good example of how the average consumer and house owner can painlessly set up their own solar-powered lighting source and disconnect themselves, at least in part, from the energy grid.
Installation
MicroSolar 60 LED shed light and solar panel
These LED Solar Shed Lights from MicroSolar are small, but do require a bit of installation. They will not work right out of the box, but few tools are required to get them up and running inside your shed or wherever else you may choose to install them. This product has two main components: a small solar panel and a powerful LED light that can you can attach to the ceiling of your shed.
While the product can be varying wattage outputs from the solar panel and the light, the basics of each are fairly similar. The solar panels are small, polycrystalline devices that can be placed on the roof of your shed, attached to the outer wall, or placed on the ground outside of your shed. The device comes with one solar panel, which is all that is needed in order to charge the internal lithium battery found in the light.
Solar Charge Times & Output
Charge times vary among the different lights, and the maximum wattage output of the solar panels vary as well, depending on which one you purchase. The 60 LED light and solar panel kit comes with a 2w solar panel capable of charging the light’s battery efficiently with maximum light exposure and minimally with cloud coverage.
The 60 LED light is easily operated, and includes a strong drawstring that can be used to adjust the illumination strength, or to turn the device on or off. Powered by a 3.7 volt, 4000mAh lithium battery, the light can be adjusted for different levels of illumination, depending on your preference and on how long you intend to keep the light going.
- A fully charged battery will power the light at full strength 5-6 hours.
- At a medium level of illumination, this goes up to 10-12 hours.
- At the lowest setting, the battery will last 15-18 hours.
These MicroSolar LED Solar Shed Lights have a fairly powerful light output for their size: 330 lumens when at full illumination strength. The lumen output for this device is extremely better than average LED lights. Common LED lights produce 200 lumens at 3 watts. These shed lights provide the equivalent of 330 watts at 3 watts output, making them a highly-efficient powerful light source – only slightly less luminous than an average 60-watt incandescent light bulb and better still than a typical fluorescent, low-wattage light bulb. The 60 LED light produced a cool color temperature just shy of normal daylight at 6000 kelvins. Overall, the entire unit is small, lightweight and compact.
MicroSolar LED Solar Shed Lights: Conclusion
As stated earlier, the device works well with a long life on the battery and the light. However, installation does involve a bit of work. The device comes with installation instructions, but will require some extra tools to install everything correctly. MicroSolar sells several variations of the device, at different wattage outputs and higher lumen strengths for the light. Depending on your shed size you may require a bigger or smaller light. The 60 LED light device should illuminate a 12×12 space well, but at 330 lumens, will be somewhat less bright than a comparably priced incandescent or compact fluorescent lightbulb.
