Backyard Residential Solar Gadgets

Read this article now on Backyard Residential Solar Gadgets!

A plethora of residential solar gadgets have been hitting the market in the last few years. These new products can provide ecologically friendly ways to enjoy the outdoors while utilizing the power of the sun. For those not quite ready to invest forty thousand dollars or so in a full blown residential solar panel system, these tools provide some basic comforts. What's more important, they may be a stepping stone towards greener living, starting in your own backyard.

Solar Stepping Stones
In taking that first step towards cleaner, greener living, solar stepping stones are a clear choice. Creating a luminescent walkway through your garden with a stepping stone that lights up automatically at night is a unique idea. Solar lit stepping stones provide a lighted path for lawns or gardens, and since they include batteries which are recharged by the sun, no electricity is required. A built-in photo sensor automatically activates the light at dusk and turns it off at dawn. With the look of a carved stone, residential solar stones will provide over 100,000 hours of lighted bliss.

Solar LED Motion Sensor Lights
If you're looking for ways to provide extra light to illuminate dark sheds, porches, or walkways without using electrical power, consider solar LED motion sensor lights. By day they'll go unnoticed as they soaks up energy. By night, they're ready light up whenever you're near. Just walk within 25 feet of these motion-sensor lights, and they'll brighten the entire area. These weatherproof lights mount to virtually any surface and can be placed anywhere you might be prone to tripping, stumbling, or fumbling for keys.

Solar Umbrellas
This concept is very useful for people who eat outdoors or use patio furniture a lot. Using a solar umbrella allows you and your guests to enjoy the furniture at night. The canopy battery charges during the day with a solar panel on top and at night about fifty LED lights light up. Made of durable weatherproof material, solar umbrellas have a built-in solar cell on top that charges as the sun heats up. After a full days' charge it can light up the solar umbrella for up to eight hours, giving you the hearty, healthy glow of daylight even as the sun is setting. The mono crystalline solar cell recharges the solar umbrella discreetly without noise, wires or cumbersome plugs to extend the light of day for you and your backyard or barbecue guests, who will be impressed with your new, hi-tech solar umbrella.

Solar Powered Garden Fountains
Solar powered garden fountains come in many shapes and sizes and are the perfect addition to any garden. Some fountains use a unique underwater solar panel to power the low voltage pump, while others have the panel attached in a discrete way to the back or side of the fountain. The best part? Solar powered garden fountains add an air of tranquility with the sound of running water while using the power of the sun and requiring no additional operating costs.

Solar Powered Rain Sensor
Stop wasting water during unexpected rainstorms. By connecting a rain sensor to your irrigation system, your sprinklers can shut off automatically when it starts raining, so you won’t be watering your lawn unnecessarily. Best of all, using a solar wireless rain sensor requires no electricity or connection wires, so it sets up in minutes and won’t add to your monthly utility bills.

Solar Powered Speakers
Wireless speakers are great for inside, outside and even from one room to another. They're compatible with all audio devices that require speakers; from MP3 players and CD players to TV's and PC's. Sunlight is caught through a solar panel located in the top of the base and used to charge the battery, and generate sharp vibrant sound even when the transmitter is in one room and the speaker in another.

Solar Power Rodent Repeller
To make sure your next outdoor party doesn't include some uninvited guests, consider a solar power rodent repeller. These nifty little solar devices have a battery built in that charges itself using the sun's rays. Powerful sonic waves are produced at 20-40 second intervals, which in turn scare off rodents in the surrounding 4,500 square foot area. This product eliminates the use of harmful toxins which would normally be used to get rid of rodent inhabitants. The repeller operates off a NiCad battery, which has a low discharge rate when not in use. The internal battery is recharged by sunlight collected through the solar disk protruding toward the sun, saving electricity.

While the average consumer isn't going to convert to a tree-hugging environmentalist overnight, even the smallest of things count. Solar gadgets are going from being far fetched to becoming intertwined into our everyday use. It's true that a lot of the futuristic gadgets certainly appear to be just new gadgets. However, behind each new contraption is what appears to be the common motivation to preserve the environment so that perhaps our children's children will still have something green to enjoy. So, next time your shopping for a new thing-a-ma-bob, why not consider solar?