Do Solar Flood Lights Work? Yes

There is a limitation to the amount of light emitted by a solar powered floodlight when compared with the traditional incandescent floodlight. This limitation is governed by the fact that, by nature of the solar powered system, the light can only be powered by a battery, and so the power will effectively be less. This is partially overcome by the use of energy saving halogen bulbs or by LED bulbs. I would like to use a couple of examples of floodlights marketed by Solar Illuminations ^TM, an American company.

The floodlights come in two categories - the straight floodlight and the security floodlight. The basics of the two types of floodlight are the same, the only difference being that the security floodlight comes with a motion sensitive infra-red detector. This detector will detect movement through an angle of 180º and at a range of  75 feet. On detecting movement the light comes on for a period of time that can be adjusted up to 60 seconds. This is one of the brightest solar floodlights available and will typically light up an area of 900 square feet. The floodlight can be either wall or post mounted, and it comes with a 12 ft cord attached to a SIEMENS solar panel, which can be mounted in a convenient position where it can gather the optimum amount of sunlight. The main light body consists of 24 extra bright LED bulbs (these typically have a life of over 20 years) and an integrated battery - the latter needs to be replaced after about two years. Depending on the model, this type of security floodlight will cost you between $70 and $80 on the Internet.

Also marketed by the same company is a multi-purpose commercial grade heavy-duty floodlight. Available at a discounted Internet price of just under $400 , the model FL05 has 108 super bright LED bulbs and will give continuous light for up to eight hours. This light can be used for either commercial or residential applications and switches on automatically at dusk and off at dawn. This floodlight is ideal for security purposes at car parks and is ideal for use around barns, sheds or arenas where cabled electricity is not available. One great advantage of this light is that it can be used as a fully portable light for any outdoor application - stock feeding, nighttime maintenance in secluded areas, even camping.