I know the topic of solar lighting has come up MANY times on this forum, so I just wanted to share my positive experience.
The husband purchased a couple of the MicroSolar High Lumen 20 LED Solar Shed Lights off Amazon to try. Neither our hay shed or our tiny shedrow barn at our leased property have electricity. We have been surviving with battery powered lamps and shop lights with extension cords, but it’s especially annoying this time of year when it gets dark so early. The main reason my husband chose this model was because it has an on/off pull string switch. It seems so many of the solar lights have a motion sensor instead.
While we haven’t had them up long, the lights FAR exceeded my expectations! They are very bright! Even with just one in the shed and one in the barn, it is bright enough for me to fill hay nets, prepare feed, pick stalls, and even groom the horses. With the addition of one or two more lights installed, it will even be bright enough for the farrier or vet to work in the barn after dark.
With a ladder and a drill, the lights were easy for two people to install. One slight limitation is that the light is connected to the solar panel with a ~15ft cord. The solar panel has to be installed outside and be south facing, so the location needs to have access to a clear view of the southern sky within a 15ft radius. Not a problem at my barn, but it could limit the locations where one could place the lights.
Supposedly the light will run continuously for about 5 hours on battery power. I have not had it on that long yet, but so far it stays bright without dimming when my horses are in the barn for over an hour in the evening. And I’m just thrilled not to be feeding by flashlight!
I’d like to get a solar flood light next, so if anyone has any suggestions, I’d love to hear them. Or maybe this tiny project will give us the confidence to finally invest in a solar panel kit to provide more power than just light!
