Do Solar Flood Lights Work In Winter?

Date: 23/10/23

Here at Think Hire, we’re often asked the same question about sustainable site lighting hire – and that is, ‘Does it work in winter?’

Using sustainable sources for your site lighting can seem like a Catch-22 this time of year. In the winter months, you need site lighting hire more than ever, with light fading by mid-afternoon on some days, seriously compromising safety and efficiency. Yet surely the lack of sunshine in the winter means solar flood lights won’t work in these conditions, just when you need it most?

You may be surprised to learn that this is not actually the case. Think Hire solar flood light hire is in fact a solid, sustainable choice all year round. Here’s why…

Solar panels don’t need sunshine

Contrary to popular belief, solar panels don’t need direct sunshine to work. That’s because solar flood lights draw their power from light energy, not from the heat of the sun. This light energy, as photons, displaces electrons in one side of the solar panel, causing a potential difference between the two sides. This in turn causes an electric current to flow, powering your solar flood lights.

There’s no warming involved, and no direct heat needed, so these panels will work even in the depths of winter. Those bright, white-skied winter days are ideal for generating power for solar flood lights, even if there’s a frosty nip in the air.

Confusingly, it can actually be too sunny for solar panels! Tests have shown that in the summer months, when temperatures rise above 25°C, the efficiency of solar panels starts to decrease by 10-25%.

Shorter days are long enough

Another worry we often hear from customers is that shorter days – with as little as eight hours of daylight in the middle of winter – will not give solar panels enough time to charge the batteries used in solar flood light hire.

Once again, we’re pleased to reassure you that this isn’t true. Thanks to the very latest solar panel technology used by Think Hire, an eight-hour charge is enough to run our solar flood lights for more than eleven hours. That’s more than enough to light your site during dull mornings and into the evening after an early sunset.

If you need solar flood lights for longer, to light your site overnight for example, you can simply turn down the brightness a little. They can even provide dimmer light, for safety and security at weekends, for up to 46 hours from a single charge.

Solar hybrid site lighting hire

For complete peace of mind, Think Hire also offers hybrid solar flood lights to hire. This gives you all the cost savings and reduced emissions of solar flood lights, with the back-up of a diesel generator for guaranteed power 24/7.

The charge in the batteries is constantly monitored, and if it falls below a set level, the diesel generator kicks in to top it up. This gives you the perfect balance between sustainability and savings on the one hand, and reliable, dependable power on the other.

Don’t worry about winter

If you think solar flood lights to hire is not an option for winter, then at Think Hire, we say think again. Our expert team can help you design a suitable, sustainable, lighting layout for any kind of site, using solar flood lights to hire, and help you make significant savings right through the winter months.

So don’t wait for the sunshine of the summer. Harness the energy of solar power all year round by contacting Think Hire today on 0330 133 2222 or complete the contact form online.

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