Can you use Outdoor Solar Lights Indoors?
Outdoor solar floodlights are now available with remote control, which means you can switch them on and off when you need to and making them perfect for use indoors to light a home.
13/06/2023
My dark kitchen during load shedding and lit with an outdoor solar floodlight.
Not everyone can afford to invest in or rent solar panels to power the home during load shedding and there are plenty of rechargeable light options for those that can't. But even rechargeable lighting comes at a cost and these light bulbs don't last forever, so what other solution do we have?
The Solar Flair Floodlight with remote control that I purchased at Builders a month ago.
A month back, I posted an article 'Keep a Property Safe During Load Shedding with Solar Floodlights'. Since then, the outdoor solar floodlights have worked like a dream and provide more than enough light for the entire garden. The Solar Flair floodlights also come with remote control as well as a power connector if you want to charge the lights using electrical power. Thinking about this made me think about using solar lights to bring light inside the home, particularly during load shedding or any power outages that may occur. I mean, if the solar charging panel is outdoors, why can't you have the light indoors?
Replacing one of the smaller Solar Flair spotlights, the new floodlight provides more than enough light in the garden and I decided to use the smaller spotlight to place this to shine through a window at the bottom of the stairs. This area is always in shadow during load shedding and it could do with extra lighting. The idea worked brilliantly and so well I thought of other areas that would benefit from solar lighting using outdoor solar lights.
My kitchen does not have any fittings that I could use for rechargeable light bulbs and I end up using portable LED lights when the power goes out making it the ideal space to try out the idea of using outdoor solar floodlights for light indoors. I purchased a second Solar Flair outdoor floodlight (with remote control) and installed the solar panel on an exterior wall close to the kitchen window that would receive ample sunshine to charge throughout the day. The light panel was placed indoors to rest on top of the fridge.
I didn't want to mount the Solar Flair floodlight on the wall as I wanted the option to charge the light using electrical power and it needed to be easily removable to take to a power outlet. The floodlight rests on top of the fridge as shown above (on) and below (off). With the remote control function, you can adjust the light intensity if you don't need it too bright or you can switch it off. I have mine set on for all night and it's great!
The amount of light provided in the kitchen is more than enough for activities such as cooking, preparation, and making hot drinks. DO mount the solar panel in a spot that catches plenty of sunlight during the day, or charge it via electricity if the weather is cloudy.