The sun is the greatest source of renewable energy we have and solar garden lights are a dime a dozen. So its no wonder, more and more people are finding useful second lives for these innocuous contraptions. Here are five amazing do-it-yourself projects that turn ordinary solar garden lights into cool eco-friendly gadgets you'll use everyday.
Before getting started, check out this great solar yard light deconstruction tutorial from Marshal Brian, founder of Howstuffworks.com, which clearly illustrates the parts, functions, and inner workings of a typical solar garden light.
1. Solar Powered USB Ipod/Cell Phone Charger
This Instructable shows how surprisingly simple it is to make a solar battery charger from very simple components. If you are looking for something universal, check out the video below from WonderHowTo.com showing how to turn an ordinary solar garden light into a renewable energy backup system for today's power hungry cell phones, Ipods, and gaming gadgets.
2. Bottle the Sun's renewable energy
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzynmgNdOeMAzy3tT8WyGuDH0lEW0M4DFnqgjpvt8N5cWktnHP6sIdmKKf5c4rgCLDfQHeBop91cYxd1wfzhEX30P4bTXki-VMq7lT_Q9vaFPHMFF8Rm10iOMht1jnJrDZ0OS9SGs6pA/s200/sunjar_night2.jpg)
3. Architectural and decorative lighting
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZU6iUI1DYWq1AVMGkDBOJZggkmU-FuCOJxNSg8bsvXlt8Rr56xri6PN0lSJLmG0T4t5udXEoSheaA7GDxirVWVjdBB2HF6PZLWARyj1ULBH2zvYNcJWZ12qkOGHNk23gA5ok-GykYFfE/s200/solarshoji.jpg)
4. Sports equipment
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgcPr4sSptlP2b05mu6NRKZiQALmcDzPN8Jdd2n6LfGMtlMoz5aPSBuh0zNLZC-7-IXEliP0ezE9k6AlKxlmusALlG_JIBwpbFezxhR6yFacvxYFtbirreEfHcT4tW6Wev9Igy0HKwQA/s200/F0YHOD7FT3KA21O.MEDIUM.jpg)
5. Renewable Energy Power Plant
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnB8URD08DaADf5EWmlOm27fBf32rGI40ViEUJd8RDTtfn-MfGjfLNVq4yaVLNjyEW-5s6N4x-y6pcG3zI_mVidoNUNymAXl_Cbz3FUG4zkSxBby47kR3-qhFtFQRt4eqxcdWOsImG3Y/s200/FF7SZ3HFRXUSE4Q.MEDIUM.jpg)
Winter is a good time to hunt for bargains on solar lights. When shopping for a solar garden light its a good idea to look for ones that have two or more AA Ni-Cad batteries and a photo resistor for detecting darkness. More batteries generally means the circuit can provide higher output for your projects and a photo resistor will allow you to incorporate light sensing into your gadgets if needed.
There are so many ways to hack a solar light and I've only mentioned a few. In an upcoming post I'll take a look at some additional ideas of incorporating solar lights with other off the shelf items to create even more interesting, functional, and eco-friendly gadgets. Thanks for stopping by.
hi good day nice outdoor lamps , lantern you have . nice posting to . i learned a lot of info bout this . i hope that i have one in my patio besides my wind spinner and wind chimes perfect combination . i hope i can read more about your posting . till next time thanks and have a nice day!
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