Glow Better: Boost Your Curb Appeal with Solar Outdoor Lights

Adding outdoor lighting to your back or front yards couldn’t be easier with affordable, solar options that require zero installation. Here’s what to look for.

Solar panels have come a long way, but small ones still aren’t capable of capturing all that much power. Luckily, new lighting technology like LEDs doesn’t require much power, either, making them a perfect match. Outdoor lights can power themselves with little solar panels, capturing energy during the day and powering lights at night.

Solar-powered lights like these aren’t spotlight-powerful, but that actually makes them perfect for places where you want just a little bit of light to guide your way. You can line your driveway with them for nighttime trash drop offs. You can line the front path with them, so you never trip over a step again. Or you can illuminate a particular part of the garden, for aesthetics.

Most solar lights are unobtrusive and fairly minimal; they keep out of the way and provide just enough light. But there are more fun designs out there, too. Some look like torches, glowing cheerful spheres, or homey mason jars. Solar lights can be an aesthetic draw, too, beyond just providing illumination.