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A snow-covered house at night with a porch trimmed in white lights and a tall spruce wrapped in warm white string lights

Solar-powered holiday lighting, explained

Solar Christmas lights that actually shine

December brings the shortest days of the year. Here is how to pick lights that still glow at 9 p.m., and what to expect when the sky stays gray.

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Start with the panel

December light is the real spec

A solar set can only spend what its panel collected that day. A flat panel in Chicago gets about a fifth of its June sunlight in December, so where the panel sits matters more than how many LEDs the string has.

Winter sun by cityPanel placementHours per night

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Before you buy: four checks

  1. 01

    A separate panel on a cable. The lights can hang in shade while the panel sits in the sun. What to look for

  2. 02

    A stated battery and run time. Advertised hours assume a full charge. December run times

  3. 03

    IP65 on the panel and the string. Rain and snow sit on them for weeks. IP ratings explained

  4. 04

    A timer. It saves charge for the next night. Timer settings

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Good to know

What to expect in December

December has the least sun of the year: the Department of Energy notes that Denver gets nearly three times more solar energy in June than in December. A set rated for 8 to 10 hours can give far less after a gray week, so put the panel where it gets direct sun.

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