Summer is coming on fast, and people are already enjoying the longer, warmer evenings that give them the opportunity to spend more time outdoors.

There are many ways to spice up a garden with different features that make it a more attractive space, and solar power can be your friend to do just that.

Solar garden lights can brighten up outdoor evenings, solar powered water features create a natural ambience, and portable solar panels mean you don’t have to leave technology at the porch when relaxing outdoors.

The main benefits of using solar power for different garden features, large and small, are both environmental and functional.

For starters, with solar garden features, you aren’t using electricity from fossil fuel-driven power plants. This keeps your carbon footprint light, even with a slew of decorations.

On top of being greener, your eco-friendly garden lights and more are also lighter on your wallet in the long run, since they won’t be drawing on power you have to pay for.

There’s also the added convenience of not having to go through the trouble of running wiring around your garden to power everything. It’s a lot easier to enjoy your garden without worrying about tripping over long wires, or some critter deciding they’re appetising.

With the evenings getting warmer, people are spending more time in their gardens, but even with the longer summer evenings its nice to have some lighting up for your patio or garden space.

Good lights can make a stylish addition to any outdoor area, letting you spend longer enjoying the air with company in the evening.

Solar-powered lights typically come with a built in solar panel to handle their small electricity needs, meaning there’s no need for any long exposed wiring.

Solar garden lights come with great freedom of choice since, without the demands of wiring, you can place them anywhere, and there’s a huge variety of design choices for how to light up your garden.

Wall-mounted and free standing lamps can frame a path or illuminate a patio as a place to spend a relaxing evening with a drink or a book.

Other smaller lamps are meant to be planted in flower beds to keep them lit up nicely for evening viewing.

Larger structures like gazebos can even potentially have solar panels installed on their roof to power lights or other appliances, a little electric oasis in the garden.

A water feature is a great way to add some character to a garden, with small fountains, ponds, and more helping to create the impression of nature or adding some stylish artwork to the space.

Any water feature with moving water will require a pump to operate, and this needs to be connected to an electricity supply.

Solar powered water features come with a small, discrete solar panel which delivers the small amount of power necessary for the water pump to operate.

There’s no limit or boundaries on the variety of water features you can get, from steel and stone statues to babbling brooks and ponds mimicking the natural world.

Without needing to rely on mains power, people can feel free to make a vibrant space in their garden where the water flows freely.

Everyone enjoys a dip in the water when summer is here, and there are multiple ways solar power can improve your pool experience.

Solar panels can be used to power the pumps for larger swimming pools, and portable arrays of solar thermal panels can also be used to provide heating for swimming pools. Just because the sun is out doesn’t mean the water won’t be ice cold in Ireland, and no-one likes that.

If you have rooftop solar panels and a more permanent back garden pool, it can also be possible to connect them to the pool to power the pump and any built in water heater.

If you want to use solar power to power multiple appliances in your garden, there are portable solar panel systems designed to generate and store power for plug in appliances.

Portable solar panels are typically smaller and less powerful than full-sized rooftop solar panels, with most systems coming in at around 100W – 250W. 

Large examples of these portable systems are designed to operate in tandem with a power station, which acts as both an inverter and battery, and the hub for users to plug their appliances into.

Having a portable solar panel system in your garden makes it simple to charge phones and laptops, connect lights, and more to create a comfortable outdoor space.

To wrap it up, you don’t need to carry out landscaping works, or have extension cables snaking across the grass in order to light up your garden and more.

Solar powered appliances are an affordable and extremely convenient way to add some variety and colour to any garden this summer while keeping it green and eco-friendly.