The lights need to be bright enough for my mum to see where she is going but I know they won't like anything trendy looking or with funky colored lights. If I can't find any lights which are just plain white then I am wondering if it is possible to take the filters around the bulb out and put something clear in its place.

I don't really want to have to take the lights apart but if that's the only solution then that's what I will do. Surely it can't be hard to find outdoor lights that are just nice and plain?

If I could get a solar system that has enough power to run some sort of water heater for part of the year so I can keep the ice away from their drinking water that would be good to know about as well.

I want some sort of solar power kit that I can just buy, haul home and install myself without having to pay a company to come out and do anything at all.

How do I decide which solar power kit is right for my home?

Is there any independent body or group who can advise me, I don't fully trust anyone who is going to be making money if I buy the kit from them. I don't mind paying for someone to come round and do some estimates for me as to how much electricity I will need.

I am wondering if I can make a solar power set up hidden away in my garden somewhere that will power the router all the time so I don't ever have to think about it I can just pick up my laptop and go sit in the yard and enjoy my wireless connection.

I am building a pond at the end of our yard, it is going to be a fair way from our house and I don't want to run power all the way out there just for a pump.  I want to use solar power to run my pond pump.

The pond is going to be large and may include a water feature so I may need two pumps, do I need to buy specific pond pumps to work with solar panels?

We do get sunshine for most of the year, but if it isn't sunny I assume the pumps will stop, do they just restart when the sun comes back out?

What about maintaining the solar equipment, do I need to do anything special to keep it running.

I really do want to join the solar power revolution, I live in Florida so we do get enough sun to use the solar panels.

I am wondering what I can do that will get me the best return on my investment in solar panels and equipment for my house. I don't want to have to wait 10 years to see any sort of return on the money I put into this solar power stuff.

Will the technology be changing quickly in the next year or two, if so would it make sense to wait a while before investing my money? I look on it as an investment because I can't afford to just throw a good few thousand dollars at something as a hobby.

The fridge is a small one, it only holds 12 cans at a time and the fan is a desktop one, so I don't think they will need lots of electricity but it would need to be reliable

We are doing some remodeling on our home, we recently moved here and fully intend to be here for a long long time, at least 20 years.

One of the things we are considering doing is installing a solar water heater, heating water uses a lot of electricity so using a solar water heater should save us money straight away.

I am wondering why they aren't more popular though, do they provide enough hot water for a family?

If we get a solar water heater is it possible to also keep some sort of emergency water heater for when our kids all come home to visit and take showers one after the other?

I bought a set of solar powered garden lanterns as a surprise gift for my wife. I want her to come into the garden and see them all there lighting the garden path.

The problem is that I have been told it takes 3 days to charge them in sunlight and the surprise is planned for tomorrow night.

Is there a way to quickly charge the solar cells in the garden lights without sunlight?