Solar toys and their advantages

SOLAR TOYS AND THEIR ADVANTAGES

Saturday, October 7, 2017

George Lalopoulos*

As we all know, the sun is absolutely necessary for every form of life on earth. It provides daylight, heat, energy for plants to perform photosynthesis and Vitamin D for humans which is essential for strong and healthy bones and a satisfactory immune system. During the last years, a new field of application for solar energy has been proven very popular: solar toys.

Solar toys are equipped with solar (photovoltaic) cells to convert solar energy into direct current. In some cases they also have a rechargeable battery that is charged using the power from the sun. A solar toy with no rechargeable battery can use its solar cell in order, for example, to rotate a small D.C. motor. Examples include solar windmills, solar airplanes, solar watermills, solar helicopters, solar ships, solar cars etc. On the other hand, a solar toy with a rechargeable – and recyclable – battery uses sun rays in order to charge the battery and exploit the stored energy afterwards. A characteristic example is the solar house, where the stored energy is used to light a LED when the house is placed in the dark.

         

Solar toys entertain children and, at the same time, they provide them with the opportunity to learn about solar energy and the environment. Kids can learn how solar energy works and create an acceptable mindset towards renewable energy, thus developing ecological conscience. Moreover, solar toys can be used in classroom projects, especially when they are in the form of assembly kits, in which case they can help children develop their mental abilities and widen their analytical skills.

Some other advantages of solar toys are: they cause less pollution because of lower production of carbon waste and they prove to be less expensive in the long run, since they don’t require you to visit the market regularly to buy a new set of batteries. For those toys that use rechargeable ones, all you have to do is let the children play under sunlight and the batteries are charged conveniently on their own. You don’t have to charge the batteries or plug in the toys to main power.

In conclusion, solar toys entertain children, while providing them with the necessary education about solar power and with stimuli for going green. Therefore, they are liked not only by kids, but by their parents as well.

* CEO at LAGI.PLAN S.A. (www.solar-toys.gr)  

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