Let’s face it, Santa can’t afford to spend the dough to put PV on every home in the world, let alone the U.S. Even if he could, he’d need an awful lot of elves to help out on Christmas Eve, and with the cutbacks—you get the picture.

So unless you paid a lot, and we mean A LOT! the sound of tapping on your roof on Christmas Eve is more likely to be the sound of eight tiny reindeer and a sleigh with a man in red than the sound of your friendly neighborhood solar installer putting PV on your roof in the wee quiet hours of the morning. As the season of giving is upon us, Clean Energy Authority’s going to tell you all about the solar goodies on their Christmas list this year—gifts you can give your loved ones for Christmas, or maybe some things you’ll want for yourself.

Solar Christmas Lights

For instance, you know all those strings of Christmas lights you try to cram into one or two outlets and the two miles of extension cords you run out every year, just to prove your love for Christmas? Well you can buy all sorts of solar-powered Christmas lights that are powered by a small photovoltaic cell and a battery pack. You won’t even have to use extension cords, and you can probably find them at your local hardware, hobby or garden store.

Solar Christmas lights are now available in all sorts of forms, including the ‘net lights’ you can drape over trees, solar-powered icicles and solar-powered Christmas wreaths. And if that’s not enough for you, you can get solar-powered lawn decorations, like a solar polar bear and penguins. You can find the latter at sites like SolarSanta.com, in case they’re not in your local supermarket.

Solar Generators

It’s not as cheap as solar Christmas lights, but if you’re looking for something bigger for the person that just can’t get that full PV-array yet, some PV-generator kits are available on the market. PV generator kits run anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to thousands of dollars depending on the size and type. They’re great for remote needs like a quiet Christmas cabin, a boat or an RV. Solar generators include PV modules, battery storage and power conditioners. Companies like Sunforce, Phono Solar and Harvester offer these systems.

If these don’t meet your needs, check back tomorrow for more great solar gift ideas.