What Are Solar Wind Chimes?

Backyards and home gardens offer us relaxation and contemplation. You can indulge in lush, privatizing greenery; heaping, pretty flowers; soothing water features; and, of course, the requisite comfy hammock. Topping it all off with a melodic wind chime is so natural that some might consider it a must.

When the weather turns, and ice coats the metal tubes of your outdoor wind chimes, you are forced to turn to the comforts of indoors - but that doesn't mean you can't take with you the feel of a lazy summer afternoon. Solar wind chimes allow you to enjoy the pretty clinking of summertime all year long.

How They Work

Solar wind chimes have, in their top cover, a series of solar panels that power the instrument to chime without the assistance of wind. Light from a window or a skylight in your home is all you need to enjoy the sounds of the wind chimes any time. Similarly, you can find battery-powered wind chimes on the market. Electric chimes mimic a breeze (and the chimes' subsequent ringing) thanks to a magnetic base. An electric current running from the base to the chime sets the chime in motion, and magnetic power from the vase keeps the chime's tubes moving.