solar stickers

solar stickers

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In the immediate aftermath of the 9-11 tragedy, an unprecedented wave of patriotism surged across the United States. From Anchorage, Alaska to Portland, Maine and every small town and large city in between, Americans showed their unity and solidarity with each other during this time of national mourning by displaying our proudest symbol - the American flag.

On my block in Chicago, Illinois, every house seemed to be flying Old Glory. But at night most of the flags would come down. The United States Flag Code states: It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.

I noticed that the neighbors who did leave their flags up at night were following the appropriate standards of respect by leaving their porch and deck lights on. But many of the flags seemed to be poorly lit, almost barely visible during the night. I couldn't find a single one that was properly illuminated.

I was a homeowner and I wanted to show my patriotism by displaying my flag twenty-four hours a day. But I had the same problem as my neighbors. My porch lighting at best only illuminated about a quarter of the flag which hung outside my house. There were also times where I would lie in bed before suddenly realizing that I forgot to leave the outside lights on. It was embarrassing and frustrating.

I couldn't find a product anywhere that could adequately illuminate a standard sized U.S. Flag at night. That's when for me necessity did become the mother of invention. Why couldn't I just design a light myself? And why couldn't that light also be solar powered, one that automatically switched on at sundown and switched off at sunrise? And as a bonus, a solar powered flag light wouldn't cause my already expensive utility bill to go up a single cent.

I got to work immediately, spending all my free time designing a prototype that would eventually receive a US patent. And after working with an engineering company in Gurnee, Illinois to perfect the circuit board inside the solar panel, I was ready for the manufacturing stage. Months later when my first units arrived, I was a nervous wreck. As much as I believed in my product and all the hard work and time spent on perfecting it, I still wasn't sure how well it would work, especially after the solar panel received just two hours of sunlight before it was put to the ultimate test that first night.

The solar flag light did not disappoint. It stayed lit that entire first night and for every consecutive night that followed. And I couldn't have been prouder to see that soon every neighbor of mine had their flag out morning, noon and night.

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