sunshineandhope:

Using inexpensive solar yard lights for emergency lighting inside your home is an easy deal.  Charge them up in the sun, bring them inside, and you have light. The problem, however, is that once the activation tab is pulled on the lights, they have to be put in sunlight each day to ensure that the battery is charged up and ready to go during an emergency. This is not a practical solution.

To get around this, some people do not pull the activation tab until the light is actually needed in an emergency. This essentially is a one time use. Again, not a practical solution.  We are going to solve this conundrum by installing a micro switch that can turn solar lights on or off whenever we want.