Do solar lights use electricity from the grid? No. Solar lights generate and store their own electricity through built-in solar panels, operating completely independent of the electrical grid, so they don't create electricity bills. Do solar lights work in winter? Yes, but. . Solar lights are just like ordinary ones, the only difference is that they generate energy from the SUN without the use of any hard wires or complicated hardware. All you need to do is to put them in a sunny spot and that's it. How It Works (Photovoltaic Effect): This process is called the "photovoltaic effect. The secret lies in their smart use of solar energy.