You are missing
MORE than a few things. Some you may not know.
Mostly "he" is "me".
I (and he, and me) am talking about a real life replacement of a grid fed 5W rated CFL. It needs to come on when the switch is clicked.
Good marketing and crappy products is why solar has a bad rep.
Some barely glowing yellow novelty ain't gonna cut it. I watch every night as the neighbors yellow LED yard lights click off with the sun setting (not a typo. They come on a little before sunset. Then go off around sunset), and I know white LEDs will not be as good.
Show me a white LED that works quite well on 2 nicds.
Show me a white LED data sheet that shows a white LED with rated MCDs at 2.7V.
Show me a boost regulator that is more reliable than a 1/4W resistor.
Headhunters call me about LED design jobs, but I will not relocate. Or work 9-5, if I don't want to on that day.
But I decline. I have serious obligations here. And I almost like sorting resistors/TO-92s/TO-220s into tiny bags for someone excited about a new windmill in who-knows-what-corner-of-the-world.
Major brand names offer to put my name on their package.
I get the stuff you talk about in skid quantities. The boxes have my name printed on every one.
I have stuff made to MY specs in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, etc. I don't have them put a different sticker on some Wally-World crap.
Do you remember, long ago, when you were selling those re-stickered Chinese inverters just like the inverters at Wally-World, but probably seconds (without your knowledge)?
Do you remember when someone asked about large quantities of 12V 175W and 400W inverters, but you said there wasn't a market or profit or something like that?
Yup.
That was me.
Anyway.
If you have the data sheets for those $3 yard lights with 2 nicds, a PV, and some kind of white LED that runs directly from 2.7V, 10 hours full brightness with yard light quality AAs, and no regulator, please post a link.
G-
(sorry TomW, Kurt, Woof, but you must have seen it comming)