An apparatus includes a light unit and a controller for providing a controlled humanly visible illumination. A solar converter unit and an energy storage device supply an energy output to enable the light unit to provide the controlled illumination. The solar converter unit is configured to charge the energy storage device during a substantial shade charging condition. The controller includes a processor coupled to manage the controlled illumination, a memory accessible to the processor, and a program stored in the memory for execution by the processor to manage the controlled illumination.