A compact lighting assembly includes a circuit board having a battery, a light, a switching circuit and a push button switch selectively powering the light with the battery via the switching circuit. The operating life of the compact lighting assembly is increased by using a rechargeable battery charged by a photovoltaic device such as a solar cell. Even greater operating life is achieved with the use of a light-actuated switch, such as a photocell or photodiode, which limits or cuts off battery draw and illumination of the light in daylight or lighted ambient conditions and enables illumination of the light in dark ambient conditions such as nighttime and low light environments. An indicator such as a visible light is provided for identifying whether or not an infrared light is on and drawing power.