Solar street light is a smart foot forward in terms of green energy. There’s a lot of curiosity going on around in the name of solar streetlights. In this blog, we will explain to you everything in the simplest way about solar streetlights.

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We all are familiar with the word streetlights and have seen streetlights in our day-to-day life. Adding green energy to the streetlight gives us Solar street lights. Solar street light is used to light up the parks, streets, gardens, college campus, highways, schools, factories, some remote areas, parking areas, temples, revers, etc. solar street lights are the best solution for the places/areas where there is a need of a light, but the source of electricity is not available, hard to get access to, or consciously using green energy. Now let's understand how Solar Street Lights works?

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We usually require lights when it is dark(night) and clean free solar energy is what comes as a gift in solar street lights. During the daytime, the sun smiles on the solar panel and gives its energy, which is easily stored in the batteries. At nighttime, this stored energy in the batteries

are used to light up the streetlights. This system works automatically, and the cycle repeats itself.

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The structure of solar street light is simple, and the main components are Solar panels, battery, lights, and pole

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Solar panels= With the help of the solar panels, batteries are charged during the day from the sunlight. There are mostly two types of solar panels that are used-

• Mono crystallinesome text
  • Poly crystalline

(to know more about solar panels, check out our blog(link) )

Battery= Performance of the solar streetlights depends on the type of battery. During the day, it stores the energy generated by solar panels and then discharges to supply energy to the solar streetlight at night.

4 types of batteries which are being used lead-acid, GEL, Lithium-Ion, Lithium Phosphate

Out of which, the most used batteries are Lithium-Ion Or Lithium Phosphate because they are Maintenance-free and rechargeable batteries with a life of up to 10 years.

Lights= Led light and varies with power requirements from 9 Watt, 12 Watt, 15 watts, 18 watts, and 24 watts are used depending upon the needs.

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Pole= It is the main structure on which all components of solar streetlight are fixed, with the height of the pole depending on the requirements. According to the Pythagorean theorem, the higher the light pole, the wider the light range.

The mounting structure and pole assembly is mostly done by mild steel, galvanized steel or similar structure.

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Now on the basics of the arrangement, solar streetlights are divided into 3 different categories.

1. Standalone / Normal Solar streetlight.

In this type, the solar panel, solar led light, battery box are separately mounted on the pole along with the light arm.

Pros=

Higher battery backup.

Easy setup because of separate parts.

Cons=

As the battery is separated, there is a high chance of battery theft.

Installation is complex.

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2. Two in one Solar streetlight.

All components are the same as standalone, the only difference is that the battery comes in build with the solar lights, but the solar panel is separate.

Pros;

The battery being inbuilt, it can’t be stolen easily.

Cons;

limited backup hours as battery are in the same frame, so a big size battery cannot be used

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3. All in one solar streetlight.

The components are the same but here all components (solar LED light, inbuilt battery, sensor) are in a single frame

Pros;

Compact design Easy installation Cons;

High cost

Solar light performs well only when facing south

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You can select any type of solar streetlight as per as your needs and while considering the pros and cons of it.

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Now let's look into the advantages & disadvantages, cost, warranty, and life of solar street lights system.

Advantages

• No need of manual switching (on/off) for battery light or battery charging
• Battery charging is done by solar power, so there is no dependence on any grid/electricity
• Low Maintenance cost compared to other type of lights

Disadvantages

• Battery charging maybe effected by dust, fog, snow or moisturized dusty environment.

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Cost

Cost is mostly depending on Led luminary power, Solar panel, battery type with the references to its voltage, Ah capacity. Typically, the price starts from 11000 and goes as high as 25000.

Warranty

Most of the brand give 5 years complete warranty and up to 25 years for solar panel.

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Life of the system

The longevity of the system depends on the quality of PCB & its components, batteries & its chemistry type, and water proofing.

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In India, brands like Urja Global Ltd, Omega Solar, Tata Power Solar Systems, Fevino Industries, SolMitra Power are doing some great work in the solar street lights area.

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Hope all the information in this blog will help you to choose your solar street light, until the next informative blog do let us know anything by just commenting below or visiting (link).

Keep Learning, Keep Growing with Solnce Energy!