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.
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?
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.
The structure of solar street light is simple, and the main
components are Solar panels, battery, lights, and pole
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 crystalline
● 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.
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.
Now on the basics of the arrangement, solar streetlights
are divided into 3 different categories.
- 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.
- 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 - 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
You can select any type of solar streetlight as per as your
needs and while considering the pros and cons of it.
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.
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.
Life of the system
The longevity of the system depends on the quality of
PCB & its components, batteries & its chemistry type,
and water proofing.
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.
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!
