We have been in the now-or-never zone for a while now. We can start making the switch to using clean and green energy as much as we can or we anyways are heading for the inevitable doomsday. It’s not as if decades and centuries of harm done to the planet can be overturned by a couple of years of precautions and thoughtful switches to alternative and environment-friendly methods of producing energy. But what’s worse than failing is not trying or even making the effort. It’s already late but even if we could just start making an effort with something as small as using solar street lights today then maybe we can give ourselves a chance. Let’s first learn what are solar street lights and then we can explore solar street light components.
What is a Solar Street Light?
Solar streetlights work solely on solar power and consume no power from the grid. They are widely used to light up parks, streets, lawns, etc. These lights eliminate the need for multiple switching points and underground cabling.
What are Solar Street Light Components?
A solar street light is made up of a lot of components. The solar street light components are discussed below-
1. Solar Panel
It has got to be one of the most important components of solar street lights because without it there is no solar factor in the streetlight. A polycrystalline or monocrystalline solar panel is used in a solar street light and they capture and convert solar energy into usable electricity which helps light to illuminate.
2. Rechargeable Battery
The rechargeable battery is the component of solar street lights that is responsible for storing the converted energy which can then be used at night. For this purpose usually, it is the lithium-ion battery or LiFePO4 battery that is used. These batteries don’t require much maintenance, have a long life, have great battery capacity, and are lightweight making them perfect for this job.
3. Controller
PWM or MPPT make up the charge controllers that are usually used in solar street lights. Their job is to facilitate the storage of converted energy in the battery. They make sure that the battery is neither overcharged nor undercharged. They also prevent the backflow of energy into the solar panel and convert extra voltage into amperage which in turn extends battery life.
4. Light Source
The light source is the last of the solar street light components. When the photoreceptors in the lamp sense that the conversion of energy has stopped they turn the lights on. After this, let’s learn about the types of solar street lights.
Also Read: Automatic Street Light Working
What are the Types of Solar Street Lights?
There’s more than one kind of solar start light and they all have different uses and are suitable for different purposes. The different types of solar street lights are as follows-
1. Solar CFL Street Light
For a price range between $110 to $171.33, you can get a solar CFL street light. They have minimum operational costs and see a high demand due to their brightness which is a result of their high luminous efficiency.
2. Solar LED Street Light
For around $9.79 to $42.83 per piece, you can get a solar LED street light which has custom as well as standard variants. They come with a highly refractive acrylic fitting and are easy to install.
Also See: 3 Leading Types Of Solar PV System
3. Solar FLOOD Street Light
These lights have high luminance and for that reason, they cover the maximum area where used. These lights cost more than $146.86 on an estimate but since they cover more area with less fitting the price can be opting for lesser fittings.
4. All-in-One Street Light
For a price between $97.90 to $146.86, this user-friendly light comes with no cables. It is among the lightest solar street light models and they run on energy-efficient lithium batteries.
So that chalks out the types of solar street light that you might come across.
Also See: What are Different Types of Solar Charge Controller?
What are the Advantages of Solar Street Light?
After understanding the solar street light components, let’s also explore the advantages offered by solar street lights-
• The first and most obvious advantage or benefit is to the environment as the use of clean and green energy is being made to power the object.
• You don’t have much to worry about with solar streetlights as they are not only water resistant but also weatherproof and they also give away a low glare which is an important thing and they also don’t attract insects as much as a normal streetlight does.
• Solar-powered street lights of the present time have a battery management system that helps read the presence of motion and night sensors.
• As the night progresses the performance of the light automatically keeps decreasing till dawn or till its PIR sensor gets activated by human motion and so they are self operational and it is a technology for the future that is now.
• These lights also come with an automatic smart lighting option which helps them increase the lighting output to maximum if it reads human movement within a set radius.
• If you compare solar-powered street lights to regular street lights then they need little to no maintenance which can’t be said for the latter.
Also Read: 7 Advantages of Smart Bulbs Over Regular LED Bulbs
What are the Disadvantages of Solar Street Light?
No matter how many uses or benefits solar lights have, nothing in the world is just good or just bad. There is always another side of the coin that you need to look at.
• The high upfront cost of solar streetlights makes people hesitant about buying them.
• Unlike regular street lights these lights have no wires which makes them easy to steal also, what’s more, is that their components also have high monetary value which makes them a lucrative target for thieves.
• While the maintenance required by solar street lights is less they can perform under par when faced with severe weather conditions. Energy production may go down due to the accumulation of water, dust, snow, etc. and so regular checks are required.
• While over the years the battery life of lithium batteries has improved it still may need replacement every few years as they can get exhausted and so you need to add the cost of battery replacement to the list of your expenses when you consider getting a solar street light.
So that’s all the disadvantages of solar street light. Now, let’s look at the uses of solar street light.
Also Read: 5 Major Uses of Automatic Street Light
What are the Uses of Solar Street Light?
Just like you have various advantages of the solar street light to consider, you also have various purposes or uses for them which makes a stronger case for them. Just like any regular streetlight that can be found almost everywhere, you go similarly a solar streetlight too can be used anywhere the regular ones are.
- You have airports using solar streetlights because they are easy to use and have no electricity cost in the conventional sense. They are also portable and require minimal to no maintenance for long periods.
- Highways and roadways also use solar streetlights because they don’t have external wires and can be used in remote places where there is no access to electricity.
- Being free from the grid means these lights can be used anywhere like a park or a playground.
- Even stadiums that are home to some of the biggest sports across the world use these lights.
- Companies also opt for solar street lights as they have larger areas to cover which these lights can do while also being easy on the pocket.
- Rural areas that have security concerns can opt for this light because they store energy during the day and work at night and so you can get light, lots of it when it matters.
So these are not all but some of the most important uses of solar street lights. And with this, you have come to the end of this blog. Now you are quite clear about solar street lights and their components.
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