Stand Alone Solar Street Light

 
In many areas it is not always possible to lay down a mains line or an electric grid which solar powered panels can be connected to. In the case of street lights, stand alone models are very helpful because they operate as separate entities and do not need to be attached to a grid. This solution is also cheaper for remote areas or widespread use.
 

Widespread Advantages Of Using Stand Alone Street Lights

• These street lights can operate just about anywhere and do not need anything other than the standard solar set to be installed in a location.
• Just like regular solar street lights they are run automatically by a controller and there are very little operational costs associated with their day to day running. This is especially good for remote areas where skilled or technical labor might be hard to come across.
• For regular solar installations there is often an additional cost of constructing a mains grid to regulate that solar power or distribute it. The stand alone street light is a self-servicing, self-operating wondrous device.
• Stand alone street lights are typically made to be durable and withstand all kinds of weather conditions. This however also depends on the durability of the solar panels and the manufacturer that was opted for. Many municipalities do install low quality Chinese solar panels in order to save money and they do end up being an electrical hazard as they short circuit or heat up too much.
• It is a step in the right direction as far as environmental concerns and ozone depletion is concerned and can set the stage for solar involvement in a lot of other activities which currently rely on thermal power. The US government has even begun to offer discounts and tax incentives to homeowners to install solar systems. A solar powered world is just around the corner.
 

How Stand Alone Street Light Operate

Just like all other solar street lights the turning on and off feature is automatic and there are sensors in the controller which take care of that. Deep cycle batteries are typically the ones that are used and they store the charge which is accumulated during the day. They usually stop once full and there is no risk of overcharging as this is regulated by the controller as well. The batteries are stored at the bottom of the pole which does pose a threat for theft in some areas especially areas where such inventions are rare and hard to come by.

Next as the charge is settled into the batteries, a MPPT solar regulator (a controller) decides the level of current which would enable the street light to stay lit for the longest providing the most amount of light. The LED cells which are used in solar street lights nowadays help this function as they work on low voltage consistently for a long period of time.