LED Solar Street Light
Solar street lights are a fast growing phenomenon and are the starting point for the inclusion of solar panels in a lot of other aspects of everyday life. Furthermore, the inclusion of solar street lights actually creates awareness about free and clean energy so that more and more people can take to it and install it in their homes or office buildings.
The LED street light with solar panel is a less than unique take as it is common knowledge that LED lighting uses less voltage and gives more light. This is perfect for a street light which will be charged on a daily basis and will have to shed light for 8 hours or more every day. As a matter of fact these street lights can actually harbor a two day charge.
Major Benefits
• For the longest time solar energy has practically been stigmatized for its lack of affordability but now that photovoltaics have entered the game there is a lot more room to move around and street lights have been next on the agenda after solar powered homes. A led street light with solar panel can save a lot of taxpayer dollars because it is completely free. It goes without saying however that initial installation costs are excessive but maintenance is barely needed. In the US this is a growing trend because a sustainable future is exactly what will be needed once the oil runs out for future generations.
• The street light itself runs fully on automated functions. It employs something called a controller and there are a couple out there such as MPPT and basic controller and they all do different functions but one thing they have in common is that they regulate the battery and the current entering it and keep it at an optimal level so that the unit can function efficiently.
• Apart from obvious saving of operational costs it can put a dent in the electric bills for the municipality and in years to come this can mean thousands of dollars which can be used for other social welfare projects.
The System
The system takes hours to install and it is usually done by groups of installers. They bring the led street light to attach to the pole that is already there, a lead acid battery, some additional wiring, a solar panel and a controller. The voltage and size of these will depend on the local budget which is being utilized. As a general rule the bigger panels and the thinner ones are more expensive and these are usually not chosen for street lights for obvious reasons.
Some companies have come up with a contraption called a battery box to minimize battery theft from the site of the street light which is very common since these solar batteries can be resold or remodeled for many household needs. The battery box can be buried underground without a trace and still linked to the pole so that it can keep storing power.