Solar Street Light

 
Solar street lighting is a new environmentally friendly phenomenon which consists of using a solar system to light streets and parks by harnessing the energy of the sun and storing it till nighttime.

The solar street light installation itself consists of only a few elements as listed below:-
• Solar modules
• Charge controller
• Batteries
• DC voltage street lamps

The most common type of solar light which is used is LED (Light Emitting Diode) solar street light as this is the cheapest option to the wide scope in which street lights are generally needed. The solar street light system has actually taken years to come into vogue because before the last few years it was too expensive to use as a public good but now there are a variety of manufacturers providing lots of different price points.
 

How It Works

The solar panels which are embedded into the street light actually automatically sense when a source of light is at hand. They turn off and generate electricity during this period and when they sense that there is no external light source they turn on. In some areas this process might be regulated manually but it is usually automatic.

The storage capability of these is quite impressive as the panels can stay on even on an overcast day especially if they have been turned on for the entire night before. Since LED lamps are the newer development, they are not found everywhere and different areas might make adjustments depending on their climate. In especially windy or stormy areas the storage might be better and the lamps will have protective shielding.

For simple management of the battery, usually a network is constructed which is run by some sort of software which regulates where maintenance may be required or if a certain unit is not working. For the most part these solar street lights can last a long time between routine checkups. For a stand alone solar street light the power generated will probably not go to a grid but will be used on its own hence this type of street light is not part of any network.
 

Advantages Of These Street Lights

• They eliminate wastage of costly electricity which causes a carbon footprint and replace it with green and environmentally friendly electricity which is free and available and won’t cause a spike in taxation for public goods provision.
• Since these street lights work on their own, no underground wiring or cables need to be put in and it is easy to regulate the system as well. It is easy to monitor performance through GSM monitoring which is carried out for each separate street light.
• No one needs to switch these street lights on and off, the entire process is automatic which again curtails wasteful usage as well as manpower. Given the fact that it works even on rainy days is a plus because that means it can work for a couple of days at least without receiving any sunlight to amp up its charge.