Street lighting solutions and and street lamps using advanced solar technology.

Have you ever installed a solar street light? I think the answer from most of us is “NO”, so pay attention to this article. This is about the tips we should take into consideration when we install a solar street light.

The Q&A lists:

If you plan on using a battery charger with GEL or AGM batteries then you do have to be careful to ensure that the battery charger is able to work with your chosen battery. If you connect a GEL battery to a charger that has the incorrect charge settings then your GEL battery will be damaged. A good charger normally has manually adjustable pots that can be set to the correct battery type to ensure correct charging. Of course, if you don’t know what you are doing when adjusting the pots then just get the battery charger manufacturer to preset the settings for you. It will save you a lot of money in the long run.

Maintenance of remote power systems is crucial and it cannot be overlooked. The key issue is reliability and as such systems are, generally, located in remote and hard to access areas it follows that technical support can prove to be expensive. An often overlooked factor with remote power systems is the provision and quality of training that accompanies the system. Remote power system that combine wind turbines and solar PV is not just consumer items, at least not yet, that take “one size fits all” approach. Insufficient education and training does lead to lots of technical support calls and unnecessary time wasting. If you’re going to supply a customized system then ensure that the client is properly trained in the use and support of the system.

As interest in the use of solar PV increases we are constantly surprised by the lack of information available as to how pv can function within a building.

Of course there are many considerations to take into account, but these can be reduced to the following:

l Architectural - solar pv can be used for generating electricity and can be fitted to walls, roofs, act as windows, skylights, facades and even shades. 

l Load Management - solar pv can be used to offset peak loads and depending on time of year this can have a significant impact.

l Energy Control Management - solar pv can be used to drive all sorts of devices, pumps, fans etc.

l Hybrid Energy Systems - providing emergency power supplies, lighting, pumps etc.

Whatever your function it makes sense to take a modular approach to the design and implementation of the array. Modular means simple to design and implement, allows for redundancy of the array where shading may occur, details array aspect and orientation and elevation and positioning.

To keep solar street lights working properly, we have much work to do. More than proper installation, right configuration, timely maintenance is also very important.