In recent times, the consumption of energy has increased greatly while the sources of energy have reduced. Therefore, there is a greater need for energy and because the sources of energy are limited, a means has been devised in other to meet with the demand. The means that have been devised are renewable energy. With this in mind, this anti focuses on automatic solar street light control. This street light is controlled by solar energy which regulates the light intensity throughout the day, from morning to evening, it depends on the brightness. The advantage of solar street light is that it can save large amounts of energy when compared to other lights.
Automatic Solar Street Light
The solar street lights follow the principle of the solar of PV cells in that it absorbs solar energy when the sun is out in the daytime. The function of the PV cell is that it turns solar energy into electrical energy. Then, this converted energy is then stored in the battery and the solar lights make use of solar energy. These days you see solar street lights on the road. At night, the street lights automatically come on and make use of the energy that has already been stored in the battery. This process is continuous and occurs every day.
The light emitting diode, which is a semiconductor source of light that produces light when current passes through it, which composes of chemical compounds. When current from the battery passes through the light, it then emits light. LED lights to come in different shapes, sizes, and styles. The light-emitting diode has a very high lifespan and requires very little current to power it.
Workings Of An Automatic Solar Street Light
An automatic solar street light comes on at dusk till dawn. The street light comes on automatically at dusk and goes off at dawn automatically. The components that make up the solar street light includes:
- Solar panel
- LED lights
- Battery (rechargeable)
- Pole
- Controller
- Inter controlling cables.
Solar panel
The PV cells are one important part of the solar street light. It is available in two parts: the monocrystalline and the polycrystalline. The conversion rate of the monocrystalline is higher than of the polycrystalline. The solar panel uses light energy which is gotten from the sun is which is used to convert solar energy to electrical energy and it can be used in different forms of applications. Its electric connection is made up of different series so that it can achieve an optimum voltage and to achieve a current facility which is made in parallel. Most parts of the module are fixed buy some parts use silicon.
Light-emitting diode(LED)
The reason why people prefer to use the LED is that it produces brighter lights with less power consumption. Its power consumption is lesser than the sodium fixture. The sodium fixture is frequently used in most traditional street lights you see on the road. However, to conserve more energy and to get a better result, it is advised you go for the LED light. When compared to other light fixtures, the LED does not produce light in all directions. The lamp’s design greatly affects the LED’s uniqueness. An LED optimum is not the same as that of a fluorescent lamp.
However, if you put together a couple of LED lights, you would get a light brighter than this lamp. The LED lights have a lot of advantages which include it is very friendly for the environment, it is very durable, has a long lifespan and it has no UV emission.
Rechargeable battery
This is a special type of electrical battery which is also called a secondary cell. The reason it is called a secondary cell is that it has a special type of reaction( electromechanical reaction) which helps it adjusts. There are two types of batteries, the gel cell deep battery, and the acid lead battery. For automatic solar street lights, rechargeable batteries are used. It helps to store electricity which was generated during sunrise by the solar panel to have enough energy to power the street light after sunset. The lifespan of a rechargeable battery is important as it serves as a backup for days when there’s no sunlight.
Controller
The controller is an important part of the automatic solar street light as it helps to determine the status of both lighting and charging by switching it on and off. Some controllers are pre-programmed and it consists of a battery charger, LED lamp driver, an MCU, secondary power supply, a protection circuit, etc. The controller can control the battery from the charging conditions. The battery is charged from the energy gotten from the solar panel during sunrise.
Pole
A strong pole is needed for every street light whether it is the traditional street light or the automatic solar street light. The panel, batteries and the fixtures are placed on the pole showing the importance of the presence of the pole and also the importance of it is properly fixed. The operating voltage is 12V DC with a height of 12 feet.
Interconnecting cables
The interconnecting cable connects the LED lights, battery and battery box and the solar panel that is fixed on the pole. The cable helps in the connection of the photovoltaic module to the controller, the controller is connected to the lamp and then the lamp is connected to the battery. The size of the cables depends on the current LED light carries and how tall the pole is. For the assembling of an automatic solar street light, all the components listed above can be used for the connection which makes use of the solar energy and it gives light to the lamp which is fixed on the pole.
automatic solar street light: Conclusion
This article has talked deeply about the solar street light, its components and how it powers. It has shown that the battery is charged daily by the sun through the solar panel so that at night, it comes on and brightens the whole area. To get an automatic solar street light, DEL Illumination is the place for you to go. They are trusted and very reliable.
For more reference How to design a solar street light project pdf
