Solar Powered LED Street Lights; Discover The 5 Latest Innovations

 There is an unusual movement of technology in the Solar Powered Led Street Lights industry towards integrated intelligent systems. Besides integrating all solar energy resources there is the usage of mobile application to control the operations of a street light system.

There is substantial technical development that has taken place in the field street lighting. We have seen the rise of solar and LED technology. Scientists are putting a lot of effort into their works to make these two technology fields more efficient. Others are coming up to take over control of the solar street light and introduce a form of automation to regulate the use of the energy generated.

New technology in Solar Powered Led Street Lights is a game-changer and has made it a viable option in public and private application.

Solar Powered Led Street Lights Design

1. Integrated Solar Powered Led Street Lights

Several companies and research centers have come up and still exploring new designs and technologies for solar street lights. To achieve a perfect integration of all the components of street lighting into one configuration, the battery size and solar panel must reduce in size and at the same time offer high storage and solar energy conversion respectively.

The integrated solar street light design seeks to solve the problem of high temperatures in tropical and sub-tropical climates. Also, the installation of Solar Powered Led Street Lights become a cumbersome process when you consider the many wiring cables that are required.  The integrated design comes with easy plug-and-play installation.

2. Modular Solar Powered Led Street Lights

Modular design is a design approach where the solar LED street light is composed of smaller, interchangeable parts or modules that can be easily assembled, disassembled, or replaced. In this approach, each module performs a specific function and can be easily added or removed without affecting the functionality of the light system.
Using modular design in solar powered LED street lights simplifies installation and maintenance. Each component, such as the solar panel, battery, and LED lights, can be replaced independently, if needed, without requiring a complete replacement of the entire system.

Battery technology

As suggested earlier, batteries are heat sensitive, and therefore there is a need for advanced technology that can support different climatic conditions. In areas that receive high temperatures, the use of nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries supersedes the application of lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries. The new battery shows high service life when submitted to both deep cycling and high temperature.

Besides lead-acid, lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), there are a variety of battery technology options. These include:

• lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC)
• lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP)
• lithium nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA)
• lithium titanate (LTO)
• lithium manganese spinel (LMO)
• Molten Salt Storage Technology
• Gel Cell Deep Cycle Battery
• Lithium Ferro Phosphate (LifePO4)

The research centers and solar companies are still working on adding smart technology and long service life and at the same time achieve lower cost, better rate capability, higher energy density, faster activation, and resistance to high temperatures and deep cycling. New technology seeks to enhance the battery lifespan and at the same time allow the lighting system to last all night long without interruption.

Contemporary Solar Powered Led Street Lights come with a battery management system (BMS). The BMS technology assumes the control of from the solar panel to the lighting levels. A more advanced approach to this technology comes with adaptive lighting feature that is activated depending on the weather and battery charge level. Other features in the BMS technology include:

• no blackout features
• battery life extension mode
• connectivity features.

Solar Panel Technology

Scientists are also working on technologies that can optimize the performance of solar panels. In the solar cell technology, there is the discovery of Gallium Arsenide, a material that triples the efficiency of existing solar cell technologies.

The modern solar panels can track the movement of sunlight. This technology seeks to maximize solar energy conversion rate by guiding the energy waves into the system.  Some LED Street Lights comes with solar panels with built-in rechargeable battery. This design technology is believed to lower cost of the product by up to 25%.

Conventional Street light Lamps  

Traditionally Solar Powered Led Street Lights used high-pressure sodium (HPS), Metal Halide (MH) and low-pressure sodium (LPS) lamps in the lighting systems. The growing need to replace all of the conventional bulbs has led to the development of cutting-edge alternative sources of light such as light-emitting diode (LED) and Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL).

The LED technology is preferred over HPS or MH because it occupies less space in the lamps and has a higher luminous efficacy. Furthermore, it consumes at least 50% less energy than conventional light sources.

Smart energy management and control technology

Intelligent Sensor technology

Smart Solar Powered Led Street Lights come with motion-sensing technology to enable automation. The sensor technology has been used in adjusting the light levels when there is activity below the street light and change in ambience in the surrounding environment.

If you are worried about the safety of your solar system, then you should worry no more. Advanced solar street lights come with inbuilt alarm sensor technology that will trigger when someone touches it.  The idea that solar street lights can be stolen is the driving force of the development of anti-theft features.

Dust-cleaning circuit

On a windy day, dust particle settles at the surface of the solar panels. Accumulation of dust particles reduces the conversion rate of the solar panels. The solar panel tilt angle can help minimize dust accumulation, but it limits the exposure to sunlight. The modern Solar Powered Led Street Lights come designed with a dust-cleaning circuit. The robotic wet and dry auto cleaning system works by brushing dust off the surface of solar panels.

Mobile Application

The use of mobile application addresses the need for remote switching ON/OFF of the LEDs and at the same time check the status of the unit. The App software that comes with solar led street light systems uses the Bluetooth module to provide wireless connectivity for ultimate control.  This technology also allows you to change the angle of tilt.

Besides control, the mobile application provides you with real-time update on the status of the components in your solar streetlight system. Knowing the state of your streetlight service life helps in predicting and scheduling repairs and maintenance.

Solar Powered LED Street Lights: Conclusion

New solar-powered Led street lights aim for enhanced connectivity, greenhouse gas emissions, and sustainability.  The best way companies and research centers can develop smart and efficient Solar Powered Led Street Lights are through the use of cutting-edge technology.  In streetlights, technology revolves around the battery, solar panel, and lighting system.