Commercial Solar Outdoor Lighting
Many municipal and commercial areas that should be illuminated for safety, performance or convenience reasons are not because there is no access to electric power. Many citizens and employees are demanding better outdoor conditions.
Solar-powered lighting is well-suited for use in remote locations and hard-to-access places where utility grid electricity is not available or costly to install. Solar lighting illuminates industrial, commercial and municipal property such as roadways, airfields, marinas, parking lots, walkways, buildings, equipment, and recreation areas.
Solar Outdoor Lighting is Easy to Install and Reliable
Some of the benefits of solar outdoor lighting are:
- Lower cost – Less expensive than costly trenching.
- Easy installation – Auger hole and install post.
- Low maintenance – Long lasting LED lamps.
- Fixed electricity rate – No increase in electricity bills as utility rates increase.
- Environmentally friendly – No fossil fuel energy for operation. Promote a green reputation.
Most of our solar lighting systems use high-efficiency LED (light emitting diode) lamps to provide a reliable and energy-efficient alternative to traditional lighting systems. High-efficiency low pressure sodium lamps are also available for specific lighting applications.
Common applications for commercial outdoor lighting are:
- Security lighting – illuminate property to deter crime.
- Security lights – are usually floodlights but can also be spot lights. Lights can be controlled by a photo-cell for dusk-to-dawn lighting, a motion sensor to warn intruders, conserve energy and save lamps, or Hi/Lo sensors which operate lights at 20% of lamp wattage from dusk-to-dawn and full illumination when motion is detected.
- Area lighting – Floodlights illuminate work zones, entrances, hockey rinks, tennis courts, parks, and recreation areas during night-time hours.
- Street and roadway lighting – illuminate roadways and intersections at night and during bad weather. Increase safety for vehicles and pedestrians.
- Parking lot lighting – For new lots or retrofitting existing ones. Less digging and lower lifetime costs than utility connected lighting. Ideal for parking lots at commuter rail/bus stations, park & ride, campus, retail, municipal, corporate employee, and civic sites.
- Perimeter and beacon lighting – Use low-powered lights that mark the perimeter or border of an area such as a fence, storage area, harbor/dock, equipment cage, or heliport.
- Walkway and pathway lighting – Provides pedestrian safety and convenience at night.
- Marker lighting – Small reflective lights for use on roadways, pathways and equipment to mark their position, warn people, support work, and aid navigation.
- Shelter lighting – Illuminate the interior of bus shelters, kiosks, booths, washrooms, rest stops, or gazebos.
Intelligent Light Controls
A well-designed solar-powered lighting system with intelligent light controls provides illumination at specific places and times based on:
- Time of day irradiation (sunset, sunrise, season)
- Time of day demand (priority)
- Weather conditions
- Prolonged bad weather
- Required light-on hours of the lamp
- Required intensity of the lamp
- Location of vehicles or persons
- State of charge of the batteries (monitor and manage)
Advantages of Solar Power
There are many advantages to using solar electric power in remote, inaccessible or standalone applications:
Affordable
Off-grid solar electric systems are now price competitive with alternative energy sources, such as operating diesel generators or installing utility electricity, as measured by Dollars per kWh of energy generated.
Reliable
Unlike gas or diesel generators, or wind turbines, photovoltaic power systems have no moving parts and require little maintenance.
Flexible
Solar power systems can be designed in modules to meet specific requirements now. Add more capacity later with no equipment replacement as loads increase.