Home > Blog > Company
bLOG

How Do Solar Street Lights Work?

Nov 05, 2024
Speaking of solar street lights, I believe everyone is familiar with them. Solar street lights are a kind of lighting equipment that uses solar energy to generate electricity. In sunny areas, solar led street lights can almost meet all-weather lighting needs. This stable and sustainable lighting solution that does not rely on traditional power grids has been used in many countries and regions around the world.

solar streetlights
 

How do solar street lights work?

Solar street lights rely on renewable, clean energy—solar energy. So how does it convert solar energy into electrical energy? Next, let's learn about the working principle of solar street lights.

1. Solar panels collect solar energy.

Photovoltaic modules or solar panels detect and absorb sunlight. At present, there are two popular types of solar panels used in the solar industry, which are monocrystalline solar panels and polycrystalline solar panels. Monocrystalline solar panels are widely used in solar led street lights technology, because they can effectively capture solar energy even in cold weather. The solar panel is installed on the top of the light pole through a bracket. Some designs have a certain degree of flexibility so that the panel can be adjusted. This is to make different solar panel positions more effectively used.

2. Rechargeable batteries convert solar energy into electricity and store it.

Solar street lights are equipped with rechargeable batteries, which store energy during the day and use it at night to power LED lights. The rechargeable battery of solar street lights is a deep-cycle battery type, which is designed to maintain continuous current for a long time. Therefore, it can be effectively discharged from time to time without losing its efficacy. The battery of solar led street lights is designed to charge for more than one day, and the typical design margin is 5 days to maintain lighting in winter and rainy seasons.


 

3. A smart controller regulates the stored energy and lights up the solar street lights.

The stored energy is regulated by a smart controller, which helps control the flow of voltage and current to prevent overcharging of the battery. Smart controllers are generally installed between the solar panel and the rechargeable battery so that they can accept signals from both components. The smart controller of the solar powered outdoor street lights manages the signals to regulate the voltage and current from the panel. There are two main types of smart controllers used in solar street lights: PWM and MPPT.

Modern solar LED street lights are equipped with MPPT charge controllers because they are more reliable than PWM charge controllers. The MPPT controller also initiates the dimming action and light intensity of the
solar powered outdoor street lights. For example, solar street lights can project different amounts of lighting at different times of the day: for example, from 6 pm to 7 pm, the brightness is set to 70%; from 8 pm to 10 pm, when there is a large flow of people and vehicles, the brightness is set to 100%; from 11 pm to 5 am, it can be set to 30% brightness. When the sensor detects a person, it automatically adjusts to 100% brightness, even at any time during the night. Therefore, commercial solar powered street lights can also save a lot of energy.

Advantages of solar street lights

1. Independent power supply

Knowing the working principle of solar street lights, we can have a clearer understanding of the advantages of solar powered outdoor street lights. They do not rely on traditional power grids, can save a lot of electricity costs, and are extremely easy to install, especially suitable for areas with complex road environments and unstable power supply. Each solar street light is an independent individual, which can achieve energy self-sufficiency without worrying about power failures and can provide continuous and stable lighting.

solar led street lights
 

2. Energy saving and environmental protection

Because solar powered LED street lights use clean energy, therefore, during use, solar street lights will not pollute the environment nor consume non-renewable fossil fuels, which can effectively alleviate the energy crisis and protect the environment. The application of intelligent controllers also makes the energy distribution of commercial solar powered street lights more reasonable, which can greatly save energy and extend the service life of solar street lights.

3. Low maintenance cost

Solar powered LED street lights have a long service life, and the system is equipped with intelligent controllers to protect the charging and discharging of batteries, reduce maintenance frequency, and have low long-term operating costs. During use, it is only necessary to regularly check and clean the solar street light components without consuming a lot of manpower and material resources.

4. High safety

During the installation of solar street lights, it is not necessary to lay cables, which avoids leakage and other unexpected situations. Traditional street lights rely on the city power supply, and there are safety hazards such as leakage and short circuits. Solar powered LED street lights use a low-voltage DC power supply, which is safer and reduces the risk of electric shock.

solar street lights

Solar street lights use these components to repeat the process of charging, storing, and discharging every day to provide people with continuous and stable lighting. With the development of science and technology and the application of intelligent controllers, commercial solar powered street lights can allocate energy more reasonably, provide people with appropriate brightness at the right place and time, and ensure travel safety for people while saving energy and protecting the environment.
 


Share:
Send Your INQUIRY
Welcome to our product consultation, here to provide you with professional solutions.