Cost-effective and Extremely Efficient Four Types of solar powered outdoor street lights

   The rise in popularity of solar powered outdoor street lights has seen the technology adopted in various homes, streets, parks, highways, etc. Solar lights have proven to be a live saver in areas with no electricity or poor electricity supply. Apart from that, it has been embraced because of the need to go green in some places and save considerable amounts on cost.

As the solar powered outdoor street lights market expands so as different types of the product start to develop. We bring you four different kinds of solar powered street lights.

1. Split Type solar powered outdoor street lights (Off-grid)

The split type solar street light has its component units like a solar panel, battery, charge controller, etc. separated on the solar light system unit. For the off-grid type, they are independent of the power grid and operate individually. The unit can be installed anywhere without hindrance. The split type makes use of a lead-acid battery that will need a battery box and it is installed on a pole after the foundation for the pole has been put in place. These solar units charge the solar battery all through the day, which will be used to operate the light during the night.

2. Grid-connected solar powered outdoor street lights

For this type of solar street light, it is powered by electricity coming from the solar power grid. The power is sourced from the solar fed power grid, which then powers the solar lights at night. The size of the solar panels in this system is determined by the amount of power you want to generate. Technicians are generally required for this kind of solar powered outdoor street lights system. It is advisable to make use of the energy-saving LED light in your grid-connected solar light system to reduce the monthly electricity bill you will incur.

3. Solar & Wind Hybrid Solar powered outdoor street lights

For this street light, the power source is from both wind and solar energy. The combination of both sources of energy results in increased production and availability of energy to power more street lights. Additionally, the time they generate energy is different, with the sun generating more energy during the summertime and the wind generating more energy during winter. This makes this type of solar street light more adapted to a region with a harsh climate. This type of streetlight has a lot of benefits due to its dual-energy source.

4. The IntegratedSolar powered outdoor street lights

This type of solar light is designed in a way that all the components part of the solar street light are combined into one. The solar panel, the battery, LED light along with the motion sensor and charge controller. The sensor allows it to detect motion and adjust the light brightness accordingly. The integrated solar street light makes use of lithium Battery, unlike the split type that lead-acid battery. Additionally, the unit is compact and doesn’t require much space for installation.

Which is more Cost-Effectiveness and Efficient?

All four types of solar powered outdoor street light are cost-effective and very efficient. However, the level of cost-effectiveness and efficiency still differ among the four types of solar light. When we are talking of cost-effectiveness, the most effective in that regard is the integrated solar street light. This is due to the fact that all the components have been combined into one making easy to install, which means you spend less on installation. The integrated solar street light is also cheaper than the rest on the list making it highly cost-effective.

However, if we are to consider the level of efficiency then the hybrid solar street light will come on top with its dual source of energy. This means even in the absence of the sun, the unit keeps on generating energy through the wind. This gives it an edge over other types of solar street lights in terms of efficiency.

What contributes to the level of efficiency?

The increasing growth of the solar street light market has prompted the emergence of a lot of industries manufacturing various components of the solar powered outdoor street light. The quality of these components varies from company to company and it directly affects the level of efficiency of the solar street light unit. The higher the quality of the component parts the better the level of efficiency. However, the market is also littered with cheaper lesser quality parts due to the increasing demand for cheaper solar components. These cheap quality parts bring down the level of efficiency of the solar street light unit.