Every city has limited resources. Whether it is water or fuel or coal or oil. One day it will all run out because of taking these fossil fuels for granted and not using them wisely. Which is why people around the world have become aware to this problem. If a city wants to achieve sustainability and create a healthy and unpolluted environment, it is crucial for them to start using harmless natural resources available to them for free. Which is where solar street lights come in to play.
Many public lighting projects have been using an integrated system of solar street lights to install on the streets. For a good reason! Your average regular lighting pole uses about 250 to 400 Watts. Plus, some are expensive and do not even last very long. Over the years, solar panels have become very cheap and affordable, making it easy for public lighting projects to install solar street lights and save energy and money. They not only provide sustainability, they can improve the quality of life for the people in the city or town.
Here are a few reasons why public lighting projects should use solar street lights when developing and aiming for a safe and sustainable environment:
- Self-sustaining. They are solar powered. This can help reduce fossil fuel consumption. Solar panels produce energy and light by absorbing the sunlight which is a completely natural and inexhaustible source. These solar street lights are very efficient as well. They never use more energy than they have to. The LED bulbs installed in them have motion sensors which allows them to turn on or off or be dimmed depending on the lighting needs. LED lights use less energy than a fluorescent light however these motion sensors can help reduce energy consumption on an even greater scale. Solar street lights also have a rechargeable battery. So in case of storms or times when there is no sunlight available, the batteries store the sunlight from the previous days. The solar street lights then provide light regardless of the conditions.
- Improved light quality due to the usage of LED bulbs instead of High Pressure Sodium lights. LED lights provide a brighter light as compared to High Pressure Sodium lights. It makes it clearer to see and the rate of crimes may drop down as well. LED lights have a smart dimming option due to its motion sensors. They can also be controlled by remote controls. The brightness can be controlled, hence saving energy.
- Smart solar street lights can also collect data about the environment and traffic which helps them provide light accordingly. It can collect and keep track of the changing environment, for example, smog, temperature, air quality, etc. They can also collect and store data about places where traffic and pedestrians tend to go to more. Public lighting projects can then install more solar street lights or other elements which they think is necessary for the improvement of the city and environment.
If you are someone who is working on or for a public lighting project, use solar street lights.