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Off-grid solar & wind powered lighting systems are becoming increasingly popular, especially as high efficiency LEDs are now so widely available.
Applications range from sign lighting, bus shelter lighting, all the way to lighting systems for stables and barns.
LED lighting plays a big part in the equation, offering very high running hours, instant illumination, and a wide range of brightness levels.
The avoided expense of burying long cables from the nearest mains supply often makes solar powered lighting solutions highly cost effective.
Custom solar lighting kits are suitable for :
- Bus Stops & Shelters
- Road Signs & Street-lighting
- Rural Electrification Projects
- Barns, Outbuildings & Sheds
- Stables & Field Shelters
- Carports / Garages
The benefits of solar & wind powered lighting systems include improved security, health & safety, minimal maintenance, silent and reliable power generation and low running costs.
Components of a Solar Lighting System
A typical small to medium sized wind or solar powered lighting system consists of the following components :
- Solar pv panel and / or wind generator
- Mounting brackets for pv panel
- Charge controller / regulator
- Deep Cycle Solar Battery - non gassing.
- Correctly Sized Cables
- Fuses / MCBs
- 12V or 24V DC Lights
Efficiency Matters
For all solar, wind and battery powered lighting systems, high efficiency lights are extremely important. The cost of a solar or wind energy system is directly proportional to the average energy consumption and the daily running times.
For smaller lighting systems, it's often most efficient to run DC powered lights. This eliminates inverter conversion losses and quiescent power draw.
Larger solar lighting systems with long cable runs of over approx 50m, will often have to use an inverter and 240V AC mains lighting to avoid significant voltage loss along the cables.
Other strategies to minimise the power demand include PIR sensors and timers. Special solar pv controllers are also available with built-in timer circuits.
Bespoke Solar Lighting Systems
At the EDC, we can custom design a solar or wind powered lighting system to your exact specifications. In order to do so, our design engineers need to know the total wattage of lights being used, the voltage, and the average daily running times for each light.