Off-grid, renewable energy specialist Kathryn Adams, Commercial Director, Prolectric, dispels a few common misconceptions around solar street lighting.
As the colder months descend, the gritters are on standby and specialist teams up and down the country focus their efforts on winter maintenance. Cold weather service plans are underway to mitigate equipment downtime; avoiding costly repairs to optimise the performance of assets remains a priority. Dogged by months of inclement weather and shorter daylight hours, the need for reliable street lighting in UK modern infrastructure cannot be understated.
Private and public exterior lighting in the UK places a significant draw on the national electrical power grid with over seven million public street lights, used each year. Traditional lighting is expensive to install and run, and a significant contributor to the country’s total carbon emissions. In terms of simple running costs, according to a State of the Nation report on street lighting, annual expenditure on electricity could reach £379m by 2030 for the UK’s mains-powered streetlights.
The carbon emissions from traditional lighting comes from the generation of electricity to power the lights, together with the embedded carbon generated by their manufacture, installation and maintenance. The UK has a target of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and, as a result, the country’s approach to street lighting is changing to reflect this commitment.
Ain’t no sunshine
When it comes to the widescale adoption and deployment of solar street lighting solutions, a range of misconceptions cast a shadow over the effectiveness and viability of this game-changing technology.
One of the most common myths is that solar power becomes less efficient during winter and is most effective in summer when the sun is out. Wintertime can be harsh on outdoor equipment, but contrary to popular belief, solar panels are designed to work efficiently, even in colder climates – and often are more efficient at converting sunlight into electricity when operating in cooler temperatures.
While shorter daylight hours might slightly affect the overall energy generation, advancements in solar technology, such as improved panel efficiency and energy storage systems, have significantly minimised this impact. Even on overcast days solar panels can still capture diffuse sunlight by efficiently converting it into usable energy, allowing customers to effectively harness solar power in low-light conditions.
To date, Prolectric has provided over 10,000 solar streetlights across the UK. Brightening up car parks, walkways and streets, round the clock, 365 days a year, our solar technology is engineered to work in the harshest of UK winters, where cloudy days make up 43% of the year.
The first permanent solar street lighting was installed in the UK by Prolectric, in 2011. Since then, solar street lighting has proven itself to be reliable, durable and effective. Our lights are designed for the UK weather and manufactured in our facility near Bristol. Installation costs are around half those of mains-connected lighting, while running costs are negligible and operational carbon emissions are zero.
However, the market has been recently been flooded with cheap, unsuitable lights that simply do not deliver their claimed performance and reliability in British winters. This poses a challenge for everyone from facilities managers and property developers, to local authorities and large commercial estates, in understanding how to choose a solar streetlight that will deliver on its promises.
Leave a light on
Solar lighting has come a long way from its early days. Thanks to technological advancements, solar-powered lighting systems are now equipped with high-efficiency LED lights and sensors that provide bright and effective lighting. The energy generated from the sun during the day is stored in batteries, allowing them to shine throughout the night. Prolectric’s specially developed smart light controller and Passive Infra-Red (PIR) sensor work to ensure the solar LED light lasts from dusk until dawn, even on dark days, and throughout the UK winter.
The very latest development is creating lights with 3 PIR which now ensures movement is picked up from an even greater distance and radius. Solar lights offer a reliable and eco-friendly solution without compromising on brightness, whether installed in car parks, pathways, campuses or parks. And when used across large commercial properties, operational carbon emissions can be significantly reduced.
See the light
Solar streetlights and bollards are simple, quick and economical to install. With no manpower required to dig trenches or install trunking for cables, labour costs and carbon footprints are significantly reduced. Installation time is minimal compared to conventional mains power alternatives which decreases the disruption to road users and the impact on traffic. It can also help to cut down construction project schedules and with reduced contractor presence, onsite safety and security is also enhanced. A recent project Prolectric undertook for a large MOD contractor saved them over £300,000 on trenching and cabling alone and took away months of disruption and contractors onsite.
Reducing the reliance on grid energy, unlike EV charging units and stations that stretch the grid capacity; solar streetlights and bollards are low maintenance, with no need for PAT testing, and have a long operating life. There is no need to change the whole unit when one element comes to the end of its life; instead, the single component can be replaced, again reducing embodied carbon and waste.
Solar systems are often perceived as high-maintenance due to concerns about cleaning panels and maintaining batteries. However, modern solar panels are designed with self-cleaning technology. Battery maintenance is also minimal, with many solar systems featuring smart battery management systems that require little to no manual intervention. Routine checks and occasional cleaning are usually sufficient to keep a solar system running smoothly year-round.
Dark night, bright future
When it comes to solar lighting, both temporary and permanent solutions, Prolectric has been championing quieter, safer and more environmentally friendly sites for over a decade, as the first to introduce solar street lighting to the UK. Game-changing solar technology provides a practical way for businesses to achieve their carbon-reduction commitments, enabling them to move away from fossil-fuelled or mains powered systems.
Prolectric solar street lights reduce installation costs with no need for trenching, cabling, external power or a DNO connection, halving upfront costs and eliminating ongoing costs. An extensive array of motion detection capabilities and a range of Prolectric solar bollards further compliment the high power solar street light offering with the latest solar LED technology.
When the nights draw in, it’s cold and dark and summer feels like a very distant memory – we can rest safe in the knowledge that year-round solar power and lighting is a feasible, practical and reliable option, contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable future.
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