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.

To find out more about solar street lighting, click here

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In this month’s Face to Face we hear from Kathryn Adams, Commercial Director at Prolectric, about solar based products and future direction of the industry.

• Can you tell us a bit about Prolectric and the products and services the company offers?

As the first to specialise in off-grid, renewable lighting and power, we’ve made it our mission to build the world’s cleanest, most advanced, sustainable products. We’ve been powering the UK’s off-grid energy needs with smart, clean, renewable technology for almost a decade.

We introduced the first all in one solar street lighting to the UK in 2011, as a like-for-like alternative to traditional mains powered lights. With no need for trenching or cabling and with no ongoing costs, they are a perfect replacement for streetlights that have come to the end of their life or for new developments. The lights have been widely adopted by house builders, facilities managers for large commercial estates and local councils, for use in car parks, large campus, residential housing developments, parks and pedestrian walkways.

Our solar hybrid generators and solar lighting towers are like-for-like alternatives to diesel. They have been engineered using the latest autonomous software to ensure they work perfectly in the UK, whatever the weather and season.

Engineered in Britain to the highest standards, our products provide unparalleled performance, which reduces or eliminates carbon, fuel and noise – all the while saving costs and meeting carbon saving goals. Since launching our first solar lighting tower in 2016, we have saved customers 27million kgs of CO2 and reduced diesel usage by more than 10.2million litres, which represents a customer saving of more than £10million.

We lead the way in this sector – not least because we pioneered it – but because we’re the only ones to have mastered the art of engineering the only solar, battery and hybrid systems in the UK to truly work autonomously, all-year round.  

• What advantages does solar/hybrid powered equipment boast over traditional systems?

When it comes to permanent lighting, solar streetlights and bollards are simple, quick and economical to install. With no labour 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.

As an unlimited resource, combined with its versatility, minimal noise and low maintenance, solar and solar hybrid powered equipment offer a highly efficient alternative to diesel, without making any compromises to onsite power needs. The self-generating strengths and properties of solar mean it can be used safely and effectively anywhere, and in all weather conditions.

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.

Temporary power provides a perfect solution for urban areas, as it operates silently and has zero risk of spillages. Including the initial investment, our customer is cost neutral after only 2 and half years on average – and makes an average total saving of £18k year on year after that.

• Do solar based products require optimal weather conditions to operate effectively?

Short answer is no, absolutely not. One of the most common myths is that solar power only works in the summer when the sun is shining and becomes inefficient during winter. Contrary to this belief, solar panels are designed to work effectively even in colder climates – and often are more efficient at converting sunlight into electricity when operating at 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 minimised this impact. Prolectric’s solar technology has been engineered to work in the harshest of UK winters, where cloudy days make up 43% of the year. They’ve been tested and proven to work in Scotland.

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, we have provided over 8,000 solar streetlights across the UK, brightening up car parks, walkways and streets, round the clock, 365 days a year.

Solar lighting has come a long way from its early days and today offers a reliable and eco-friendly solution, without compromising on brightness, on a wide range of applications from commercial, industrial and infrastructure to social housing developments. We have spent years creating smart solar tower lights that can self-regulate to ensure they work throughout the night. Using GPS, we are able to capture 10 years of solar radiance, in one location, including the specific dawn and dusk times. This intelligence is evaluated alongside the current state of battery reserves, to provide autonomous lighting – the built-in capability to manage optimum levels of luminosity throughout the night as needed.

• How do you see the industry evolving over the next few years?

The drive for sustainable products will only continue to increase over the next few years as we head closer to our 2030 and 2050 decarbonisation targets. With increased pressure on the UK grid, permanent solar lighting will become a more desirable method to alleviate some of the demand. This, combined with the continued rising cost of fossil fuel energy, means we are very confident that off-grid solar lighting will result in much more widespread use.

We also predict a critical sea change when it comes to diesel reduction. There are currently an estimated 300,000 items of Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) used by the UK construction sector, largely powered by diesel, and therefore generating significant carbon emissions. Work is underway across the UK construction sector to eliminate diesel from construction sites with a number of large infrastructure projects and main contractors setting commitments to reduce and eliminate the use of diesel from construction. However, this is an area which requires a huge amount of mindset and behaviour change.

• What are the greatest challenges in convincing industry to switch to battery and solar based solutions?

There have been slower adoption rates across industry for many factors, but a lot of this is concerned with a huge lack of accurate information. We are making it our mission to right this. Challenging the norm is never easy. There are many misconceptions when it comes to solar and alternative power use, so we have to work hard at myth busting.

Cost is often highlighted as a barrier to change, and whilst the initial outlay of the unit is often higher than traditional options, the lifetime costs are significantly cheaper and the dividends are quickly clear to see. On average customers who purchase our Prolight Solar Lighting tower are cost neutral before the end of the 2^nd year and save £3,000 a year per unit thereafter, as well as the savings on your ProPower I mentioned previously. Solar works all year round, in all weather conditions, even in the harshest of Scottish winters – we have the data to prove it.

• What will Prolectric be focusing on over the next 12 months?

Continuing to be at the forefront of the industry, driving positive change, we see it as our duty to educate the market. We will continue to collaborate with organisations who want to make a positive change to their business and the environment, working closely with wholesalers, national house builders, across the public sector and on largescale infrastructure projects. Helping businesses to move away from using polluting fossil fuels to achieve their carbon-saving goals and sustainability commitments, as well as saving money, remains our primary goal.

To find out more about Prolectric, click here

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Off-grid renewable lighting expert Rachel Preen, Managing Director of Prolectric, outlines all you need to know about permanent solar lighting.

Heading into summer, the demand for high quality, reliable, solar solutions are set to surge.

As the UK transitions towards net zero, more and more electrical wholesalers are extending the breadth of their off-grid product ranges to accommodate the growing industry appetite.

We are witnessing the uplift across industry as the sustainability specifiers’ web of influence grows and electricians, contractors and developers take advantage of the opportunity to be part of a highly profitable industry. At the sharp end, this increases the need to provide customers with the right information to make informed and factual decisions.

Solar without sun

As with all new and emerging technologies, a range of misconceptions can sometimes cast a shadow over the effectiveness of solar lighting as a game-changing technology. One of the most common myths is that solar power is most effective in summer when the sun is out and becomes less efficient during winter. Contrary to this belief, solar panels are designed to work efficiently even in colder, darker climates – and often are more efficient at converting sunlight into electricity when operating at 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 minimised this impact. Prolectric’s solar technology has been engineered to work in the harshest of UK winters, where cloudy days make up 43% of the year.

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 8,000 solar streetlights across the UK, brightening up car parks, walkways and streets, round the clock, 365 days a year.

The dark days are over

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.

Our very latest development in 3 PIR offers a unique solution which now ensures movement is picked up from an even greater distance. 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.

Low maintenance solar systems

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 minimises the disruption to roads 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.

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.

Delivering change

When it comes to solar lighting, both temporary and permanent solutions, Prolectric has been championing quieter, safer and more environmentally friendly sites since 2011, as the first to introduce solar street lighting to the UK. This 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 lighting and hybrid generators provide high-performance temporary and permanent site lighting and power – with minimal environmental impact and low running costs. In particular, these lighting systems produce no carbon, no noise, need little maintenance, and require no fuel. As the demands on the UK electrical grid become greater and the need to reduce carbon emissions becomes increasingly important, solar lighting has the potential to deliver real change.

In close, we don’t want to wish the Great British summertime away, but when the sun starts to fade, the nights draw in and summer feels like a very distant memory – you can be 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.

For more information, click here

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