Off-grid renewable power and lighting expert, John Foster, Managing Director, Prolectric, talks about renewable lighting and the operational risks for businesses that rely solely on diesel power.

As regulators call for the tightening up of environmental standards on site emissions, early adopters of renewable technologies are now not only ahead of the game when it comes to compliance but are able to realise a competitive advantage. As fuel markets remain unpredictable and supply chains increasingly fragile, more organisations are recognising the strategic value of futureproofing and diversifying their onsite energy sources. As a result, off-grid renewable power is rapidly becoming an intrinsic part of a site operator’s risk-management strategy – and no longer just perceived as an isolated tick box sustainability exercise.

With skills shortages, high inflation, rising material and equipment costs, not to mention volatile fossil fuel supply chains, pressure is mounting from all directions. As a result, we are currently witnessing a phenomenal pivot within our client base, where long-term established customer businesses have parted with their traditional diesel-dependent equipment in favour of investing in renewable off-grid alternatives. Business, they say, is booming, in what is globally a very difficult market.

For many companies, the adoption of more sustainable business practice is having a halo effect, helping to enhance brand reputation and attract more environmentally conscious clients who share similar values. The strategic reinvention and repositioning of traditional diesel-dependent businesses is clearly paying dividends.

Lighting the way

As industries across the UK accelerate their transition to lower‑carbon operations, renewable lighting has emerged as one of the most practical ways to reduce environmental impact while improving operational efficiency. From construction and infrastructure to events and urban environments, renewable lighting technologies are proving that sustainability and performance are no longer mutually exclusive.

Prolectric designs and manufactures both permanent and temporary off-grid solar lighting solutions for the UK market. Prolectric permanent solar street lighting solutions provide reliable, low-maintenance illumination, which is mains-free and fully compliant with British Standards and DarkSky Approved.

In the temporary lighting category, solar tower lights, column lighting and perimeter and zonal lighting systems deliver safe, sustainable and fully off-grid illumination for construction sites and infrastructure projects, as well as on many other schemes and applications. For example, they are often supplied to warehousing projects and are equally at home on film sets. Designed for rapid deployment and consistent performance, these solutions reduce operational costs while eliminating diesel dependency.

Tower lights are essential for safe and productive work after dark and in areas of poor lighting – and with so many mobile tower lights available in the market it is important to understand the various options available. They are operated all year round, offering the most essential, versatile and functional components to extend construction hours after dark.

Prolectric created the original solar-powered tower light in the UK in 2017, pioneering the transition from diesel and fossil fuel-powered tower lights to solar and hybrid alternatives. Since then, our solutions have saved customers over £40m in diesel costs and over 83m kgs of CO₂e.

Prolectric’s tower lights are designed and engineered in the UK at a manufacturing facility in Clevedon, near Bristol. From here, the company is able to specialise in developing lighting solutions that are specifically designed and built for the UK market. There is a unique and often challenging balance to strike in the UK winter between lower solar yield and longer nights.

Patented autonomous lighting control technology ensures lights operate reliably throughout the night, working as long and as hard as Prolectric customers do. The technology was specifically developed by an in-house R&D team in response to general market perceptions that off-grid solar lighting does not work consistently in the UK. Based on over 10 years of climate data, including sunrise and sunset patterns, combined with GPS location of the light and the battery state-of-charge analysis, the lights intelligently self-regulate their brightness to ensure they stay on all night.

Tower power

Advanced tower lights include specialised telematics systems which enable remote monitoring and control from any location. Prolectric has also developed the only solar lighting solutions on the market that eliminates the need for battery draining. Battery draining is commonly employed by traditional diesel tower lights to prolong the useable life of a battery and is required multiple times a month by our competitors’ products. The battery will be drained to 0 and then recharged using an external power supply back to 100%. This is a level of maintenance that we believe can be avoided by providing true setup-and-forget solutions, which are unique to Prolectric.

As many lighting towers are used in very harsh weather conditions, the design of the canopy can be a gamechanger when it comes to optimising performance and usability. It is vital that the body of the light tower is made of material that is corrosion- and crack-resistant, environmentally friendly and able to meet the demands of the working environment.

Prolectric’s tower light canopies are built from robust, powder-coated steel to protect the tower’s internal components from the elements. What is more, the innovative design and tough material helps ensure that the tower continues to perform throughout years of service, helping retain a high resale value and providing an outstanding Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Wind resistance is another important consideration; our tower lights are rated for use in up to 80km/h wind speeds and are fitted with outriggers to provide further stability.

Proven technology

Renewable solar lighting is no longer a niche or futuristic technology; today it is a proven, high‑performance solution delivering real-world environmental and commercial value. As industries continue to decarbonise site operations and developments, solar and hybrid lighting will play an increasingly central role in creating cleaner, quieter and more resilient projects. For organisations looking to future-proof their energy sources and take meaningful steps towards sustainability, without compromising safety or productivity, renewable lighting offers one of the most rewarding and immediate opportunities to make a difference.

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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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