4 Myths on Solar Street Lights

Solar street lights have seen an increase in popularity in the past few years. The rising cost of electricity together with the growing awareness to reduce our carbon footprint has seen a shift to this trend. National and local government entities have been shifting to solar LED street lights to brighten up public roads, streets, parks and other public areas.

Here are 4 myths on solar street lights.

We hope these tips help you avoid the cheap solar street light trap and guide you to the successful implementation of LED solar street lighting in the Philippines.

Myth 1.    WATTS = BRIGHTNESS

Most people believe wattage is the reference to the brightness of a light. People tend to believe that a 50W bulb provides us with 50W of light. As lighting technology evolves, we should pay attention to lumens. Lumen is the measurement of the amount of brightness a light/ lamp provides.

	250+ Lumens	400+ Lumens	700+ Lumens	900+ Lumens	1100+ Lumens
Incandescent	25W	40W	60W	75W	100W
Halogen	18W	28W	42W	53W	70W
CFL	6W	7W	12W	15W	20W
LED	4W	6W	10W	13W	18W

The chart above illustrates that to achieve a brightness of 250+ lumens it only take a 4W LED light while it takes 25W for an incandescent bulb.

Myth 2.   BATTERY CAPACITY IS MEASURED BY AMPERE HOUR (Ah)

Most people usually just check the ampere-hour (Ah) of the battery. One should consider Watt Hour. Watt Hour is a unit of measurement of power over a period of time. In this case, it is our way of measuring capacity. Watt Hour is derived from ampere-hour multiplied by voltage (Wh = Ah x V).

A 12V 20Ah battery would have 4 times more capacity than a 3.2V 20Ah battery.

To put this in context, only 12V and 24V battery systems can drive solar lamp output of 40W-120W. It would be impossible for lower voltage to provide 3-5 day power capacity backup during rainy and cloudy days.

Myth 3.    SOLAR PANEL: SIZE = POWER

Monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels are two general types of solar panels used in solar street lights. Monocrystalline panels have much higher efficiency compared to polycrystalline solar panels. With the same panel dimensions, the more efficient monocrystalline panels would generate more power than polycrystalline panels.

For this reason, we recommend the use of monocrystalline panels. To achieve the same power, a 20% reduction of the size of the monocrystalline panel can be installed. Its more compact size and lighter weight would provide better wind resistance and make installations easier and safer.

Myth 4.  THEY DON’T LAST LONG

This is half true. We have heard numerous stories of painful experiences by numerous customers who purchased cheap solar street lights in the Philippines. There is a saying that goes “Cheap is not Good and Good is not Cheap”.

Solar panels can last for 25 years while a Class A LifeP04 battery can last for 8-10 years. Choose your quality product components properly, size the products with the right technical specifications for your project and purchase the best solar street lights from a reputable supplier. Follow these tips and this myth would remain a myth.

We encourage local government units and contractors to reach out to us at +639176310032 for a free consultation. Here, we also provide you with factors to consider when buying solar street lights in the Philippines.

Let us help you plan your next successful Solar Street Light project.