astronomy

Solar street light

Solar street light is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Solar street light rather than just read about it. In short: Solar street lights are raised light sources which are powered by solar panels generally mounted on the lighting structure or integrated into the pole itself. The solar panels charge a rechargeable battery, which powers a fluorescent or LED lamp during the night.

Key takeaways

Solar street light belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Solar street light to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Solar street light from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Solar street lights are raised light sources which are powered by solar panels generally mounted on the lighting structure or integrated into the pole itself. The solar panels charge a rechargeable battery, which powers a fluorescent or LED lamp during the night.

Features Most solar lights turn on and turn off automatically by sensing outdoor light using solar panel voltage. Solar streetlights are designed to work throughout the night. Many can stay lit for more than one night if the sun is not in the sky for an extended period of time. Older models included lamps that were not fluorescent or LED. Solar lights installed in windy regions are generally equipped with flat panels to better cope with the winds. Modern designs use wireless technology and fuzzy control theory for battery management. The street lights using this technology can operate as a network with each light having the capability of performing the turning on and off of the network.

Components Solar street lights consist of four main parts:

Solar panel

The solar panel is one of the most important parts of a solar street light, as the solar panel can convert solar energy into electricity that the lamps can use. There are two types of solar panels commonly used in solar street lights: monocrystalline and polycrystalline. The conversion rate of mono-crystalline solar panels is much higher than their poly-crystalline counterparts. Solar panels also vary in wattage systems.

Lighting fixture LEDs are usually used as the primary lighting source of modern solar street lights, as the LED will provide much higher luminosity with lower energy consumption. The energy consumption of an LED fixture is at least 50% lower than the HPS fixture counterpart which is widely used as the lighting source in traditional street lights. A lack of warm-up time in LEDs also allows for use of motion detectors for additional efficiency gains.

Rechargeable battery Batteries will store the electricity generated by the solar panel during the day and provide energy to the fixture during the night. The life cycle of the battery is very important to the lifetime of the light and the capacity of the battery will affect the backup days of the lights. There are two types of batteries commonly used in solar-powered street lights- gel cell deep cycle batteries as well as lead acid batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are also popular due to their compact size.

Pole Strong poles are necessary to all street lights, especially to solar street lights as there are often components mounted on the top of the pole: fixtures, panels and sometimes batteries. However, in some newer designs, the PV panels and all electronics are integrated in the pole itself. Wind resistance is also a factor. In addition, accessories do exist for these types of poles, such as a foundation cage and battery box.

Type

Each street light can have its own photo voltaic panel, independent of other street lights. Alternately, a number of panels can be installed as a central power source on a separate location and supply power to a number of street lights. All-in-one type solar street lights are gaining popularity due to their compact design which incorporates all of the parts necessary in a compact manner including the battery. The city of Las Vegas, Nevada was the first city in the world that tested new EnGoPlanet Solar Street lights which are coupled with kinetic tiles that produce electricity when people walk over them.

Advantages Solar street lights are independent of the utility grid. Hence, the operation costs are minimized. Solar street lights require much less maintenance compared to conventional street lights. Since external wires are eliminated, risk of accidents are minimized. Electricity produced from solar panels is non-pollutive. Separate parts of a solar panel system can easily be transported.

Disadvantages Initial investment is higher compared to conventional street lights. Risk of theft is higher as equipment costs are comparatively higher. Snow or dust, combined with moisture can accumulate on horizontal PV-panels and reduce or even stop energy production. Rechargeable batteries will need to be replaced several times over the lifetime of the fixtures adding to the total lifetime cost of the light. The charge and discharge cycles of the battery are also very important considering the overall cost of the project.

See also Light pollution List of solar-powered products Street light

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Solar street light

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Solar street light claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Solar street light before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Solar street light ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Solar street light

In research: Solar street light appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Solar street light in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Solar street light is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Applications of photovoltaics, Solar energy, Street lighting, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Solar street light outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Solar street light in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Solar street light means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Solar street light out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Solar street light in simple terms?

Why does Solar street light matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Solar street light?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Solar street light.