Streetlights that run on electricity are typically metal halide lamps which use high-pressure or low-pressure sodium to illuminate the streets at night. These streetlights utilize more electricity than an LED light, but the visibility provided by them is much lower due to the colour of the lighting an its intensity. The simple switch over to solar LED street lighting not only lowers costs of providing lighting but also offers a brighter and clearer light source that gives much better visibility for users of the roadway.
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Lower Costs and Lower Energy Usage with Solar LED Lighting
Solar LED lighting is a good investment because it is extremely efficient and utilizes less energy than electrical street lighting. Older lighting uses higher lumens per watt and requires more power to generate light that is not very bright. This older lighting also requires a massive amount of energy to produce lighting that is inferior and dull. The lighting is not directional and that means that much of the lumens produced are directed skyward and to areas where light is not required. This not only wastes energy but also the light that is being produced and the lamps for these streetlights do have a certain lifespan necessitating their replacement at least once every five years.
A new LED fixture creates more light that is better utilized by street lighting. The lighting will last as long as 100,000 hours so these fixtures do not need to be replaced as often. LED lighting is a suitable solution for those who wish to reduce energy usage or want to move to a solar lighting source to reduce costs. LED solar lighting is cost-effective and offers a much better light source for a lower cost. The choice is obvious when it comes to solar LED lighting and its application to street lighting.
What is the Range of LED Lighting?
LED lighting has a greater range because it has a bright white light output which is similar to sunlight. This not only provides better visibility but is also better in that it does not create eye strain. The lumen output for LED lighting is superior and is in a lower colour range and produce upwards of 100 lumens per watt within each colour range. LED lights that are used today have less blue lighting which lowers the disruption to our circadian rhythm.
Installing streetlights into residential areas means that better options are needed. For example, 3k lights can be used instead of 5k lights to reduce the illumination which can make it too bright outside, especially outside of homes. When lighting is installed in areas that need better security, brighter lights are required, and different lighting colours could be utilized. There is always a consideration for local area wildlife that could be disrupted by LED lighting and if this is the case, there is an option to use different wavelengths of lighting. Light fixtures can be outfitted with shields that focusses the direction of the light and prevents it from moving into other areas where light is needed.
Lighting fixtures utilized for streetlights need to be dark sky compliant and that means that they do not add to any local area light pollution. This is achieved with LED aimed optics technology where LED lighting is used to reduce the overall impact on local area wildlife. LED lighting that utilizes the aimed optics technology has shields and directs lights only to required areas, preventing light pollution and disturbance to other areas.
Why LED lighting and Solar Work Great as a Team
Solar lighting and LED lighting work well as a team, offering a suitable solution to anyone’s lighting needs. The LED technology offers a superior replacement option for older fixtures since they only use about a third of the power of regular lighting and produce far brighter light. Solar lighting can be used as a replacement in any area where an existing light installation needs replacement.
Infrastructure Replacement
When utility lines sustain damage, solar lighting is a suitable replacement that offers a cost-effective alternative. LED lighting offers upgraded lighting options with superior visibility that utilizes a fraction of the energy. The option of solar fits with any project where energy usage should be reduced.
The reason that LED lighting and solar systems work great together is due to the DC current that powers LED lighting being able to operate on a similar power which is produced through solar energy. The result is fewer power losses from alternating current and an efficiency that produces a higher volume of light with the same power output. The visibility produced by LED lights is just better and solar street lighting continues to be implemented with the use of LED lighting. In the future, there will be no energy cost associated with the running of utility lighting.
