You desire to maximize renewable energy usage, decrease carbon footprint and display your commitment to environment, then ‘GO SOLAR’. Your goal to save on utility bills gets accomplished. In addition, you can avoid the huge repairing cost of underground wiring along with associated re-paving, trenching, re-striping, and landscape repair.
Today, with easily available solar kits, every installation can be customized. It does not matter, if it is a new construction, parks, street, new facilities, roadways, or parking decks.
There are basically three kinds of solar street lights retrofit system.
- Grid intertie system
This first kind of street light retrofit structure is incorporated with your electricity provider’s grid. Solar panels are installed on existing poles that feed the grid in the day and utilizes grid power at night. This helps to offset some costs as well as offers a good go green alternative.
The solar panel size is determined on the amount of power you need it to generate in the day. Take the help of local electrician to determine your daily electricity needs to install the right size of solar panels. Your electricity provider will position a special kind of tracking device to assess the amount of power generated. In addition, switch to LED fixtures (energy efficient) to increase your investments.
- Off grid system
These street lights can be taken off the grid completely. Basically, this system includes a solar panel assembly that gets charged in the day and powers the street light at night. With this option, the existing light poles connected to traditional grid can be used. Retrofit them easily with LED solar lights.
Modular, compact lighting designs are easy to slip on the existing pole and your street light is installed in less than one hour. This set up is a little expensive, but buying solar parking lot lights wholesale on the internet helps to save considerably. In addition, it will provide free energy for more than 30 years, with just the batteries to be replaced every 5 to 7 years.
- Battery backup system
Power is generated by solar panels and accumulated in an array of batteries and the excess power is fed to the grid. These solar charged batteries can be applied to run lights for a specific time, during nighttime followed by local grid power for remaining night.
It is also a great idea to save it for using it during power outage, in areas without consistent grid energy. Large battery backup and trickle charger is a setup that provides multiple day power storage like the off grid systems, which gets activated during grid outages.
Benefits of solar street lamp retrofit system
- Easy to install
- Negligible installation cost
- Simple DIY project
- Moving is easy because no wiring is required
- Proven solar technology is applied
- Corrosion resistant parts
- Theft-resistant hardware and components
- No wires running from grid, through sidewalks, landscape or existing roads
- Maintenance free batteries
- No utility bills
- Lifespan of components is 25 years
- Significant tax credits from federal and state government
Retrofit solar lighting system is the best cost-effective solution to replace HPS fixtures, but keep their existing poles.