solar street light

Akshar enterprise a leading manufacturer of lighting fixtures in the country, has launched a solar street-lighting system with LED (light-emitting diode). The product has been developed in the backdrop of rising concerns to save the earth from the ill effects of carbon emission in electricity generation using conventional fuel and avoidance of mercury in the manufacture of electric lamps, according to a press release.

The system consists of a solar panel with photo voltaic (PV) cells that converts solar energy into electrical energy and the same is stored in a battery through a solar charge controller. The LED lighting fixture operates directly from the DC battery. Decorative pole of any height and in a wide range according to aesthetic requirement can house the solar panel, luminaire, and the control gear box with battery.

Lifespan

The life of the solar panel is 20 years and the wattage rating of the panel and the battery capacity (ampere hours) depends on factors such as wattage required, number of hours it is to burn and the autonomy (otherwise known as the reserve days) for which energy has to be stored as a back-up. For instance, for a 20-watt LED luminaire to burn for eight hours during night and with two reserve days as back-up, a 12-volt battery of capacity 120 AHr and a solar panel of 100 Wp is required, said the release.

The lifespan of the LED source is nearly 50,000 burning hours as against around 5,000 to 10,000 hours of conventional sources such as metal halide/high pressure lamps and seven times that of GLS (general lighting service) lamps.

To obtain the same light output, the power consumption of LED luminaire is just one-fifth of what is required for a conventional lamp. The complete solar lighting system costs from around Rs.20,000 with 3-watt LED and goes up to Rs.2 lakh with 80-watt LED.