Solar street lights are lighting devices that transform solar radiation into electrical energy through photovoltaic solar panels during the day. This energy is stored in batteries so that when its use is demanded at night the streetlights are turned on.
The components of the solar street lights are the following:
1- Photovoltaic solar panels: they are responsible for capturing and transforming the Sun’s energy into electricity.
2- Batteries: they are in charge of storing the energy captured by the Sun.
3- Control plates: they are used to manage the switching on and off of the luminaires. They automate the use of the solar street light to avoid unnecessary costs of the energy produced.
4- Lamps: they transform the energy stored in the battery into the light.
Advantages:
Solar street lights have a series of advantages over conventional street lights, among which the following stand out:
1- They are independent of the electrical network, so the operation and maintenance costs are lower.
2- They feed on a cheap and inexhaustible source of energy.
3- They can be installed in isolated places even if the power grid does not reach them.
4- Reduces the risk of accidents as there is no wiring.
Currently, more and more municipalities are opting to implement solar street lights in areas such as parks or walkways with the aim of extending this type of lighting to the rest of the city and thus avoiding wasting energy.
Despite the fact that currently, solar street lights are not the majority technology in the public lighting sector, there are more and more advances and cities that analyze and decide that their installation is beneficial for citizens since in addition to generating savings energy, contribute to the development of sustainability and environmental protection.
