What are the Main Advantages to Solar-Powered Lighting?

Australia is moving towards a greener future with an increased rate of use and installation of street lighting that is completely powered by solar. Many areas have opted to remove hard ired street lighting that requires a significant electrical draw. The modern design of solar street lighting makes it a great choice for many city centers and offers several advantages over traditional street lighting.

Solar Power is Less Costly

Solar powered street lighting is a way for cities to save money on their energy costs. There is no need for electrical power to run solar-powered lighting and once they have been purchased and placed, they do not require additional costs to keep them operational. There is some maintenance involved to keep them operating efficiently, but not the same as electrical lighting with constant bulb changes. LED light bulbs offer brilliant white light and do not require much energy to operate so the battery of the solar unit is not drawn on too heavily. The light is able to operate throughout the night without draining the battery and since the battery is not overtaxed it has a longer life. The funds not spent on electrical costs can be used by local governments, private businesses, and councils for other items. 

Solar Lighting is Better for the Environment

Our world is moving toward treating the environment better because we only have one planet to live on.  We must find ways to lower our consumption of non-renewable energy sources and reduce personal and corporate carbon footprints. Making the switch to solar-powered lighting just makes good sense.  In the drive to reduce, reuse, and recycle, solar-powered lighting can have a massive impact and make a serious difference with major economic advantages to cities and municipalities alike.  If lighting is installed in an area and it is later decided that it needs to be moved, there is no need to dig things up, the entire bollard is simply moved to another location where it is needed.

Solar lighting has been used successfully in people’s homes with garden solar lighting and outdoor solar lighting. Now solar lighting is making its debut on a much larger scale with the development of street lighting for cities and parks. Solar power is a renewable energy source that is clean and safe for the environment. Solar-powered lighting does not cause light pollution as regular traditional lighting does. This renewable energy-efficient lighting does not draw power from already taxed electrical grids. In some cases, solar-powered items can return power to the grid for use by others.

No Cable Costs – and no Risk of Theft of Cables

Where lighting is needed in remote areas that it can be extremely expensive to add lighting with the amount of cable that needs to be installed to provide power for the lighting. Cable theft is on the rise because of the value of the scrap materials and the rise of people who have a greater need for money and will do anything to get it.  When the materials needed to run traditional lighting are taken/go missing, it can bring down an entire grid of lighting in an area. When you consider the amount of work that needs to go into trenching traditional street lighting, the theft of these materials can be problematic and very expensive to replace and rectify.  Solar light removes the possibility of lighting materials going missing and this reduces loss and costs associated with the replacement of the materials needed to power the lighting. Since parts cannot be removed and stolen the lighting can be relied upon to operate when it is needed and a solar-powered lighting bollard can operate for up to five days without the need to be charged by the sun.

Solar Street Lighting – Permanent and Temporary Options

Street lighting does not need to be permanent.  There are times when extra lighting is needed temporarily such as when roadwork is undertaken at night when traffic is not busy. Solar-powered temporary lighting is able to be moved easily and does not require a hard-wired power source or a generator to operate it.  This makes solar lighting not only functional but also convenient for a wide range of applications.

Solar street lighting is often permanently installed as a fixture that is for lighting roads, a local walking path or a car park in a local shopping center. If there is an area located outdoors and it needs to be lit, there is no reason why solar lighting cannot be utilized in place of traditional electrical lighting.

Solar Lighting is Easy to Construct, Control and Maintain

The built-in controls for solar lighting are created to provide intelligent operation with no manual controls needed. This type of lighting is not only safe but very cost-effective and the construction of the lighting is simple and saves time with very little maintenance required.

Solar Powered Lighting is Completely Safe

Solar-powered lighting is totally safe because there is not wiring required to operate it. No one can get an electrical shock from wiring that does not exist. Since there is no wiring required, the cost of installation is lower and the process to install the lighting is much quicker. There is no need to have to use expensive equipment to dig deep trenches to lay cable for lighting power since the bollards for solar lights are stand-alone and need no electrical hook-up.  Solar powered lighting has all that is needed for safe operation contained in the unit itself once it is placed in the area where it is needed.

Many city councils are opting for solar street lighting and there is an increase in its use and installation. So many municipalities want to reduce the consumption of energy and municipalities by sourcing lighting solutions that are safe and cost-effective and solar-powered street lighting offers that option. It just makes sense to opt for solar-powered lighting because it can be installed anywhere, even in remote regions, where lighting is needed the most to illuminate secluded areas for the safety of residents.