Take a walk at night. Take your car out for a ride. If there is one thing which you would surely always see glistering to you that would be your street lights. To most people, street lights form an important part of the roads which we use today. The services which they provide us with has been made even better and easier to relate with since the solar energy came into our lights. Now, most of the street lights which we find on our roads are solar road lights.
There are many things you probably did not know about the solar road lights. Fortunately for you, we are here to tell you some things which would leave you simply fascinated. Here are fun facts about solar road lights;
Solar road lights do not need electricity
Well, the first fact or information which we would like to pass on is that the solar road lights do not really need any form of electricity for them to function effectively. This means that regardless of whether they are connected to the grid or not, they would still provide the number of lights which you need at night.
This is all down to the reliance on sunlight. They use renewable energy. This energy can be recharged by simply putting them under the sun. With that, you can get all the lighting that we would need to see properly in the night. With the solar energy powering the street lights, there is little or no need for electricity. The implications of this fact are staggering. It affects costs in such a big way. First, government would surely have no need to increase the taxes which citizens pay as the solar road lights would actually help to decrease the reliance which is put on non-renewable energy. It is a win-win situation for all parties involved.
Solar road lights come in varieties
If you were thinking that there was one type of solar road lights, then you might need to think again. With more manufacturers coming up, there are large varieties of solar road lights which are also showing up. Some of them would come with integrated components. This means that they would be absolutely no need to get the other components or assemble it after you have made your purchase. You would simply have it all together. DEL Illumination is one manufacturer who sells these kinds of solar road lights. Their all in one solar lighting system is a perfect example of this.
Apart from solar road lights, there are other solar street lights which are made for other purposes. This would include garden solar street lights amongst others. You would realize that as you delve more into the solar energy world, its scope is simply amazing.
The power of batteries
While the solar road lights would often depend on small portions of sunlight in order to recharge and produce the lights which are needed. Sometimes, things do not exactly go as planned. This is usually because of the possibility of having extreme bitter weather. Bad weather would mean that there would be an absence of sunlight. Some bad weather conditions can last for days and as such the solar street lights may be starved for energy. This is where the batteries come into play. Batteries have the ability to make the solar road lights to function more than they usually would.
Batteries would store energy that can be used for days even during bad weather conditions. The number of days which a battery would be able to work would vary depending on the type of batteries that you use. Most durable batteries could last up to a week without sunlight when they are fully charged. This fact makes batteries one of the most important components of the solar lighting system.
Great Market forecast
Did you know that the solar road lighting system has a market of its own? It does and this market is not as small as you would think. Currently, the solar road lights market would be around the $3 billion mark. It is also projected to hit $15 billion by the time the year 2024 rolls in. that says a lot about the potential of the solar energy when dealing with street lights and the incredible functions which the solar road lights can carry on even in our day.
Charles Fritts and the solar street lights
Now, one question which many have probably never asked would be the origin of the solar street lights. Well, the first time in history that solar street lights were considered to even be a possibility was way back in 1839. This was by Edmond Becquerel. He discovered that solar energy would be used to generate lights and electricity. However, the very first person to create a solar cell would be Charles Fritts.
However, since then, the evolution of solar street lights have been remarkable. When he first created, the efficiency levels of the solar panels and cells used was believed to be at about 1%. However in 2019, that level had increased to over 15%. We can only wait to see what the future holds for the solar industry. However, one thing that we know for sure is that the solar road lights have been with us longer than we probably think.
Other fun facts which are worthy of mention would be that the solar street lights are very easy to maintain and do not really use cables to work. Of course, the exception would with the batteries who would need them to stay connected. However, the solar system would largely depend on its solar panels.
solar road lights: Conclusion
Here we go! Here are the top fun facts about solar road lights. Are you interested in getting solar road lights soon? If you are, then DEL Illumination would be perfect when it comes to manufacturers to check out. The solar road lights would leave you satisfied and completely happy.