Popular Science: What Are the Differences Between Solar Street Lights and Traditional Street Lights?

The usage of solar street lights has been increasingly popular, as they are a green and energy-saving outdoor lighting solution with numerous advantages. With market development, the price of solar street lights has also been decreasing. The main difference between solar street lights and traditional street lights lies in their light source. Traditional street lights operate similarly to household electric lights, relying on electrical wiring connected to a power source to illuminate. In contrast, solar street lights primarily collect solar energy and convert it into usable energy. They utilize a combination of power electronics technology, automotive battery microcontroller technology, and automatic control technology, along with lead-acid batteries to create hybrid energy storage solar LED street lights.

Whether traditional or solar, street lights function primarily at night to illuminate the darkness, providing convenience during nighttime hours, while they do not operate during the day. Solar street lights are equipped with solar batteries that collect solar energy during the day to recharge themselves, relying on the stored energy to function at night. The operational principle of solar street lights is similar to other solar products; they absorb solar energy during the day and release electric energy for use at night. Considerations may include local climate, sunlight duration, wind resistance designs, and other factors, resulting in some variations across different regions and slight differences in design.

In areas with abundant wind resources, wind turbines can be added for electricity generation, creating a complementary solar and wind energy street light system that harnesses both solar and wind power for operation. Generally, solar street lights can function for 3 to 5 days without sunlight. One of the advantages of solar street lights is their ability to operate independently, eliminating the need for complicated wiring and trench digging, which reduces labor requirements significantly. The investment is one-time, as they utilize natural energy and do not incur electricity costs. This project addresses issues found in traditional solar LED street lights, such as short battery life, low power density, slow discharge rates, and the inability to charge with weak currents by proposing a model and implementation method for solar LED street lights that utilize capacitors in conjunction with batteries to form a hybrid energy storage unit.

The above outlines the differences between solar street lights and traditional street lights, highlighting some advantages of solar street lights. In summary, the market preference for solar street lights is well justified.