Nowadays, traditional street lights have been increasingly replaced by solar street lights in rural construction, but the installation sites for solar street lights are still often chosen based on traditional street light standards. This has led to issues where many solar street lights stop working just a few days after installation, or sometimes they only work briefly at night. Here we summarize several common installation mistakes regarding solar street lights.
The first issue is excessive obstruction at the installation site.
The energy of solar street lights
comes entirely from photovoltaic panels that receive sunlight. If there are too many obstructions such as tree leaves or buildings at the installation site, sunlight will be blocked, affecting the light energy absorption and utilization of the solar photovoltaic panels, leading to decreased charging efficiency. The principle of solar street lights is that the solar photovoltaic panel at the top receives sunlight, converts it into electrical energy, and stores it in the battery, which then discharges at night to power the LED lights.
Solution:
Solar street lights should be installed as far away from obstructions as possible. If obstructions cannot be avoided, ensure that the solar photovoltaic panels face south with no obstructions, or ensure that sunlight exposure lasts for at least six hours.
The second issue is the presence of other light sources nearby. The control switch for solar street lights is mainly light-controlled. This control method adjusts the lighting time automatically based on varying daylight hours throughout the seasons, rather than manual control. The primary light control device is located on the photovoltaic panel, and if there are surrounding light sources, it may easily cause the photovoltaic panel’s sensing failure, preventing the lights from turning on. Solar street lights should maintain a safe distance from other light sources.
Solution:
Ensure there are no other light sources around the solar photovoltaic panels. If removal of other light sources is not possible, please inform us in advance, and we will adjust the controller to a time-based control.
Another issue is placing the solar panels indoors for charging. Some customers, needing lighting, install solar street lights indoors, such as in carports or hallways. While there might be some light exposure during the day, it still does not achieve the outdoor charging effect and can easily lead to battery depletion, which can damage the battery over time.
Solution:
Solar lights should be placed outdoors whenever possible for optimal charging. If they must be located indoors, consider outdoor charging with indoor lighting, meaning that the solar photovoltaic panel and light body should be installed separately.
Additionally, there is the issue of arbitrarily extending the solar charging wires. Some locations may have too much interference with the solar panels, prompting customers to separate the solar panel and light by a considerable distance, sometimes more than ten meters, and use generic two-core wire to connect them. Since the quality of common market wires is generally poor, combined with the long distances, a significant voltage drop occurs, resulting in decreased charging efficiency and shortened lighting duration.
Solution:
If such extension is necessary, please inform us in advance. We will increase the photovoltaic panel power accordingly to ensure proper solar charging.
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Bitpott Solar Street Light Manufacturer
emphasizes technology and quality as our core competitiveness. If you are interested in outdoor engineering lighting or have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
