What are the stages of installing solar street lights in rural areas? The real reason for the chaos in the solar street light manufacturing industry is the forced nature of rights and interests, where profits take precedence over quality. This concept has long existed in the three stages: upstream, midstream, and downstream of a company. A detailed interest chain is formed based on the surrounding hierarchy, exploiting the systemic loopholes that commonly exist in the external sales market, leading to chaos in the marketplace.
1. Current State of Solar Street Lights:
It is not to say that there are no good products in the market. People first look at the components of solar street lights. The key components include solar photovoltaic panel assemblies, batteries/lithium batteries, smart controllers, LED lights, and street light poles.
2. Composition of Solar Street Light Systems:
But why is the market fragmented and prices chaotic? Taking a standard configuration of a 6-meter pole with a 30W light as an example: some are priced at 1,000 yuan each, some at 2,000 yuan, and others at 3,000 yuan, with even lower prices on platforms like Taobao, such as 800 yuan. Unlike other products, the essential value-added factor for brands here can be negligible, and in the manufacturing sector, there is no single brand of lighting that has the same specifications. The market demand is so strong that no one is willing to push their businesses out, nor does anyone operate at a loss out of charity. There are no standards, nor ethical bottom lines, and inferior quality replacing superior quality is the direct cause of the price confusion.
3. Batteries:
By employing methods that showcase a virtually high charging capacity, colloidal batteries are deemed inferior quality replacements. However, over time, suppliers have realized that they would immediately inquire about specifications and weights, regardless of the manufacturer’s stated capacity. Suppliers believe this prevents manufacturers from lowering quality in production, but they underestimate the innovative capability of the Chinese people. Many dishonest manufacturers use colloidal batteries to fill concrete to balance the weight, or choose refurbished gel batteries.
With the continuous development of rural solar street lights, batteries are gradually being replaced by lithium batteries. At this point, those making money have reached the peaks of their lives. Unscrupulous manufacturers impersonate 80AH with misleading representations of 20AH lithium batteries, generating considerable profits. From 2014 to 2016, many manufacturers relied on lithium batteries to earn millions or even tens of thousands of dollars annually. Gradually, many suppliers learned to determine capacity by calculating the total number of rechargeable batteries. However, ‘fame surpasses skill’, and the methodology becomes much more challenging.
For example, with a 12V 60Ah lithium battery: typically, a 3.7V 2Ah battery is selected—60Ah ÷ 2Ah × 3 = 90 cells. If you learn well from the 90 cells’ core and possess a 12V 60AH capacity, you must upgrade it again. Yes, the battery cell permits you 90 cells, but subtly shifts you to a 3.7V 1AH. Currently, the capacity can only reach 30AH, drastically increasing costs by 300 to 400. For struggling stores, this becomes a profit margin, a nuclear option for conquering the market. Additionally, with the advent of the entrepreneurial age, opportunities have proliferated.
4. Solar Panel Components:
The solar panels for solar street lights can be fixed by specifications, making it impossible for manufacturers to produce inferior products unless some rural solar street light manufacturers use scrap materials to make solar photovoltaic panels, which does not save much money. However, the solar panel assembly can also be made of paper, showcasing more artistry and creativity than one might expect. The fakes are not severe, as some rely on making laminated glass for maintenance.
Rural solar street lights have also become high-frequency areas for low-quality products. Considering weight and impact resistance, conical poles should be used for 6-meter solar power. The basic thickness should be ≥3mm and undergo hot-dip galvanization. Some manufacturers even dare to use poles that are 2mm thick without hot-dip galvanization. They are essentially desperate cowards. Moreover, using 76mm + 140mm galvanized steel pipes with independently innovated processing technology as the main poles, they become very unsafe due to lateral welding.
