Solar post lights are a cost-effective way to illuminate dark roads, gardens, yards, or the outdoors of your house. In addition, they also enhance the safety of the project.They use sunlight as a power source, so you don’t have to spend money to maintain it. Most of them have light sensors that can be turned on automatically at dusk and turned off at dawn. When fully charged, the light can last all night.There are several types of solar light poles on the market, so to make buying easier, but do you know How to Choose Solar Post Lights?
Solar post lights contain solar panels or photovoltaic panels which grab the energy from sun light and convert it into electricity to power up the lights. It is very easy to install solar post lights in any outdoor area. They can be used as form of decoration or improving landscape of your yard. As it uses sunlight to power up the lights, they are energy efficient, cost effective and environmental friendly.
How to Choose Solar Post Lights?
There are several brands that provide different solar post light models. Analyzing these products without adequate information can be very difficult. To help you, we have provided all the information required to choose the right product for your requirements.
1.Brightness/Light Output
When analyzing solar post lights, the first factor to consider is its efficiency for outdoor lighting. You should choose products that can illuminate a large area. Generally, the brightness of light is measured in lumens. Instead of considering the number of LEDs, you should choose a lamp with a higher number of lumens. You must choose the number of lumens according to the purpose of the lighting.
For residential occupants, you must choose solar-powered lamppost lights below 200 lumens.
For low or soft lighting in the garden, 100 lumens is appropriate.
For brighter light sources, you must choose 150 to 200 lumens count output.
The 150-300 lumens three-head lamp is suitable for sidewalk and driveway lighting.
2.Light Color and Temperature
Solar post lights are available in different colors, including warm white, colorful and bright white varieties. Warm white has a soft texture and a light yellow. The bright white light provides uniform illumination without creating any patterns on the ground. However, it has a bluish tint, which makes it even more harsh. You must consider light colors according to your preferences.
When it comes to color temperature, it is usually measured in Kelvin (K). The higher the temperature, the whiter the color and the lower the temperature. The lower temperature has a warmer amber light. For residential outdoor lighting, the Kelvin range must be between 2500K and 4000K. Usually choose a warm color temperature between 2500K and 2700K to install on building components. Usually choose a lower temperature to illuminate the landscape and garden. Kelvin is between 3000 and 4000.
3.Types of Solar Panels
Solar panels are generally divided into four types, including mono-crystalline (mono-si), polycrystalline (p-si), amorphous silicon solar panels (A-SI) and concentrated PV cells (CVP). We provide the difference between these four types in the table below…
Monocrystalline solar panels-the efficiency of this type is 20%, which is sufficient for most applications. Their life span is much longer than others. They are most suitable for commercial use. However, they are expensive.
Polycrystalline solar panels-its efficiency range is 15%. They are cost-effective. However, they are very sensitive to high temperatures and have low space efficiency.
Amorphous silicon solar panels-they are also called thin film panels. 7% to 10% of them are the lowest of all types. These panels are easy to produce, flexible, and lower cost. However, their service life and warranty period are very short.
Concentrated photovoltaic cells-Compared with other types of cells, they have higher efficiency, 41% efficiency makes it the most efficient cell. However, it requires solar trackers and cooling systems to maintain high efficiency.
4. Battery
Batteries are an important part of solar street lights. It is a place where energy is stored and sent to electric lights when needed. The batteries used in solar post lights include nickel-metal hydride batteries, lead-acid batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries and lithium-ion batteries.
Lead-acid batteries: Compared with other batteries, lead-acid batteries are the most cost-effective battery with a life span of more than 3-4 years. The disadvantage of solar post lights is that they are large in size and occupy a lot of space. It needs larger solar panels to charge efficiently. The battery panel will generate at least 12v to charge the battery, which is difficult to generate on cloudy days. This type of battery cannot withstand extreme weather conditions and has more risks of explosion and environmental damage.
Lithium-ion battery-it is more expensive than lead-acid, and its battery can last 5-6 years. Why do they need small solar panels because it needs 3.7 V to charge the battery. The battery can generate this voltage even on cloudy days. The disadvantage is that they may have a risk of explosion under extreme weather conditions, and their efficiency will be reduced at low or high temperatures.
Lithium-ion phosphate battery-This is an advanced battery and more expensive. It needs 3.2 V to charge, which means that the solar panel of this lamp is smaller and it is easy to charge even in rainy days. It requires less maintenance and has a battery life of 9-12 years. It can withstand extreme weather, which makes it safer and more effective than other types of use.
Ni-MH batteries-Compared with other models, Ni-MH batteries are inexpensive and have a longer life span of up to 2 to 3 years.
5. Weatherproof/Waterproof
We know that solar lights are exposed to various weather conditions like heavy rain, snowfall, dust, wind, & extreme heat. It can withstand these weather conditions and can run the light effectively. Also, it should be waterproof (comes with different waterproof ratings). Choose the solar post lights that comes with certified weatherproof and high waterproof rating for its long-lasting performance in any weather condition.
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