In the field of modern lighting, solar street lights occupy an increasingly important position by virtue of their environmental protection, energy saving and many other advantages. Whether it is the city streets, countryside paths, or parks, squares and other public places, you can see their figure. However, people in the choice of solar street lamps, often thinking about a key issue: solar street lamp life in the end how long it is? Next, let us explore this topic in depth.
solar street light
Solar panel is the core component of solar street light system, and its working principle is based on photoelectric effect. When the sunlight irradiates the panel, photons interact with the semiconductor material inside the panel to excite electron-hole pairs. Under the action of the electric field, the electrons and holes move in different directions, thus generating an electric current that converts solar energy into electricity. It acts as an “energy collector” for the street light, supplying continuous energy to the whole system.
Rechargeable batteries are responsible for storing the electricity generated by the solar panel. Common types of batteries for solar street lights are lead-acid batteries and lithium batteries. Lead-acid batteries are lower in cost, but have a relatively low energy density and a life span of 2-5 years. Lithium batteries have the advantages of high energy density, light weight and long life (up to 5-15 years), but the cost is relatively high. Different types of batteries have different performance in terms of charge/discharge times and self-discharge rates due to differences in their chemical properties, which in turn affects the overall service life of street lights.
Solar charge controllers are divided into two types: PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) and MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking). Its main working mechanism is to precisely control the charging and discharging process of the battery. When charging, it prevents the battery from being overcharged, avoiding damage to the battery due to overcharging; when discharging, it prevents the battery from being overdischarged, prolonging the service life of the battery, which plays a key role in guaranteeing the stability of the whole system.
LED lamps realize energy efficient lighting with their unique light-emitting principle. Inside the LED lamp, through the compounding of electrons and holes in the semiconductor material, photons are released, thus generating light. LED lamps have a significant lifespan advantage over traditional lighting fixtures such as incandescent and fluorescent lamps. While ordinary incandescent lamps typically have a lifespan of 1,000 – 2,000 hours and fluorescent lamps 8,000 – 10,000 hours, the lifespan of high-quality LED lamps can exceed 100,000 hours. If used 12 hours a day, LED lights can theoretically last about 23 years.
Some solar street lights are equipped with motion sensors. They work by using infrared or microwave technology to detect human movement. When it detects someone approaching, the streetlight automatically switches to full brightness mode; when no one is around, it enters energy-saving mode, reducing the brightness to 30%. This feature greatly saves battery power and allows the streetlight to continue to work effectively for 3 – 5 days in rainy or cloudy weather, extending the battery life.
solar street lights
The life of an LED light source is affected by a number of factors. Heat dissipation is one of the key factors, good heat dissipation conditions can effectively reduce the temperature of the LED chip, reduce the aging of the chip, prolong the service life. Current stability is also critical. Unstable current can cause LED to flicker and accelerate damage. Under ideal operating conditions, high-quality LED lights have a lifespan of more than 100,000 hours, much longer than traditional lighting fixtures.
| Lighting Fixture Type | Lifetime (hours) |
| Incandescent | 1,000 – 2,000 |
| Fluorescent | 8,000 – 10,000 |
| High-Quality LED Lamps | >100,000 |
The lifespan of different types of solar cells varies significantly. Lead-acid batteries have a limited number of charge/discharge cycles due to their chemical characteristics, generally 300 – 500 cycles, corresponding to a lifespan of 2-5 years. Lithium batteries can be charged and discharged 1000-2000 times, with a life span of 5-15 years. When the charging time of the battery is significantly shortened and the lighting time is greatly reduced, it often means that the battery life is coming to an end.
Solar charge controllers have a life expectancy of 5-10 years. Once the controller fails, it may lead to overcharging or over-discharging of the battery, damaging the battery, and at the same time, it will also cause the LED lights to have abnormal working conditions, such as always on, flickering, or not lit, which will seriously affect the normal operation of the whole street light system.
The normal service life of the motion sensor is 5-10 years. When the sensor malfunctions, the street light may appear to be always on, unable to enter the energy-saving mode, or unresponsive to human movement, always maintaining a low brightness, etc., affecting the energy-saving effect of the street light and the experience of using the street light.
Plastic and aluminum die-casting materials are commonly used for solar street light housings. Plastic material has the advantages of light weight, low cost, corrosion resistance, but relatively low strength. Aluminum die-casting material has high strength and good heat dissipation, which can effectively protect the internal components. With increased use, the shell may be aging, fading, cracking, etc., especially in harsh environments. When the damage to the housing seriously affects the protection of the internal components, it needs to be replaced in a timely manner.
Combining the lifespan of each component, the approximate lifespan of a solar street light is 10 – 25 years. However, this life span is not fixed and is affected by many factors.
High-quality components are the key to improving the overall lifespan of a solar street light. For example, high-quality solar panels have high conversion efficiency and good stability, and can collect solar energy efficiently over a long period of time; high-quality batteries have better charging and discharging performance and longer cycle life; and high-performance charge controllers can accurately control the state of the batteries.To recognize the quality of the product, you can check the certification marks. These certifications mean that the product meets the relevant quality and safety standards. At the same time, choosing products with good brand reputation is also an important way to ensure quality.
solar street light
Lighting conditions have a significant impact on the life of solar street lights. In sunny areas, solar panels can be fully charged, the battery is in good working condition, the street light components run stably, and the life is relatively long. In areas with insufficient light, the battery panel is not fully charged, and the battery is in a state of power loss for a long time, which will accelerate the aging of the battery and shorten the overall life of the street light. For example, in the south of China’s sunny areas installed solar street lamps, its actual service life is often longer than the northern light in relatively weak areas of the street lamp.
Frequent use of solar street lights, battery charging and discharging times increase, component wear and tear accelerated, life will be relatively shortened. Take the street lamps on urban main roads as an example, due to the long lighting time and high usage frequency, the replacement frequency of their batteries and LED lamps and other components is higher than that of the street lamps on rural roads with lower usage frequency.
Location choice is critical when installing solar street lights. Proximity to artificial lighting, such as street lights and house lights, may interfere with the solar street light’s sensors, preventing them from accurately judging the ambient light and affecting the street light’s automatic switching and brightness adjustment functions. At the same time, the light from other lighting may reduce the effective light received by the solar panel and lower the charging efficiency. Therefore, the solar street light should be installed in an open, unobstructed area away from other artificial lighting, and at least 5-10 meters away from other lighting.
Dust and dirt can accumulate on the surface of solar panels, blocking sunlight and reducing the efficiency of the panels in absorbing sunlight. Studies have shown that when the panel surface is covered with dust, the power generation efficiency can be reduced by 20%-50%. It is recommended to wipe and clean the panels every two weeks with a damp cloth or soft brush. For larger projects and where budget is available, an automated cleaning system can be installed, which automatically cleans the panels at regular intervals to ensure that they remain highly efficient at absorbing sunlight.
Extreme weather is more damaging to solar street lights. Heavy rains may cause short-circuiting of the street light, snowstorms may cover the panels and affect charging, and strong winds may blow over the street light. In winter, special attention should be paid to prevent snow from covering the battery panel, and regular snow removal or installation of battery panel bracket with proper tilt angle can be used to avoid snow accumulation.
In summer, when the temperature is high, prolonged exposure of the battery panels to the sun should be avoided, and the temperature can be lowered by installing a sunshade or other means. Before the arrival of bad weather, provide necessary protection for street lights, such as reinforcing poles, wrapping fragile parts, etc., or store street lights temporarily during seasons of frequent extreme weather.
solar street light
When cleaning solar panels, first prepare a clean damp cloth or soft bristle brush. Gently wipe along the surface of the panel, taking care not to use sharp objects to avoid scratching the panel. For stubborn stains, use a small amount of water with a soft brush to gently scrub. During the cleaning process, make sure that the street light is in a power-off state to ensure operational safety. Regular cleaning can significantly improve the power generation efficiency of the battery panel and extend the service life of the street light.
When choosing a location for installation, make sure there are 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. The installation angle is generally determined according to the local latitude, so that the panel can maximize the reception of sunlight during the year. If there are trees in the vicinity, branches should be trimmed in time to avoid blocking the sunlight. For cases close to buildings, if the installation position cannot be changed, the size of the solar panels can be increased appropriately to ensure that the batteries can be fully recharged during the limited light hours.
When the temperature is high, heat dissipation devices, such as cooling fans or heat sinks, can be installed around the street light to help dissipate heat from the batteries and components. Also, try to avoid exposing the streetlight to direct sunlight at midday when the sun is at its strongest. In low-temperature environments, components such as batteries and controllers can be wrapped in insulating materials to raise their ambient temperature and ensure normal operation.
When it rains continuously and exceeds the maximum lighting time designed for the street light, you can turn off the street light through the switch. When operating, you should first find the power switch of the street light, which is usually located at the bottom of the pole or near the controller, and mark it well after closing it to avoid opening it by mistake. Turning off the street light can avoid over-discharge of the battery in case of insufficient charging and protect the battery life.
Intelligent solar charge controllers have a variety of working modes, such as timing mode, light control mode, motion sensing mode and so on. When setting parameters, it should be done according to the actual use scene and demand. For example, in areas with less human activity, a longer delay time can be set so that the street light can continue to illuminate for a period of time after motion is detected. If you are not familiar with the settings, you can contact a professional for assistance to ensure that the parameters are set correctly to achieve the purpose of energy saving, prolonging battery life and ensuring normal lighting.
The life span of each component of solar street light varies. LED light source, solar panel and other components can maintain a long life span under ideal conditions, but the actual life span is affected by a variety of factors, such as product quality, lighting conditions, and frequency of use. Through proper installation, regular maintenance and reasonable use, such as cleaning the battery panel, avoiding extreme temperatures, and setting parameters correctly, the overall life of solar street lights can be effectively extended.
With the continuous progress of technology, the future of solar street light is expected to further improve in terms of component performance, intelligent control, etc., and its service life will be extended more significantly. We hope that you will pay full attention to the points mentioned in this article when choosing and using solar street lamps, so that solar street lamps can serve us better and realize the double benefits of environmental protection and economy.
