Executive Summary
Streetlights are a major consumer of electricity as they light the streets and bridges of the entire nation and apparently there is no one paying for the electricity being consumed. It is the government’s responsibility to pay for the electricity consumption of these infrastructural products through tax money collected. Due to this reason, the government is always looking for cheaper feasible ways in which to satisfy the costs incurred to have more savings at the end of the day. Today, in most countries, streetlights consumer standard electricity provided by the powerhouse grid which provides electricity to the neighborhood. An alternative however has been seen in the form of Solar powered streetlights which work on the principle of solar power stored throughout the day and use it to produce electricity to run the streetlight at night. The apparent savings in the long run are often overshadowed by the initial investment which must be done to install them. The report will debate on the numerous benefits and limited shortcomings of Solar powered streetlights and prove why they are the better alternative to the standard electric powered lighting.
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to address the differences between the solar powered system and the standard electric powered system of the streetlights and analyze which system would result in more benefits overall. I will attempt to prove that the introduction of solar powered streetlights would lead to increased savings in electricity costs and would also lead to no more future maintenance worries. The report will use numerous references and articles to clearly prove that the solar powered systems contain more benefits as compared to the currently used standard electric powered streetlights. The solar powered streetlights not only overshadow the standard streetlights due to their long lifespan, but also provide large amount of savings in the long run.
The proposition which I will offer regarding streetlights would be inclined towards the solar powered system as later on in my report I will provide credible proof to back my suggestions. The propositions I offer are:
- Solar powered streetlights are a one-time investment and provide returns for long term periods
- Standard powered streetlights cause energy wastes and result in double wastages (in bulbs and in power lines)
- Solar powered streetlights are easy to install and are not disturbed due to faulty power lines or supply.
Standard Electric Powered Streetlights
Since the advent of electrical knowledge, we have seen a shift in streetlight technologies. Initially lamp posts were there, which required a person to manually light the candles placed within the post. This provided very short range lighting and required a lot of manual labor to light all the streetlights. Later gas lamp posts became popular and replaced the original candle lit lamp post. These new gas lamps provided longer lasting lighting and a far brighter glow than the previous method, but had its inherent risks involved too. Historic databases show that it was common that these lamps would explode if gas was left on and the lamp was attempted to be lit and numerous lighters (people who would light these lamps) lost their appendages to this technology.
With the discovery of electricity and the electric bulb, the standard electric power lamps became popular. These streetlights were more safety oriented and were simpler to operate with a single switch being able to illuminate an entire street. However, these new lamps offered less illumination than the previous gas lamps (Richardson).
The arc lamps (earliest form of street electric lighting which consisted of two carbon electrodes, which when touched, completed an electric circuit, and when separated would create light due to existing current) were eventually replaced by incandescent streetlights. These streetlights had a much longer lifespan and were much easier to operate (Elert, 2004). These lamps however had very little efficiency when comparing the light output they gave with respect to the number of watts they had. Incandescent lights also had the highest energy consumption and the lowest life, which means that they would continuously need to be replaced or would burn out very soon.
Technological Innovations in Standard Electric Powered Streetlights
The advents in electric powered streetlights then moved to substituting the type of bulbs within the streetlight rather than finding an alternate power supply. Various type of improvements in bulbs became possible in the streetlight technology and each new type of bulb would provide more light with lesser electrical consumption.
The various technologies in the standard electric powered streetlights are Incandescent lamps, Fluorescent lamps, Metal Halide lamps, High-Pressure Sodium lamps and finally Low-Pressure Sodium lamps. The longevity of these lamps is written in ascending order with Incandescent lamps having the shortest lifespan (750-2,000 hours; 31.25-83 days) and High-Pressure Sodium lamps having the longest lifespan (18,000-24,000 hours; 750-1,000 days).
Similarly the energy consumption of the streetlights is a major issue as globally we are experiencing energy crisis with the demand of electricity far surpassing the production. To address this issue, the standard powered streetlights have improved their technology in a progressive manner to cut down on their consumption and resulting in electricity savings. The Incandescent lamps used to consume the highest amount of electricity whereas the Low-Pressure Sodium powered lamps consume the least amount of electricity.
In most developing countries, which cannot afford alternative energy sources (such as Solar, Wind or Tidal) at the moment, the Low-Pressure Sodium lamps are becoming increasingly popular as the base (lamp post) does not need any adjustments in its technology.
LEDs and their Opportunities
In recent years we have seen another shift in the streetlight technology. LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are used which are brighter, which can save more electricity and have a longer lifespan. The LED technology employed currently uses hundreds of tiny bulbs fitting the same space as the previous bulb which results in an increase in the overall brightness by the streetlight. The evenly powered LEDs provide uniform illumination and thus can provide a greater radius of illumination (How Stuff Works, 2008).
The LEDs also consume a fifth of the energy consumed by previous Halogen streetlights eventually cutting down the electricity charges by the same amount. When we are talking about millions of dollars worth of electricity being consumed by Halogen streetlights, the savings become very attention grabbing.
Another savings which can be observed thanks to the implementation of LEDs is that they do not need to be changed as often and they save expenses on maintenance and replacement of the bulbs and inherent costs, such as labor costs and fuel costs for the city governments in replacing the bulbs.
However, the most important benefit we can see from the use of LEDs for streetlights is that they open the avenue for solar powered lighting. This results in saving not only in the already mentioned areas, but also saves in the energy expenses, resulting in an overall savings of more than 80%.
Closing Statements
Standard electric powered streetlights, no matter which bulbs they employ, consume significantly more electricity than using alternative energy sources. Our entire aim should be not only to reduce consumption but find opportunities to stop relying on energy sources from fossil fuels and shift towards renewable energy sources.
Solar Powered Streetlights
Introduction
Due to depletion of fossil fuels and inability of electricity production to meet electricity demand, the concentration of scientists shifted towards using renewable resources to produce electricity. Renewable sources include solar power, Tidal energy and Wind energy as means of producing electricity.
Solar powered technologies involve exposing solar panels to sunlight which contain the energy in the sunrays and later transforming that energy into a source of energy and electrical production. The technology uses Photovoltaic (PV) systems. These systems basically use semiconductor cells or modules which absorb the sunlight which they are exposed to and convert them directly into electricity. This solar system uses flat panels which are angled to absorb the maximum sunrays possible throughout the day. The brighter the sunlight, the higher electricity will be produced. This is one reason why solar energy is not a viable option for cloudy regions or places with limited sunlight exposure. Making an estimate into the amount of electricity which might be produced by a PV system, studies show that it ranges from 4-50 kWatt (GIBSON ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORP.).
The benefits of moving towards a solar centered electric supply are that it is inexhaustible and environment friendly (Solar Street Light, 2007). The power source is infinite and as long as there is sunlight, there will be a source of creating electricity to power the lights. Solar powered lights also are environment friendly as they do not pollute the environment, they have no noise, no waste nor do they need power cables or energy lines as they provide electricity to a single unit.
Benefits of Solar Powered Streetlights
As mentioned earlier, the advent of LED technology in streetlights has made the possibility of solar powered streetlights into a reality. The benefits observed by installing LED solar powered streetlights are (Bright Green Energy, 2009)
Environment friendly
As compared to standard electric powered streetlights, solar powered streetlights hold the benefit of reducing the wastes which occur due to short life of bulbs and their disposal. There is also no pollution or heat or noise caused by solar powered streetlights.
Easy to Install
Unlike the installation of standard electric powered streetlights, no trenches have to be dug or power cables to be laid down. Just the lamp post needs to be erected in a sunrays receiving surrounding and your streetlight will be operation ready.
No ongoing costs associated with Solar powered streetlights
Standard electric powered streetlights require continuous expenses in the form of energy costs to power supplier and the maintenance of the bulbs and electric cables attached to the streetlight. Solar powered streetlights remove this nuisance and provide an unbroken power source which does not require any expenses aside from the first installation costs.
Energy Savings
Standard electric powered streetlights lose electricity due to cable and transmission losses. They also consume more electricity to fuel the bulbs. Solar powered streetlights do not rely on any power cables so automatically there is some electricity saving. The solar powered streetlights also generate electricity for their own consumption hence they produce and consume their own energy resulting in overall energy savings.
Further recognizing the benefits of LEDs with respect to solar powered streetlights would help realize the overall benefit of the technology. The benefits of LEDs in particular are:
Long life
LEDs have a longer life than the halogen bulbs employed by the standard electric streetlights. LEDs can work for longer periods without the need for being replaced.
Reliability
LEDs are more reliable than other types of bulbs. Their reliability has been tested and proven to be much more than conventional bulbs.
No Maintenance expenditures
LEDs do not involve routine maintenance and checks. They lead to savings for the city government as they do not need to be checked or looked after and costs involved in inspections.
Energy Efficient
LEDs reduce overall consumption of electricity in producing light. They consume very little amount as compared to halogen lamps previously used in streetlights.
Disadvantage of Solar Powered Streetlight
The only disadvantage which can be recorded of solar powered streetlights is that during foggy or cloudy days, their energy supply would be affected which would in turn result in a shortfall of energy for generating light later (Bloggersbase, 2009).
But the said disadvantage is not as serious as when the sites for installing solar powered streetlights are chosen; careful deliberation is involved so as to maximize the storage retention of the energy received from the son is involved. They are set up at an angle to gain the maximum exposure to sunlight usually being installed in open spaces, not blocked by shadows of high story buildings. The streetlights need to be exposed to the most sunlight in the hours when the sun is appearing. This way, throughout the day, an average streetlight may be exposed to sunlight for an average of around 9-12 hours.
Similarly, solar powered streetlights are not a viable option for places with less exposure to sunlight, such as the areas in the northern and southern hemisphere where sunlight is not as strong as near the equator or middle hemisphere. The feasibility of solar powered streetlights are greater for areas with higher exposure to sunlight whereas for areas with problems with sunlight can switch to another alternative for producing small scale electricity in the form of wind powered streetlights.
Conclusion
The conclusion after going through all the data provided leads us to the opinion that the benefits of the solar powered streetlights far surpass those of standard powered streetlights. The solar powered streetlights lead to more energy preservation, decreased expenditures and can lead to a more environment friendly system. For energy requirements regarding public lighting, one should opt for solar powered streetlights and replace their standard streetlights. The costs in replacement would be met in the first couple of year’s savings as no more energy expenses or maintenance expenses would be incurred in future. Solar powered streetlights also offer peace of mind due to low maintenance costs and a longer lifespan.
Recommendation
According to my conclusions, the standard powered streetlights are wastage of nation’s resources and in the long run solar powered streetlights are more beneficial. Hence, the best option available is for the replacement of standard electricity powered streetlights with solar powered streetlights.
References
Bloggersbase. (2009). Solar Lights – Complete Details about Solar Powered Lights. Web.
Bright Green Energy. (2009). SOLAR STREET LIGHTS. Web.
Elert, G. (2004). Power of a Streetlight. Web.
How Stuff Works. (2008). Why are they replacing all of the traffic lights in my town? Web.
GIBSON ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORP. (n.d.). Solar Power. Web.
Richardson, W. (n.d.). Electric-Power Development. Web.
Solar Street Light. (2007). Advantage and characteristic of solar light. Web.
Summary
Key points
Standard streetlights have transitioned from traditional candle lit lampposts, to gas lamps, to electric bulbs, to halogen lit bulb streetlights. Technological innovations led to streetlights became safer, brighter, more energy efficient and increasingly longer lasting.
Incandescent streetlights are latest technological advancement and most energy efficient and long lasting type of streetlight. LEDs are newest form of bulbs in streetlights and they are most energy efficient and have made shift from standard electric powered streetlights to solar powered streetlights possible. Solar powered streetlights increase savings in electricity and maintenance costs. Solar powered streetlights are environment friendly and they consume less electricity and they produce their own electricity throughout the day to run during the night time when the sunlight is low. Solar powered streetlights are easy to install, and are a one time investment with long term returns. The only possible disadvantage of solar powered streetlights is if there is an absence of sunlight but even under the cloud cover some sunlight is absorbed by the streetlights thus this disadvantage isn’t that big.