Street lighting maintenance-tips and benefits

In the public space of cities and villages, street lights are an important infrastructure to ensure the safety of traveling at night, and solar street lights are becoming more and more popular due to their energy-saving and environmentally friendly advantages. However, regular maintenance is indispensable for the efficient operation of solar street lights. The following is a detailed introduction to the main points, methods and benefits of solar street lighting maintenance.

Why go with solar street lighting maintenance?

Failure of solar street lights

Solar LED street light failure is mainly reflected in the lights and lanterns do not light or flicker. The core reason is focused on the LED driver, LED module and surge problems. Drivers, if components aging, circuit abnormalities, will affect the power supply; module chip damage or packaging defects, will also lead to lighting failure; surge, such as lightning strikes, voltage fluctuations, and more will directly penetrate the sensitive components. At the same time, high temperature, voltage fluctuations, frequent switching, poor heat dissipation and other environmental factors, will also accelerate component aging, damage to the circuit. Therefore, regular inspection and maintenance, monitoring circuits, components and environmental parameters, in order to find and solve problems in a timely manner, to ensure that the lighting is normal.

Solar street lights are too dim(LED light decay)

LED light decay is a phenomenon that can not be avoided in the long-term use of LED products. Chip quality, production process, heat dissipation performance, drive current, etc., will affect the speed of light decay. Usually, when the luminous flux of the street light drops to 70% of the initial luminous flux, it is necessary to replace the LED light source, because at this time, it is no longer able to meet the brightness requirements of the initial lighting design, and the lack of illumination may also cause a variety of problems. Therefore, timely maintenance (replacement of light sources) of insufficiently bright street lights is necessary to ensure that the lighting in each area meets the standard.

Solar street lights are contaminated

In addition to light degradation of the light source, the accumulation of dirt on the luminous surface of street lights is also an important cause of light loss. The severity of contamination depends on the type of luminaire, the IP rating, and the level of atmospheric pollution; the lower the IP rating, the more severe the light loss will be as the installation time increases. An LED streetlight with the same IP rating will lose more light in a high pollution environment than in a low pollution environment. The combination of these factors can reduce the lumen output of a streetlight by 15% - 40% or more at the end of a maintenance cycle. According to CIE 154:2003, the maintenance factors for LED luminaires of different IP ratings in different polluted environments are shown in the table below:

Therefore, regular use of special cleaning tools and cleaners to wipe the surface of the Solar LED street light to remove dust and dirt, can effectively reduce the light transmission obstruction, significantly reduce the light loss.

Safety considerations

The key to street light safety maintenance is in the wires, connectors, grounding devices and housings. Aging and broken wire insulation, loose and oxidized connectors, and ineffective grounding devices can lead to short circuits, leakage, fire and other hazards. The IP/IK protection level of the street light housing is not enough, and after impact or aging, the waterproof and anti-collision performance will be reduced, which will damage the internal components and bring the risk of electric leakage. Regular inspections and repairs to ensure that the components are in good condition and the protection level is up to standard can avoid safety accidents.

Benefit of solar street lighting maintenance

Realize the best performance of the system

Solar street light is composed of several precision components such as solar panel, battery, LED lights and controllers, and any one of them will affect the overall performance if there is any problem. Regular maintenance can find and solve potential component failures in time, such as cleaning the dust and stains on the surface of solar panels to ensure their efficient absorption of light energy; checking the parameter settings of the controller to ensure the charging and discharging process is stable and orderly. Through the meticulous maintenance and precise debugging of each component, the light energy conversion efficiency, power storage and release efficiency and lighting output effect of solar street lights can reach the design expectations, so that the whole system is always in the best operating state, giving full play to its lighting function, providing stable and sufficient light for the night environment.

Extend the service life

Solar street light is exposed to the outdoors for a long time, subjected to wind, sun, rain and frost, all kinds of components will be accelerated aging due to environmental factors. Regular maintenance can be targeted to slow down this process, such as the light shell rust, corrosion treatment, to avoid damage to metal parts due to oxidation and rust; for the battery to do a good job of waterproofing, moisture-proof measures, and regular testing of its charging and discharging performance, and timely adjustment of the maintenance, which can effectively extend the service life of the battery. Through these systematic and professional maintenance means, the key components of solar street lights can be kept in good working condition, and the original cycle of replacement may be greatly extended due to premature damage, reducing the frequency of overall replacement of lights and lanterns, and guaranteeing their long-term and stable service in public lighting.

Maintain energy efficiency

A well-maintained solar street light can effectively improve the light energy absorption and conversion efficiency of solar panels, ensure stable energy storage of batteries, and reduce the energy consumption of LED lights. This not only significantly saves the cost of traditional power consumption, but also reduces carbon emissions and energy loss, contributing to environmental protection and sustainable development while realizing energy saving and emission reduction.

Long-term cost savings

Although the upfront investment in solar street light maintenance costs may give some people pause for thought, in the long run, this is a highly economically beneficial initiative. If maintenance is neglected and the street light components fail frequently, on the one hand, frequent replacement of damaged solar panels, LED lights, batteries and other core components will result in a high single purchase cost, and the cumulative cost is even larger; on the other hand, the lack of lighting caused by failures may require the temporary erection of lighting equipment, which will increase the additional expenditure.

At the same time, inefficient energy utilization will also indirectly increase operating costs. Regular maintenance reduces the risk of component damage, reduces the frequency of replacement, and reduces the cost of power consumption by improving energy efficiency. Comparing these long-term cost reductions brought about by maintenance with the upfront maintenance investment, it is obvious to see the cost-saving advantages brought about by maintenance, and realize the rational use of funds and effective control.

How to go with Solar Street lighting maintenance?

Replacement of LED driver

Although some LED drivers have an end-of-life indicator, it is still recommended that they be replaced when they fail. To avoid bulk failure of LED drivers in LED street lights, it is recommended to use products from reliable brand suppliers to ensure stable current and voltage inputs to the LEDs over their lifetime. At the same time, check the surge protection device to prevent the street light from lightning strikes and power grid surges.

Replacement/cleanliness of LED module

The light decay performance of light sources varies from luminaire to luminaire. Generally speaking, LED light source has the slowest and most stable light decay. High-quality LED fixtures have a light decay rate of less than 30% in 100,000 hours, making them ideal for continuous lighting of outdoor locations such as roads. In contrast, fluorescent lights decay faster, after 10,000 - 15,000 hours of use, the light output will drop to 70% - 80%, and frequent switching will accelerate the light decay. High-pressure sodium light decay is relatively slow, the use of 30,000 hours after the light output down to about 70%, before the large-scale application of LED lights is a common choice for outdoor lighting.

Incandescent lights have the fastest light decay and the shortest lifespan, only about 1,000 hours, mainly manifested as filament evaporation (fusion), bulb wall blackened, can not be illuminated. According to the LED street light L70 (luminous flux maintenance rate of not less than 70% of the life) more than 100,000 hours of calculation, about 20 - 25 years to consider replacing the light source. However, care should be taken to keep the LED modules clean to minimize light loss.

Appearance and wiring inspection

LED streetlights are used in harsh outdoor environments (rain, snow, high and low temperatures, salt spray corrosion) for a long time. If conditions permit, it is recommended to regularly inspect the appearance and internal wiring of the street light. Specific inspections include: checking whether there are scratches, cracks or other physical damage on the surface of the lights; checking whether the coating of the lights is discolored, corroded and peeled off; confirming whether the structure of the lights is stable, whether the screws are tightened and whether the waterproof sealing is intact; checking whether the internal wiring of the lights is intact, and whether the input line is broken and whether there is any exposed cable. Through the above inspection and necessary maintenance, the performance and safety of LED lights can be effectively guaranteed.

Solar street light maintenance is by no means an optional “extra work”, but a key guarantee to light up the city night. Whether it is to fight against the challenges of light failure, malfunction and pollution, or to unlock the value code of high energy efficiency and long-lasting use, every meticulous maintenance is a guardian of public safety and an investment in a green future. Act now, so that every street light can shine for a long time and illuminate the way back to the city.