In our modern world, technology and innovations keep on improving every now and then. Inventions are constantly emerging in many industry sectors which also include the solar lighting technology sector. Since its initial production and launching, it has developed considerably and been continuously changing and improving its features and performance.

From the usual rooftop photovoltaic solar panels, concentrating solar power, to solar-grid integration, solar energy sectors also managed to use solar panels in powering street lights. Through technology breakthroughs, the energy conversion efficiency of solar panels has significantly improved, creating a more sophisticated solar street lighting system.

Traditional street lighting system users are now gradually switching to the solar street lighting system. With the help of remarkable advancements in clean technology and their visions to produce cost-effective compact solar street lights, they have created integrated solar street lights. These street lights have high efficiency, prolonged backup and acquire the best overall performance better than the older versions of solar street lights, making them widely used today.

In today's article, we are going to break down why integrated solar street lights are gaining so much popularity recently.

Integrated solar street light or also called all-in-one solar streetlight is the newly designed street light with a compact lighting solution. The package is made with high-quality materials that can withstand all the elements in the environment where it will be installed. It comes with solar panels, LED fixtures, LED driver technology, a lithium-ion battery with advanced charging technology, a PIR motion sensor and other smart technologies and electronics all compacted in one body with a mounted pole stand. All-in-one solar street light is compact and can easily be mounted on a pole top.

This all-in-one solar street light product also comes with a motion sensor and smart technologies yet providing a low-energy consumption solution to consumers. Not to mention that it has a long-lasting life span and high luminosity with low maintenance. The intelligent controller and sensor have different control requirements depending on the product. It also has a maintenance-free lithium-ion battery that can provide longer backup time and a better lifespan.

However, although the components are integrated into one unit, these solar street lights' solar panels are separated from the LED, battery, units and controllers to not cause overheating to other components. Since the solar panel comes as an independent part, you can adjust it according to the direction of the sunlight to maximize heat absorption.

Furthermore, some integrated models produce consistent 100% brightness from dusk until dawn making it more ideal for areas where night-long light is required. On the other hand, some types of integrated light operate at full brightness for a few hours, then later on it will operate at a lower level for the rest of the night not unless it detects body movement.

The integrated solar street light uses a PIR motion sensor that automatically adjusts the brightness of the LED light when it detects movement at a near distance. When it detects any body movement near the light post, the LED fixtures will adjust and produce full brightness. Then, when it no longer detects movement, it automatically reduces its brightness.

On the other hand, with its time sensors (dusk to dawn operation) and controller, the solar lights can intelligently power on and off its light. When dawn comes, the LED lights will automatically turn off since during this time solar panel voltage tends to rise at 5v, and it can already detect little sunlight in the morning. When there is enough sunlight during the day, the solar panel will work together with its battery to charge and convert the solar energy into power. The solar charge controller helps in preventing overcharge, protecting its batteries.

When you purchase an all-in-one solar street light, it comes in one compact package but has several components. Generally, an integrated solar street light has four main components, they are solar panels, LED fixture/source, batteries and mounting pole.

Solar panels are one of the most essential components of an all-in-one solar street light. These panels are responsible for emitting sunlight and converting the gathered solar energy into electricity. When it comes to solar panels, you have two options to choose from. The two main types of solar panels available in the global market are mono-crystalline & poly-crystalline. Both of these panels convert solar energy, the only difference is the conversion rate and efficiency of polycrystalline solar panels are low compared to monocrystalline solar panels. Thus, if you need high power capacity, the latter one is the right panel for you.

To make the solar street produce light, an LED fixture is needed. Among the other light fixtures, LED is the most preferred one for modern solar street light as it produces more luminous and can withstand outside elements. Another good thing about LED fixtures is they provide higher lumens with low energy consumption. This feature will save you more energy while getting its best performance. In fact, LED's energy consumption is only about half of what traditional HPS fixtures consume. Also, LED lacks warm-up time making them more ideal for motion detectors and body sensors, which is also one of the best features of all-in-one solar street lights.

Another important component to make integrated solar street lights work is their batteries, whether it's LiFeP04 battery, lithium-ion batteries, gel cell deep cycle batteries or lead-acid batteries. The battery acts as the power storage of solar street lights. It stores electricity during the daytime while producing electricity to light the LED or fluorescent bulb at night. Battery capacity plays a vital role in the life span of the all-in-one solar street lights, so considering what type of battery to choose is crucial. Among the battery types, lithium-ion batteries are the most preferred nowadays due to their compact size, eco-friendly features, and it suits well in solar street lights.

Above all else, to make solar street lights more effective and efficient, mounting poles are also needed. PV panels, fixtures, batteries and other electronics are integrated into the pole itself particularly those newer designs. When it comes to poles, you should choose a sturdy and strong pole since the components of integrated solar street lights are mounted on top of it. You should also consider the wind resistance factor when choosing poles as it accounts for the successful installation of your solar street light.

Installing integrated all-in-one solar street lights must be easy and quick. If you have no idea how to do it, you may refer to the instructions below.

Before anything else, you must choose a suitable area to install the street light. It is recommended to choose an area that directly receives abundant sunlight. Next, familiarize yourself with the manual included in your integrated solar street lights package, and makes sure all kits are complete.

Once you figured out how to install it, prepare your foundation. Make sure that the surface is flat and has no curve patterns to ensure that the pole is securely fastened to the ground.

By installing the battery box, you also need to install the battery itself. It is often recommended to place your battery underground to prevent the direct impact of the sun.

Make sure you get the proper connections between the solar panels, batteries and other components. Install the lights onto the pole ensure to secure the LED bulbs in the lamp holder.

Check all Connections and the Pole.

Go and check if all connections work properly. Also, make sure that the lamp pole laps perfectly with the bottom foundation.

The integrated solar street light will not gain popularity nowadays without its abundant and unending benefits to the environment and consumers. If you are still undecided whether to switch on solar street lights or stay with the traditional one, you should consider checking out all-in-one solar street lights' benefits. Below are some of its common advantages:

With its compact size, it is easy to ship plus it has an easy installation process that can be done in a few minutes only. When installing integrated solar street lights, there is no complex wiring process, unlike the traditional street lights. If you are only new to this, you can still install it without any hassle since it does not require an engineering or electrical background and skills in setting it up. All you need to do to finish the product installation successfully is the 12 pieces fastening screws.

• None More than half lesser energy consumption than traditional street lights.

The light sources of the standard solar street lights were Metal Halide(MH) or High-Pressure Sodium(HPS), which means the luminous efficacy is about 60 to 80 lumens per watt. Fortunately, with the help of clean technology sectors, a cutting-edge LED lighting system is invented. An LED source has significantly boosted the luminous efficacy up to 200 lumens per watt. Also, with the aid of solar batteries, consumers can still get the same brightness at night while consuming much less energy.

All-in-one solar street lights equipped with this kind of light source can easily get 5 days autonomy, making it possible to operate normally in areas with constant rainy seasons or get less sunlight.

All-in-one integrated solar street lights are made and designed with compact style, unlike with that of split-types solar street lights, in which solar panels are separated from the LED fixtures. Due to its compact structure, it can withstand hurricane/typhoon while offering better performance at the same time. Besides, it's applicable for outdoors since has dustproof, waterproof, anti-static and shocking resistant features.

Because integrated solar street lights are compact in structure and have an all-in-one design, it also has lower shipping cost. Besides, these lights are lightweight which makes the transportation and installation effortless.

If you are planning to resell it, you should consider a compact design factor since it can affect your profit margin. The full shipping container loads of solar street lights could be twice or three times compared before. Today, the rent of a warehouse can cost much lesser than before.

Compared to traditional street lights, all-in-one solar street lights require minimal to zero maintenance due to their materials and compact design. Plus, some models have their cleaning features.

• None Ideal for almost every environment.

You can install all-in-one and integrated solar street lights almost everywhere and anywhere such as street corners, roadsides, highways, driveways, parking lots, gardens, patio, backyards, pathways, playgrounds, parks and even in the remote areas as long as the area receives sufficient direct sunlight.

Since these street lights have no external wires and cables used for components connection, they will not cause any accidents such as electrocution, overheating, and strangulation. Also, there will be lower risks of theft since all of its components are placed on the top of the pole.

From what is stated above, there are many reasons why everyone prefers to use integrated all-in-one solar street light. One of those reasons is that these street lights make life easier and lighter with their features and simple installation process. Also, most of its components are made from high-quality materials and equipped with the latest smart technologies and electronics.

Apart from their specific features, solar street lights generally have delightful effects on our environment. These street lights can provide a significant lowering of the carbon emissions created by people, residential, commercial and industrial operations. Besides, in terms of its overall cost, solar street lights are a way better investment compared to traditional street lights, considering the initial investment and O&M costs of the latter one. All in all, integrated solar street lights are a perfect eco-friendly lighting solution and alternative to conventional street lights.

Clodesun provided 5 years warranty on all-in-one integrated solar street lights, we can offer this longer warranty as we are focus on using only high-quality all-in-one integrated solar street light components from reputable products.

solar street light turn on and off automatically, how does it work?

Operation principle of solar street light's switch on and off function The output voltage (or charging voltage) of the solar panel determines the switching on/off operation, and the brightness of the sunshine determines the output voltage of the solar panel. Therefore the brightness of the sunshine determines the charging voltage of the solar charger controller. Charging voltage increases as the light intensity rises, and decreases as light intensity decreases. Solar street lights generally do not require a separate timing switch, because the controller can do a better job of switching the lights on and off automatically. The biggest advantage of solar streetlight is the elimination of buried wires, which can save the 2 major costs of digging and filling the ground, and purchasing cables. If the switch is set up uniformly, then these two costs are spent as usual (of course, the cable can be changed to a thinner signal line). So the solar led street lamp needs an auto switch function, otherwise, it will lose the meaning of solar energy. The good thing is that the development of the single-chip computer has been fully equipped to complete this task brilliantly. Solar street lights are generally composed of four major parts: solar panel, battery, LED lamp head, and solar charge controller. The solar charge controller places a very important role to take care of the charging and discharging, but also the "brain" of the solar system, which takes care of the switching on/off, working time, and light power management. Solar street light turn on and off automatically, how does it work? Back to the solar panel itself that the silicon chips integrated with the solar panel are photosensitive electronic components, and there is no need to add an extra light sensor. The output voltage (or charging voltage) of the solar panel determines the switching on/off operation, and the brightness of the sunshine determines the output voltage of the solar panel. Therefore the brightness of the sunshine determines the charging voltage of the solar charger controller. Charging voltage increases as the light intensity rises, and decreases as light intensity decreases. When the charging voltage determined with a certain value (e.g. below 5v to switch on and above 5v to switch off), the micro-controller in the controller will automatically turn on/off the electronic switch to turn on/off the solar street light. A lot of tests and experiences tell that solar charging voltage at 5v is the right moment to switch on/off the lights, it has been a standard value for solar controllers and photo-controller devices. At ANETHIC, we provide much flexible solutions for all these parameters, you can even determine them yourself to make your very personal decisions. (For more information of our range products and parameters of smart solar controller, please check our products page, there is much more surprises you are going to see).