NIGHT TIME OPERATION – OFF – ON WHEN MOTION DETECTED – SMALL DELAY AFTER, THEN SWITCH OFF
Background
Over 20 Solar Powered Street Lights were installed in 2020 in this North Dublin suburb. As the Map below indicates, this Region is one of the worst in Europe for Sunshine. These LED Streetlights are powered by Battery at Night time, which is recharged during the day time from the Solar Panel. The large size of the Solar Panel and Battery reflects the location which is a tougher environment for Solar, but allows for the worst months of December and January, where solar lighting is typically at its minimum, plus a Reserve has been built into the Battery to allow for exceptional conditions.
Motion Sensor Control
Motion Sensors are built into each Streetlight so the Lighting will switch on instantly when a Car or Pedestrian approaches. The Lighting stays on while there is movement but within a few minutes of inactivity will switch off. It was clear in advance that the Lighting would be switched off for long periods as the Streets in this neighbourhood were generally quiet at night time.
The system is also controlled so Lighting is never switched on during daytime.
Safety Features
For safety, VeeLite programs the Lighting to dim down if power becomes an issue and extend the night time hours of operation. The Lighting was switching on at full power indicating both adequate solar energy is being collected and Battery levels are more than adequate.
The Solar Panel, Battery size and Luminaire settings (output/dimming profile/delay in switching off) were configured within the Control system to provide a high level of comfort. This was with Reference to typical weather conditions in December and January in this geographical location.
1 Year Later ..
VeeLite visited the site a year after installation and the night time Photos shown were taken on 22nd November 2021 at 9pm (Sunset was at 4.30pm). The Visit was for our own curiosity as we were visiting another Project locally.
The Lighting was switching on at full power indicating both adequate solar energy is being collected and Battery levels are more than adequate.
Daytime Photos
Sunshine Map
Note on Sunshine
Solar Panels work best with direct Sunlight. However, they will still work with indirect sunlight, example through Clouds or Moonlight for example.
For this reason, it is possible to configure a system that works even in periods of the Year when it appears there are no obvious sunny days.
