Efforts to reduce energy dependence have been a massive focus of the 21st century. With sky-high fuel prices that have very little promise of returning to a more reasonable range, a questionable carbon footprint, and the uncertain future of energy ahead of us, businesses and cities are discovering ways of using renewable energy that significantly reduce emissions and save copious sums of cash. Sometimes, however, it’s difficult to determine what “energy sappers” can be paired with renewable energy forms to reduce consumption.

 

A booming avenue of renewable energy is the photovoltaic market, otherwise known as solar energy. Solar panels have certainly reduced in price heavily in the past decades, but that doesn’t mean these panels are efficient enough to power everything. It’s one of the reasons why solar cars aren’t very viable - the net power just isn’t enough to propel a vehicle for sustained distances.

 

The good news is that solar power works incredibly well with public lighting systems, such as lighting on streets, pathways, parking lots, or other public areas. Believe it or not, solar parking lot lights are a very big trend in city and business development today.

 

Here are a few reasons why these modern marvels of luminance are a much better alternative than traditional lighting methods.

 

Reasons to Purchase Solar LED Lights

Green Energy is Great, For One

Let’s define some terms without getting into the jargon. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by a source. If any source produces CO2, methane, or ozone, that’s a factor in the overall carbon footprint. It’s a fact that every kilowatt of electricity generates about 830 grams of carbon equivalents. Lighting by itself produces more than 15% of carbon emissions, and so it’s important to cut corners wherever possible.

 

Solar LED lights have absolutely zero carbon emissions. Imagine if the entire world today altered their public lighting systems to solar. The carbon footprint would shrink significantly and everyone would benefit from fatter wallets and better health. That’s the power of solar lighting.

 

In addition, a lot of different lights use hazardous materials in their construction. Several kinds of lamps (metal halide, high-pressure sodium, compact fluorescent) carry small amounts of mercury or mercury vapor that must be disposed of properly, adding hassle and expense to your lighting project.

 

Wire-Free Operation

Solar lighting can be placed virtually anywhere. Traditional lighting methods require connectivity to the underground power grid, which restricts lights in several ways.

 

First off, once a traditional light is in the ground, that’s it! There’s no portability with traditional lighting. Some solar light models are actually portable. So if you need light in a specific spot, then congratulations - a solar light is perfect for your needs!

 

Secondly, if something were to disrupt the power connectivity of a traditional light, the light fails. That’s not the case with solar lighting. We’ve seen real-world cases of lights that have withstood an entire hurricane and remained on after the storm has passed.

 

Third, we’ve seen cases of entire lighting networks blip out due to one flaw in the underground power wiring. Every solar light in a system is completely independent when it comes to power, so rest assured that if there’s an electrical problem, it won’t be affecting the entire system.

 

Save Money, Earn Money

Perhaps the largest benefit of solar adopters is how much money is saved up front with solar street lighting. Even though a typical solar light is more expensive than the competition, solar doesn’t need connectivity to the power grid, nor does it need costly trenching. For a common 10-light system, trenching can tack on an extra 30 thousand dollars to the bill - and that’s only trenching! Solar LED lights pull their power from the sun so there’s no need to dig for power.

 

In addition to extreme savings (often upfront and on day 1 of installation), solar lights cost zero dollars to operate - after 5 years of operation, you won’t need to spend a single penny on energy usage. We consider that a double-dollar-whammy of epic proportions.

 

That’s not all! Plenty of solar tax credits are in place on a state and federal level. For 2019, anyone can earn 30% back of the total price of the solar light installation through a federal tax credit with details located on the DSIRE site. Do your research to see what money you can earn back from your new solar investment. It pays to purchase solar - literally!

 

Conclusion

Solar is more than just a trend - it’s a method of powering lights that saves money, protects the environment, and makes things a little easier for everyone. At Greenshine New Energy, we’re proud to deliver the most cost-efficient public lighting solutions for businesses, municipalities, and corporations in need of simple lighting. If you’re in the market, think solar. It really is a “bright” idea.

 

 

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