The National highway system is a great way to get from one place to another in a short amount of time. All over the country, highways are full of travelers, including our busy truckers bringing products to their final destination. Solar flasher projects can include OVDS systems to ensure the safety of the truckers on the road and decrease damages by low-lying bridges.
Many areas are not updated to changing sizes of vehicles over the years. Vehicle overheight detection systems provide safety to truckers and other travelers on the road by making sure they can get through the area safely or provide information for a detour to route the larger trucks around the obstacle safely.
If an accident occurs in these areas because proper warning devices aren't installed, the safety and security of the public is put in jeopardy. If these happen during peak hours, this can be even worse since congestion of the daily traffic will make it even harder for first responders to get to the site.
The average cost of repairing a bridge and the surrounding area can be upwards of $200-300K when one of these accidents happen. This doesn’t even include the damage to the cargo, truck, and the possibility of loss of life. A custom-designed OVDS system cost is a fraction of that cost and would prevent so much damage and increase the safety on the roads.
A lot of these low-lying bridges and overpasses are in rural areas where power does not exist. Solar-powered vehicle overheight detection systems provide the needed energy to these areas to control the systems to alert truckers on size restrictions.
These systems use infrared beams aligned across the lanes at a safe distance from the upcoming obstacle. If something passes through the beams, it will trigger a warning, allowing the driver to have ample time to decide where to go next, typically off the next exit or turn around area.
Suppose the truck is detected to be too high for an upcoming bridge or overpass. In some case, an LED message board will also be activated and have flashing beacons to attract the attention of the truckers allowing them to exit the highway and go through the detour safely.
These systems can be installed in any location and use the solar power system to provide power to the flashers, message boards, and detection systems. The solar provides the necessary power to allow for the infrared detectors to be operational 24/7 and have enough power to sound the alarm and turn on all other equipment used to attract the driver's attention.
The solar needs must be sized accordingly to not undersize for the safety of the people on the roads. Great caution and care must be taken when designing systems such as these for public safety. Oversizing the solar and battery back up a bit, and having a good maintenance schedule, will ensure that the system's operation is never in question.
Installing the solar on the same pole with all other equipment necessary for this application will make sure the power is right where it is needed. This type of installation keeps the power with the equipment, making troubleshooting and maintenance a breeze. Power drops are also not a concern with the solar installed alongside the equipment it is powering.
We work alongside companies to provide these DOT-certified systems for installations all over the US. Our solar electric power assemblies are supplied to companies to provide power to their equipment in installations such as this. We work directly with the companies to ensure plenty of power is provided to the equipment to ensure the reliability and longevity of the system.
Since solar power is a great way to get energy where a standard grid power system does not exist. Providing a durable, long-lasting solar power system with a minimum of 5 days of backup storage is key to keeping our highways safe for truckers and travelers alike.