We are quickly moving towards the end of 2017 and wanted to do a review of the top 10 posts of 2017. Some of these posts were published as new content, whereas some were republished with updated information. Below is the list with a quick description of each post.
This post went over the different design factors and the life span of each. From batteries used in solar lighting systems, to fixtures, panels, and hardware, each component has different life expectancies. This teaches readers what they should expect for maintenance and replacement times for each different component.
This post was written to discuss the different areas of information gathering that would be required to correctly design a solar lighting solution for different types of projects. We went over light level requirements, area of illumination, operation profiles, and how to complete projects with the lighting engineers and solar lighting designers.
Shading concerns is a huge issue for the solar community, especially with off-grid applications. We had written this post initially in 2013, but went over and revised to bring it more up to date. Understanding how shading can affect a solar lighting system helps with installation location determination and how you would need to oversize the system if shade is a major concern.
In this post we went over why sizing a system for worst case is key to ensure a long lasting system that won’t fail during times of inclement weather or during the winter months. We went over the difference between grid tied and off grid systems and the major differences between these two types of systems.
There are many reasons why solar lighting systems are becoming more popular, especially in the last decade, but this post went over the top five reasons. We covered grid security, mandates, people looking for a green alternative and ways to save money, and projects where power is still unavailable. We even touched on incentives and technology changes over the last decade.
Rural areas are sometimes some of the hardest locations to bring in grid power. We wanted to cover how rural areas can benefit from a solar LED lighting solution and how they can provide security and save money, especially in parks and trails that are being installed all over the US today.
Another great revision of a post from 2012, we updated why solar lighting systems are becoming the answer to many different project requirements. We covered technology advances in all sets of industries along with other benefits of an off-grid solar lighting system such as purchasing costs, maintenance, and life span.
Here we went over the exact reasons why shading causes systems to fail. We also look at why installation locations need to be carefully scoped out before system design. Shading can seriously affect the performance of solar, even if it seems like there is only a little shade on a small section of a panel.
Our runner up post went over what goes into a solar street lighting system, what are the different components and how they are put together to make a complete commercial solar street light. We also covered how the system operates and how the control electronics are used within the system.
Street lights have many different factors to consider when proposing an installation. Traffic hours, shading, light level requirements and mounting requirements can all drastically change the project scope and design of an off-grid solar street light.
Want more great content? Let us know what you want to learn about in 2018 either by emailing us directly at marketing@sepconet.com or leave a comment below. We love to know what our readers think and to get information about content you want to read about.