Before deciding to use solar street lights, we need to first consider the advantages and disadvantages of solar street lights. In comparison to grid-powered street lights, we need to determine whether solar street lights have advantages in terms of cost, performance, installation, lifespan, and after-sales service. Ultimately, the choice between using grid electricity or solar power should be based on the specific requirements of the project. Today, let's explore the pros and cons of solar street lights from these five aspects.

Advantages of Solar Street Lights:

1. 1.Cost: Low Comprehensive Cost

2. The inherent cost of solar street light products is higher than that of grid-powered lights. The cost savings mainly come from reduced expenses in burying cables and excavation.

   Cost is an advantage for rural solar street lights. How about municipal solar street lights? Municipal solar street lights have higher brightness requirements, longer operating hours, especially during rainy days, resulting in higher product costs. However, overall, considering installation, solar street lights still have a cost advantage. This is under the condition that there is good sunlight exposure; in areas with poor sunlight, the comparison may not be favorable. If the power transmission circuit is too long, grid-powered lights would need additional substations, with costs that are difficult to compare.

3. 2.Performance: High Luminous Efficiency, Energy SavingSolar street lights focus on high luminous efficiency with low power. The high luminous efficiency of solar street lights is evident in three aspects:

   Another performance advantage of solar street lights is the ability for continuous, stepless brightness control over multiple time periods, meeting various scene requirements. Additionally, solar street lights have a dawn lighting function, a feature not present in grid-powered lights.

• Higher driving efficiency: Solar street lights directly supply DC power to LEDs, avoiding the AC-DC conversion required by grid-powered lights, resulting in higher driving efficiency.
• High-efficiency LED light sources: Although the cost of LED light sources is minimal in the overall solar street light system, investing in high-efficiency LEDs reduces the overall configuration cost.
• Higher efficiency fixtures: Solar street light fixtures are mostly modular, eliminating an extra layer of toughened glass found in many grid-powered fixtures, reducing light loss by around 20%. Compared to typical grid-powered cast aluminum street lights achieving an overall luminous efficiency of approximately 100lm/W, modular grid-powered street lights around 120lm/W, solar street lights can generally achieve 160-170lm/W.

4. 3.Installation: Simple, Non-professional Installation

• Flexible installation locations: Unlike grid-powered lights that require consideration of wiring complications, solar street lights can be flexibly installed wherever sunlight is available.
• Simple wiring: Solar street lights are equipped with error-proof connectors, allowing ordinary individuals to complete wiring following the manufacturer's instructions without the need for professional electricians.
• Safety: The highest voltage in the solar street light system is 24V, lower than the human safety voltage of 36V, reducing the risk of electric shock during construction.

5. 4.Lifespan: Up to 10 YearsWith the replacement of short-lived lead-acid batteries with lithium batteries, the lifespan of solar street lights has doubled, reaching up to 10 years. However, this longevity is contingent on purchasing high-quality solar street lights. The market offers varying qualities, impacting the lifespan. For example, lamp posts made of overall hot-dip zinc will not rust for 30 years, as long as there is no external damage. Conversely, lamp posts made of cold-dip zinc, galvanized plates, or galvanized rods may rust within three to four years or even one to two years, particularly at stress points, leading to potential collapse. More importantly, high-quality lithium batteries can last 10-15 years, while poor-quality cells degrade rapidly, resulting in decreased brightness within a few months or a year.

6. 5.After-sales Service: Maintenance-free, No Electricity Bills, Low Comprehensive After-sales Cost

• Maintenance-free: Solar street lights operate based on light control, adjusting the lighting time according to seasonal changes in sunset times. Unlike most grid-powered lights relying on relays and requiring adjustments after seasonal changes, solar street lights can be set to time or light control, operating automatically without the need for maintenance.
• No electricity bills: While the electricity cost may be negligible for residential use, for industrial electricity usage, lighting is a significant expense. Solar street lights can result in substantial savings over the long term.
• Low comprehensive after-sales cost: Concerns about high after-sales costs for solar street lights are alleviated when considering the savings in electricity costs. The overall after-sales cost of solar street lights remains low.

Now that we have discussed the advantages of solar street lights, let's address their disadvantages:

1. 1.100% Dependence on Solar EnergySince solar street lights rely entirely on solar energy for power generation, insufficient sunlight renders them ineffective. In areas with limited sunlight, especially for high-power solar street lights, there is a risk of ongoing expenses exceeding income, leading to rapid battery lifespan reduction. This is a significant drawback of solar street lights.

2. 2.Market Chaos, Numerous PitfallsThe complexity of solar street light construction, combined with a lack of standards and regulations, results in a chaotic market with varying product quality. Many parameters of solar street lights require professional equipment for testing, making it challenging for consumers without specialized knowledge to discern product quality. The solar street light market is filled with traps, with differing prices and quality levels. Non-professional customers may find it difficult to purchase high-cost-effective products.

3. 3.Short Maintenance of High Light FluxThe low brightness of solar street lights is a common concern among users. Several factors contribute to this issue:

• Serious misrepresentation: Users may not obtain the actual power they paid for.
• Low inherent power of solar street lights: To reduce the overall light cost, solar street lights typically have lower actual power. Users need to find professional manufacturers and set reasonable budgets to ensure they purchase solar street lights with sufficient brightness.
• Reduction of solar street light power during specific time periods: This measure is also taken to decrease the overall light cost. However, the power of solar street lights is set by manufacturers. If users find a professional and trustworthy manufacturer, set a reasonable budget, the manufacturer can provide solar street lights that meet their requirements.