Solar powered LED street lights.

emaherx wrote: »

I think they should be better than those garden lights which have the smallest cheapest PV cells available. But what are you looking For? I'd say they are fine for lighting up a walk way most only give minimal light until PIR is activated, but the separate solar panel and battery are a good option if you want to light up a larger area for longer.

I think I just want a trouble free light that can be independent of the esb and generator if needed.
A few years ago there was no such option and the solar powered light was always the running joke.
But something tells me keeping the solar panel and light separate allows for one to fail without affecting the other but if it's combined like these are the whole unit is fecked.
Just trying to get people's experience of these yet since they seem to be on the market now for a few years now.

The thought of just bolting it to a pole or shed and being done with it appeals to my caveman side.

That particular one at dusk goes onto a dim light for 5 hours after dusk and if anyone walks nearby the sensor switches to full power for 20 seconds I think. It's on the website I think anyway. After the five hours (didn't time yet) it switches off but will still come on full light if the sensor is activated for the 20 seconds or so till next daylight. I think there's 5 days charge in the battery charged over 5 hours.

The dim I would say it's two and half times the strength of full moon. Full moon last night so I looked. So it's not going to trouble any neighbours with light pollution. Looks a very robust model. Full light is bright but it will switch off after 20 seconds. I have their other solar light the little box integrated unit too. Now there's lots of light off that one. Like a floodlight. The standby light is very bright and the full is 1000 lumens if ye have an idea. There's two movement sensors on that one and it's more responsive. But it is a very strong light. Could say blarey. Well built too.

Two different lights. Two kind of different uses. The street light pictured the panel is kind of facing northwest into the shed. But the tilt angle allowed is not very much so it's nearly horizontal anyway. No problem getting sunshine.

Happy enough so far with both lights.

So much that I've gone and ordered indoor shed lights with wired panels from looking on the Web yesterday. These will be a different led light set up by remote control. On/off, dim settings, lighting adjustable, can be turned on in daylight. Could be a fool and money but took the chance. No electrician required.

Another variation. Dusk to Dawn. Change the colour of light. 3hour, 6 hour and 9 hour choice of after dusk lighting time. Change the output of light. On/off facility. Remote control operated. Only lights when dark or disconnected from panel. No movement sensors on this one. Extension cables came with the set from the panel to lights but didn't use them. Supposed 2 year warranty.

Only just erected today. Will have to switch off when dark as not enough length of day up today to charge the batteries. Sounds like all bells and whistles. We'll see..

I have that 200 watt light above now working. It is the best one lightwise I have yet. Said it on the box anyway.😆

It's really the only one you'd compare with a mains light.

It took two days of charging up before it would light. There's a red light flashes on the light as it's charging from the panel. Then today that red flashing light turned a constant green. And only then would it turn on from the remote. It turned on in the daylight too. Not many do that.

You'd think it was bright and it is but I have a mains led light facing towards it on the opposite side of the yard. Could be a 30 or 40 watt light and I could see my shadow from that on the solar light side. Panel is flimsy or the legs it's on are flimsy. Will need to weld supports beside to strengthen.

Anyway best one yet comparable to a bright mains light.

@emaherx Could that 12volt system be run on an automated dusk (when panels stop producing) and on a set time of lighting before switching off?

I hear elsewhere 24volt is more efficient with much the same lighting able to handle it. And obviously a 24v battery is dearer than 12v. But the lighting between 12 and 24 is the same price. 12 or 24volt television next. 😅

Indoor lights got wired up today. Little panels on the roof.

There's more work in making brackets for the panels than putting them up.

Have no verdict either ways yet. Bar each light is supposed to be 1000 lumens. And two lights work off one panel.

Factorled.

It's Chinese made. But they all are now. Supposed to be a warranty of 5 years on the light and 3 on the panel. It's a light panel. But it's doing it's job.

Big difference between panels and frames from the different makers.

(Oh and you'll be plagued with ads from factorled now)..

The longest I've set any of the ones is three hours.

That one though will still be lighting in the morning. But it's a high for movement low light for standby.

I've three other lights with an all night setting but I haven't used that function. Usually though if the all night setting is picked they'll go onto a low light output to save the battery. Any of the ones with the infra red movement switch should still light the next morning since they only switch on for roughly 20 seconds anyway.

The best contender I have for a bright light for longest is this one.

I selected the 9 hours option there now and it never changed it's light output.

The avant if you select an all night it'll be bright at the start and keep decreasing in %'s (the three hour option bright for the three hours). The indoor ones I have have a constant low light all night or low light and high triggered by movement. But I haven't put them on all night cos the cows are in and they'd dirty their beds worse..so not sure how it works.

Now whether that's 9 hours from 6.30 now or probably 5.20 when it turned on.

So it'll be 2.20am or 3.30am when switches off.

That light above differs from my other ones in that the darkness sensor is on the light itself not the panel. So if you wanted a light for inside a shed to automatically come on. That's an important difference. That one comes on 20 minutes before the rest too. The others being the two different types from tullow, the avant, and indoor lights. All those it's just nearly dark before they all come on.

The floods on this each light is separate they don't come on together even though they're on the one panel. So you could have one inside switching on an hour perhaps? before it's comrade light outside on the one panel.

Edit: I just read the spiel again on that on amazon and it automatically goes onto an all night setting if you press ON. Am I going to try it? No. Not yet anyway. I'm hoping it stays for a long haul.

We'll see. 😀🤣

There's so many variations out there now. You can even get solar powered camera and light PIR combined.

I'd say that'd be along the lines you should be looking.

Look up clever agri at their two pir solar lights if you don't want a camera and pick which option of light suits best.

That's it there now this evening.

Tbh the photo is enhancing it a bit. It was brighter last night when it came on first. Dull day and the only setting of being on dusk till dawn seem to have had their way on the battery. No energy saving movement sensor neither.