“Brazil is a place that has a lot of space to be explored.” This is the statement made by Weliton da Maia, field engineer at L8 Energy, regarding the growth of solar lighting in the country. During webinar held last Tuesday (1) by Canal Solar, the specialist discussed the subject and highlighted that photovoltaic public lighting is accelerating in the world with an annual expansion of 30%.
“It is the most efficient way to bring security and development to around 2 billion people who live off the grid. This is interesting data, as the IEA (International Energy Agency) shows that more than 10% of people are not connected to the electricity grid”, he reported.
Furthermore, Maia commented on the characteristics of the equipment, emphasizing that it is environmentally friendly. “By not having to carry out major works, dig trenches, connect a consumer unit to use the electricity, you have good savings, a much lower infrastructure cost”.
Learn more: L8 brings glass and solar luminaire to the photovoltaic market in Brazil
Another positive point highlighted by him is that the luminaires that L8 sells have intelligent lighting management. “Throughout the year, every day, there is artificial intelligence working to manage energy.”
“The product also has the longest service life of the industry on the market, installation is easy – less than five minutes – and it does not use lead acid batteries, which are harmful to the environment”, he added.
Applications
According to the engineer, solar lights can be used on roads, from expressways to secondary roads to residential areas, as well as parks, sports fields, industrial areas, rural villages, etc. “For those who have a more aesthetic sense, it is also an interesting product. In high-end condominiums, for example, which need to have a specific type of lighting, we can work with a range of equipment,” he said.
“One application that I want to draw attention to is in photovoltaic farms. If you are already investing in solar, why not use these luminaire features? In of the economic aspect of payback, it makes a lot of sense. When you don't need to build an electrical structure, this return on investment is almost immediate, varying from project to project”, highlighted the expert.
Solar luminaire components
According to Weliton da Maia, there are four main components:
- Photovoltaic module. “It does not have an aluminum frame, precisely for reasons of aesthetics and water storage. It has a specific patent for system refrigeration”;
- Nickel-metal hydride battery;
- Intelligent control – element responsible for charging the battery, which manages all energy. Check the power needed to achieve increased autonomy;
- High performance LED module. Efficiency of 175 LM/W – “very high in public lighting standards”.
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Very interesting and great report.