Nov 11 2009
A partnership has been struck for outdoor lighting that uses no electricity. Worldwide, the new solar-powered technology can provide light in locations without power, while saving millions of dollars and reducing carbon emissions that may contribute to global warming.
The partnership links LED fixture manufacturer Sunovia Energy Technologies, Inc., Sarasota, with the largest maker of solar electric lighting, Solar Electric Power Co., Stuart, FL. The companies expect to produce thousands of solar-powered LED lighting fixtures under the new agreement.
Their first application is for "Cobra Head"-style LED lights that employ Sunovia's proprietary "Aimed Optics"(TM) technology, which controls the direction of light onto a roadway, parking lot or other targeted area.
The new LED fixtures use low-voltage DC power generated by solar arrays and batteries from SEPCO. The technologies are combined because the sun shines during the day, but light is needed at night. So the solar panels collect and funnel electricity into batteries. Then at night when the light is needed, the systems slowly pull electricity from the batteries to produce ultra-efficient LED light. LED lights are ideal for solar-powered applications as LEDs produce light using far less input energy than metal halide or high-pressure sodium sources.
Sunovia's "Aimed Optics" technology puts the right amount of light into the target area. Sunovia explains that it tackled optical issues because LEDs by nature are directional - their light points straight out from the LED - making them great for vehicle tail lights, but not so great for lighting that must be spread out over a highway or parking lot. Because LEDs within Sunovia's EvoLucia-brand cobra heads are strategically aimed to precisely focus light for specified locations, they achieve higher light utilization (greater light output), providing higher "target efficiencies" than even other types of LED fixtures. This is particularly important in street and roadway applications, where increased road safety comes directly from the heightened visibility of more light reaching roadways at ground level. Sunovia's "Aimed Optics" is the only technology suited for direct, one-for-one replacement of HPS cobra head street lights with LEDs.
The Sarasota company mounts LEDs in an unusual pattern in the Cobra Head fixture, with reflectors like mirrors. A chart supplied by the company shows the difference compared with older "light bar" installation - Sunovia uses 73 watts compared to 81 for an LED light bar design, and puts the light in a better pattern. Compared with present vapor lights, widely used outdoors, the savings are a third or more.
The company's design also properly manages heat within the fixture, which is critical to extending LED life since they are temperature-sensitive. With its thermal control, says Sunovia, the lights last thousands of hours.