Solar Powered LED Street Light vs. Traditional Street Lights

Everyone wants to know LED solar street lights vs. HPS street lights which is the better option for them. Despite what you would think, LEDs and incandescent bulbs have a plethora of advantages and disadvantages. As we compare LED vs. HPS lighting systems, we want to provide you with some helpful information. It is possible to create stunning effects using LED strips that provide both comfort and creativity. 

Depending on your imagination, you may use it on headboards, crown molding, handrails, stair flooring, and many more possibilities. Cities and municipalities are transitioning away from inefficient HPS lighting and toward more energy-efficient solar-powered LED fixtures for various reasons. Both of these settings are vastly different from one another. 

Solar-powered LED fixtures not only save money on energy expenditures but may also be used with motion-sensing technology because of their low power consumption. Here we are going to discuss LED solar street lights vs. HPS street lights to see which better option for you is:

Main Differences Between LED Solar Street light and HPS Street Lights

In today’s world, LED lights are rapidly replacing HPS street lights as a more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly alternative. 

• High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) streetlights are a traditional sight. These bulbs emit monochromatic yellow-orange light. It’s not uncommon to still see HPS lights in huge locations like manufacturing plants and roads. As a result, they are frequently employed as plants grow lights. 
• Solar-powered LED streetlights are trendy. 

Here are the main differences between the two:

1. Upfront Costs and Installation
2. Lifespan 
3. Cost of Maintenance 
4. Resistance to Shock
5. Motion sensor
6. Visibility
7. Dependence on the electricity grid

Lifespan 

LEDs have a longer functional life than any other light source commercially available. Lamps and fixtures can last anywhere from 25,000 to 200,000 hours before they need to be replaced. Atmospheric Stress Regarding energy efficiency, sodium lamps have long been utilized for exterior street lighting in municipalities because of their long lifespan (albeit not as long as LEDs). As a general rule, an HPS bulb may expect to last about 24,000 hours. 

“HPS lamps still provide 90 percent of their initial light output at the midway of their life term,” says American Electric Lighting. After its useful life, lumen maintenance is still excellent, at a rate of roughly 80%. LPS lights have a slightly lower lifespan than traditional incandescent bulbs (typically failing around 18,000 hours of operation).

Upfront Costs and Installation

In comparison to other types of lighting, solar street lights are much more expensive upfront at a per unit basis. 

However, what’s often overlooked is the installation cost of traditional solar streetlights. It’s not mentioned often, but there is tons of work around pavement and wiring when preparing for HPS lamps’ installation. On the other hand, LED solar streetlights don’t need any of that.

Cost of Maintenance 

Over the long term, the technology pays the investor back (the payback period). Reduced labor costs and, to a lesser extent, gains in energy efficiency are the primary sources of return on investment (dependent on electricity costs). Lights made of Low and High-Pressure Sodium (LPS) are inexpensive to buy and maintain. 

As a result, even though LPS and HPS bulbs have long lifespans, they still fall short of LED bulbs. LPS or HPS lights may still need to be purchased multiple times, and the accompanying labor costs incurred to achieve the same lifespan as a single LED light. The price of LED lighting is considerable. However, it can vary widely depending on the model. Between $10 and $20 will get you a 100W-equivalent LED light. According to the type of light being used, the cost of Low and High-Pressure Sodium might vary considerably. A 100-watt incandescent-equivalent LPS or HPS bulb costs $5 to $10, which is a bargain compared to LEDs.

LED bulbs have virtually no maintenance costs, and the frequency with which they need to be replaced is the best on the market, making them the most cost-effective lighting option. In addition to the cost of labor to monitor and replace aging or expired components, a single LED will need to be replaced numerous times throughout its lifetime.

Total Price Comparison: Traditional VS. Solar Street Light

Take the 10KM main road project in Nigeria as an example to compare the cost of solar street lights and ordinary street lights. the standard main road 80W street light installation distance is 30 meters 334 one-way roads, a total quantity is needed 668 street lights.

Above is the installation cost and the use of the 3-year warranty period. On the whole, the total cost of the solar street light is 327,320 US dollars, while the total cost of the street light is 409,863 US dollars. Street lights are 25% higher than solar street lights. Considering the use of electricity bills in subsequent years, this cost of street light will be higher.

When we choose LED technology to illuminate one area, solar street lights are the most efficient way. You may think that compared with traditional lighting, solar LED lighting requires more expensive maintenance and upkeep costs. To be honest, solar lights actually require less maintenance than traditional lighting systems.

The typical service life of traditional street lights is about 5,000-8,000 hours on average, which life is less than a year. while the cycle life of solar LED street lights is 5-8 years. Compared with traditional lighting methods, solar street lights also have higher power efficiency.

Resistance to Shock

You can’t damage them with physical shocks with LEDs because they are solid-state lights (SSLs). LEDs are more durable than incandescent bulbs, which are more susceptible to breakage. It’s especially true of the linear tubes that have bulbs in them. HPS and LPS lamps, like the majority of older models, use a glass bulb as their light source. Depending on the design, LEDs can be made to be as small as 2mm in certain circumstances and as huge as a meter or more in others. 

You can utilize LEDs in a wide range of applications. There are many low and high-pressure sodium lamps. However, they are often utilized in outdoor settings where size isn’t an issue. Despite this, they are rarely made in widths more petite than a centimeter, and as a result, they cannot match the compactness and robustness of an LED.

Motion Sensor

LEDs are always ready to use because they don’t require any warming-up time before producing their total light output. HPS lamps are not ideal for motion sensors since they take a long time to produce their full light output. Use motion sensors when security and visibility are critical but must reduce power consumption. Motion-sensing can function effectively thanks to the instant-on characteristics of LEDs, allowing the fixture to run either at a lower output or entirely off to on. An instantaneous switch to full brightness ensures the safety and complete visibility of all those within its vicinity.

Visibility

As far as lighting is concerned, visibility is a crucial issue. The color of the light influences the way our eyes interpret our surroundings. Utilizing light near the sun’s natural light as possible enhances visibility by a factor of ten. With a CRI of 70 to 80, you can find LEDs in 2700K to 6500K color temperatures. HPS lights have improved over the past few years, but they still fall short of the brightness and efficiency of LEDs. The color temperature of an HPS light is between 1900 and 2800K, and the CRI is from 20 to 80. 

This color is more orange and does not allow the eyes to distinguish between the colors and tints of objects. The human eye cannot correctly record the information it sees, lowering safety and security and preventing security and law enforcement from conducting their jobs correctly. With a light that can be seen clearly by the human eye, there will be no mistake between one object and another, increasing safety.

Dependence on the electricity grid

Most street lights such as HPS completely depend on the electricity grid to light up. It’s typically not a problem to keep them up at night in most developed countries. However,  the electricity grid is unstable and unreliable in a lot of developing countries. 

Solar street lights, on the other hand, don’t get power from the electricity grid.  For example, all-in-one solar street light.

Where Do LED Streetlights and HPS Streetlights Differ?

Lumens are the key to solving this problem. There are several different definitions for lumens, but the most commonly used one is “the SI unit of luminescence, which is equal to the quantity of light-emitting every second from the same uniform source of one candela.” To avoid confusing our readers, we’re going to use the term “lumen” as the standard for measuring light when comparing solar LED street lights and HPS street lights. Light output per unit of energy invested is a common topic of discussion when addressing lighting efficiency. A typical “return on investment” for light, if you will. 

In terms of lumens per watt, LED lights fall somewhere between 40 and 120. You get more light-hitting things that weren’t meant to be illuminated with HPS, but the lumens-per-watt rating is higher because these lights are omnidirectional. There is less “light loss” when using an LED light source over an HPS one. A 180-degree light spread means that more light is focused on the target. It’s pointless to spend money on a lamp if half of its output is going in the wrong direction. LED comes out on top in this fight.

Conclusion: it comes down to costs! 

LED Solar Street light vs. HPS street lights is the question asked by many people.

However, using an LED street light is a more environmentally friendly solution than traditional street lights. Integrated LED street lights use less energy and require less maintenance and operation costs than other outdoor lighting. Compared to ordinary sodium streetlights, these LEDs are 50% more efficient and last 20-25 years. This is why LED outdoor lights are becoming increasingly popular around the world. The light emitted by LED bulbs has a distinct shade of blue-white. With less light pollution, newer LED street lights can create amber or yellow-warm, more animal-friendly colors.

So here is the answer. There is no wiring required for solar street lights, so it costs much less to install; No electricity is needed at all for the operation of solar street lights because they convert sunlight into electricity—–so it saves taxpayers money in the long run; Also, solar street light doesn’t depend on the electricity grid which is unable in a lot of developing countries.

Also, you can carry out many productive tasks more safely using led street lights rather than HPS street lights. Machines can be dangerous to operate if they aren’t visible. An inability to see small details and a slower work pace are two consequences of poor lighting in the workplace. An energy-saving impact may be seen with the Solar LED Street light.

 This street light saves more than half of the energy required to illuminate the road than the typical high-pressure sodium bulb. Due to its pure DC operation and lack of flash frequency, it is immune to the eye strain caused by ordinary street lamp strobes.

Outdoor solar LED light with no filament or glass housing is highly resistant to impact and shock. HPS street lights are ideal for high-mounting applications, such as industrial and security lighting, because of their high-intensity lights. With 15-foot and higher heights, they’re the finest choice for mounting streetlights. These bulbs are unsuitable for applications that need excellent color accuracy, such as retail and commercial lighting. When it comes to accurately display the colors of objects, HPS lights fall short. Street lights that must turn on and off regularly are not suitable for HPS lighting.