How to harness solar energy in public lighting?

When we think about solar energy, we usually picture large fields with photovoltaic power plants and building rooftops covered in solar panels. However, solar energy can also be applied to public lighting. Solar streetlights can be a real, practical, and effective alternative to conventional ones. Given that solar energy is cheap and inexhaustible, solar streetlights do not depend on the electrical grid, as they are energy self-sufficient, making their operating and maintenance costs quite economical. These are autonomous devices that capture solar energy with a photovoltaic panel, storing it in a battery for use during hours without sunlight. Another notable point is that they require no wiring, so they pose no risk to children or adults and can be installed anywhere, even without electrical lighting, regardless of location. Likewise, implementing solar streetlights can avoid expenses such as connection to electrification lines, costs for conduits, wiring, transformer stations, meters, or projects for electricity supply companies, among others. Similarly, this type of lighting eliminates the annoying flickering of conventional lighting. At Edison Next, we have already used this type of public solar street lighting in several locations across Spain. For instance, for the Ibiza city council, a total of 67 solar streetlights were installed on various beaches on the island, such as Talamanca Beach and Playa d’en Bossa, and others on a pedestrian street for the Sant Antoni City Council. Recently, the efficient lighting project has been expanded by installing solar streetlights in, and recently, in an open-air parking lot in Sant Antoni, and soon they will also be installed in a parking lot of the Sant Josep City Council. Similarly, in the “Descampado de los camellos” in Melilla, we have installed 25 solar streetlights with LED technology and presence detectors. With these public lighting projects, Edison Next aims to achieve energy savings in infrastructure, thereby facilitating the subsequent implementation of value-added systems in lighting networks. All of this, with the goal of enabling energy efficiency and sustainability in cities.