Solar street lights are a form of renewable energy consumption. Their popularity is growing more and more as the days go by. In addition, the technology used on solar street lights is constantly changing. An example of a manufacturer that uses the latest technology is PBOX. Furthermore, as technology changes, so do the pricing. The different pricing is attributed to different factors. This article aims at informing you of the various factors that determine solar street lights price.

Factors that determine solar street lights price

1. Solar power panel

Solar power panel exists in two main kinds. They include; polycrystalline silicon and monocrystalline silicon. The difference between the two types of solar panels is the efficiency in photoelectric conversion. Among the two, the monocrystalline solar panel has the best conversion rate of 17% to 22%. In comparison, polycrystalline silicon has a conversion rate of between 14% to 17%. The production cost of polycrystalline is not as high as that of monocrystalline solar panels. Therefore, solar panels made from monocrystalline silicon will have a higher price than polycrystalline silicon. Even though the price is higher, the solar panel will have higher conversion efficiency.

2. Street light pole

There are different street light poles in existence. The differences in the street light come in the form of wall thickness, the material used, double or single arms, and the pole’s shape. In addition, there are different methods used to galvanize the street pole lamp. The different methods include; cold galvanizing and hot galvanizing. The pricing of cold galvanizing is cheaper as compared to hot galvanizing. That is because hot galvanizing has a better anti-corrosion effect than cold galvanizing. Therefore, the different sizes of materials used, the galvanizing method used, and wall thickness affect solar street light pricing.

3. Solar street light battery

The various batteries usually found in solar street lights include; Ternary Lithium batteries, LifePO4 lithium-ion batteries, and lead-acid lithium batteries. In addition, the voltage of the batteries is usually 24V or 12V. Ternary Lithium batteries and LifePO4 lithium-ion batteries are commonly used because of extreme environmental protection and no maintenance cost. Ternary Lithium batteries price is very cheap and is commonly used in low-quality solar street lights. The high charge-discharge quantity of LifePO4 lithium-ion batteries makes it have a high price, but the free maintenance cost, in the long run, makes it a very worthy investment.

4. Intelligent controller

There are two different types of controllers; Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) and Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM). The two controllers are very efficient in charging batteries. In addition, the two controller technologies are commonly used in the solar off-grid sector. PWM is cheaper compared to MPPT. PMW is better used for small-sized solar off-grid systems, while MPPT is better used for large solar off-grid systems. If the MPPT is used in the small off-grid system; then, it will be less efficient. Therefore, the different intelligent controller used means different prices for the solar panel street light.

Conclusion

The different elements used to constitute the solar street lights mean different prices. As you can see from above, the different quality of materials determines the pricing of the solar street lights. In addition, solar street lights have a higher production cost than ordinary street lights, but in the long run, they are relatively cheaper as the maintenance cost is minimal.