Detailed Guide to Street Light Solutions

Did you know that street lighting can account for 10-38% of a city's total energy bill? That is a significant number that can be reduced by 50% to 80% by using the right street light solution. For example, the city of Los Angeles reduced their energy consumption of street lighting by 63% by switching to an LED-based street light solution. That is just one advantage of many benefits that modern LED-based street lights offer.

This detailed guide explores the modern and most efficient street lighting solutions designed to enhance operational efficiency, improve safety, facilitate convenient maintenance, and enhance visibility. It dives deep into their details, like design aspects and their types. Moreover, it provides a quick phase-wise guide to upgrade your existing lighting infrastructure.

What Aspects Do Street Lighting Solutions Include?

The first step is to ensure that the supplier you are about to select for the city project can provide modern features. The street light manufacturer should have a mature technology working with the following aspects:

♦ Fixtures (Luminaires)

The luminaire is the most crucial component in a streetlight solution. It requires the most attention and careful evaluation. A fixture is the complete lighting unit. Let's begin taking it apart:

● Light Source

It is the part that converts electricity into light. The traditional lighting system uses high-pressure sodium, metal halide, or fluorescent bulbs to generate light. These are inefficient (60-90 lm/W) and waste energy in the form of heat. The modern and latest light source is an LED chip. LED chips are highly efficient (≥140 lm/W) and have exceptionally long lives of 50,000 to 100,000 hours, depending on the chip manufacturer. Philips (Lumileds), Cree, and Samsung create the best LED chips. Look for lumens and efficacy of the product before purchasing.

● Housing

All the electronic components, including the LED chip, driver, control system, and wiring, are housed within the housing. The harsh weather conditions that street lights may encounter can affect the internal components if the housing doesn't provide proper protection. Therefore, it's vital to have the following features, like ingress and impact protection.

Typically, a housing with an IP66 rating has complete protection against dust and offers resistance to heavy rains and water jets. An IK10 impact rating is suitable for housing as it can withstand 20 joules of impact (equivalent to a 5 kg object dropped from 40 cm). It protects the lights from vandalism, accidental hits, and environmental stress.

● Driver

For the stability of the lighting system, drivers play a key role. Substandard drivers can cause the lights to flicker, reduce the lifespan of LEDs, and lead to fluctuations in the electrical grid. The driver must have reliability, a high power factor (PF ≥ 0.95), surge protection, and compatibility with modern smart control systems. Mean Well (MW drivers), Philips Xitanium, and Inventronics are some popular and reliable names in the driver category.

♦Poles and Mounting

The selection of pole and mounting type depends on the location where the street light is going to be installed.

Types of Poles

• Round Tapered Poles: Ideal for highways and roads, offering strong wind resistance.
• Octagonal Poles: High structural strength and mounting heights (10-14m)
• Tubular Steel Poles: Cost-effective and easy to install for rural and secondary roads.
• Decorative Poles: Ornamental tops ideal for parks, gardens, and walkways
• High Mast Poles: 20-40m height suitable for stadiums, ports, and plazas
• Solar Poles: For off-grid lighting like the CHZ solar street lights (e.g., IST9, DST2)

Mounting Styles

• Top/Side Mount (Standard): Adjustable tilt (0°–15°) to optimize light distribution
• Post-Top Mount: Used for decorative and garden lighting
• Single-Arm Bracket: Suitable for single-lane roads or pathways.
• Double-Arm Bracket: Wider roads or highways, covering both sides.
• Wall-Mounted Brackets: Fixed to a building
• High-Mast Mounting Frames: Tall poles used for airports, stadiums, and industrial areas

♦Controls and Management Systems

For city management, the ability to control the lighting system and generate reports can be a crucial aspect for gaining valuable insights. Modern LED-based lighting systems with smart controls offer the following features:

• Photocell: Lights turn on automatically at dusk and off at dawn.
• Smart Dimming: Timing-based and sensor-based dimming to reduce energy consumption
• Motion Sensors: Microwave or PIR based sensors to control light brightening or dimming.
• Solar Energy Management (MPPT Controllers): Maximum power point tracking system for charging efficiency (up to 30% higher than PWM). Longer battery times on cloudy/rainy days.
• Remote Monitoring and IoT Integration: Integration with a Smart City Platform. Also includes remote on/off, dimming, real-time monitoring of energy consumption, fault detection, and alerts.

Types of Street Lighting and Their Applications

As we mentioned earlier, some of the applications of different types of lighting are. Let's discuss the details and combine all the information to provide a recommended lighting setup for a specific application.

1. Roadway Lighting

Depending on the amount of traffic at night and the type of road, the kind of LED streetlight can be easily finalized. Here are different types of roads and their lighting requirements:

• Residential Streets: According to IESNA, Type II/III distributions are suitable for residential streets. The lights should require lower wattage (20–60W) and be mounted on 5–8 m poles for sidewalks and narrow lanes.
• Arterial Roads: These roads need higher mounting (8–12 m), stronger lumen output, and Type II/III/IV optics for broader coverage and uniformity.
• Highways: For larger roads, with very high output (100W+), 12–20m poles, and Type IV/V patterns are recommended for broad, forward-throw illumination.

Recommended Product: CHZ-ST44, CHZ-IST9, CHZ-ST29 or CHZ-DST2 solar street lights

2. Pedestrian Walkways and Bicycle Paths

Using lighting that has lower intensity and no glare can be ideal for such situations. Decorative post tops or single-arm poles, measuring 3-5m in height, are suitable for pedestrian walkways and bicycle paths. However, depending on the budget, these LED street lights can range from 20W to 40W in power and have either a Type I or Type II distribution. Using warm-neutral color temperatures (3000K–4000K) improves visibility and comfort for pedestrians and cyclists.

Focus on lower-intensity lighting that ensures safety without causing glare.

Recommended Product: CHZ-IST9 solar street lights or CHZ-GD30B garden lights

3. Parking Lots and Large Areas

The lighting has a lot of ground to cover. It's vital for safety and security in parking lots and large areas. Round tapered or high-mast poles, typically 8–15 m for parking areas and up to 20–30 m for vast lots. Fixtures can be mounted on single, double, or multi-arm brackets, or mast ring frames for 360° coverage. A power range of 100W to 250W+ is suitable for a parking lot. Type IV and Type V light distributions are also recommended for an even distribution and reduced dark spots.

Recommended Product: CHZ-FL27 floodlight and CHZ-FL43 stadium light

4. Architectural/Decorative Lighting

You do not need high-power LED street lights for decorative or architectural applications. A 15-50W light with Type I or Type II distribution is enough. Typically, post-top mounts or wall mounts are suitable for such applications. Narrow beam spotlights with warm color temperature can get the job done.

Recommended Product: CHZ-GD30B/GD35A garden lights

What is a Smart Street Light?

Core Components of a Smart Street Light System

Smart street light systems are a combination of components that come pre-installed with the light. As a buyer, you should look for the following:

• Integrated Sensors (Proximity, Sonic, and Solar)
• Controllers
• Communication (Zigbee, LoRa, Cellular)
• Data Collection and Dispatch System

Benefits of Smart Street Light

• Cost Savings: Detailed site reports for optimizing lighting brightness or scheduling on/off times.
• Enhanced Safety and Security: Gunshot sensors and proximity sensors to enhance safety and security.
• Smart City Integration: Integration with other projects, like surveillance programs, to enhance visibility in areas of conflict.

The Process for Upgrading Existing Street Lighting

If you are in city management and aim to upgrade the current street lighting system, you can follow these broadly categorized steps as a guide. These are stages in which the project implementation can be executed. It will ensure efficiency and promising results.

Stage 1: Audit and Assessment

The first step is to analyze the existing infrastructure to determine the best approach. Answer the following questions:

• What kind of infrastructure do we currently have in place?
• Do we need new poles?
• Is there a need for electrical cable renovations?
• Are you aiming for sustainability and smart lighting systems?

Stage 2: Planning and Design

At this stage, when you have your aim set out. Start analyzing the possible solutions. Get quotations based on the specification provided. To calculate the number of luminaires needed, you must determine the total length of the area to be lit and divide it by the recommended pole spacing. Calculate the number of luminaires your project requires, consider smart integration costs, and select relevant products based on your location. Some brands, like CHz Lighting, provide an end-to-end solution, remaining in touch and assisting in every step of the process.

Stage 3: Phased Implementation

First, focus on street lighting solutions for areas with faulty lights, high traffic, or high crime rates to maximize benefits for the public. The project will have a bigger impact. After setting up the critical zones, you can begin rolling out the installation for residential areas to ensure a smoother transition. After installation, start commissioning the lighting system. Design tests to cover all the aspects of the lighting system. Ensure that the entire project is working in a well-integrated manner and according to design.

Stage 4: Ongoing Management

Finally, set up the entire streetlight solution using software. Adjust and upgrade your settings based on the feedback and data collected from on-site sensors. Use software to remotely monitor, control, and maintain the new system.

FAQ

1. How can street lighting solutions reduce light pollution?

Utilizing street lighting solutions equipped with proximity sensors and dimming options can significantly reduce lighting pollution. When there is no traffic or pedestrians, the lights would dim down and minimize light pollution. Moreover, an IESNA standard light will focus light on the ground instead of dispersing everywhere, disturbing the sleep cycle of the residential area's citizens.

2. How to calculate the brightness or lumens needed for street lighting?

You can calculate the brightness (lumens) needed for street lighting by multiplying the illuminance requirement (lux) × the area to be lit (m²), for example: If a residential street requires 10 lux and the roadway area is 200 m², then total lumens needed = 10 lux × 200 m² = 2,000 lumens.

3. Can street lights be dimmed or adjusted based on traffic?

Yes, street light solutions with proximity sensors, dimming-compatible drivers, and an LED chip can adjust brightness based on traffic levels. Lighting solutions, such as CHz IST9/DST2, can dim their brightness to 30% of their full value. It makes the system energy efficient.