What Is a Solar Street Light? Types, Sizing & Project Use

A solar street light is an off-grid outdoor lighting system that uses a photovoltaic (PV) panel to charge a battery during the day and power an LED luminaire after dark. A project-grade system also includes a charge controller, optics, mounting structure and a programmed lighting profile.

For roads, parking areas and public spaces, the right solar street light is selected by more than wattage. Road width, pole height, target light level, operating hours, local solar conditions, low-sun autonomy, wind exposure and maintenance access must all be checked before a model is specified.

Quick project check: prepare the installation city, road width, pole height, pole spacing, operating schedule, autonomy target and quantity before asking for a recommendation.

Principais componentes

• Módulo fotovoltaico (painéis monocelulares/meia-célula),
• Controlador de carga MPPT/PWM,
• Bateria (LiFePO₄ ou íon de lítio para alta duração do ciclo),
• Luminária e sistema óptico de LED de alta eficiência,
• Poste/suportes e fiação, sensores opcionais/monitoramento remoto.

Como funciona (ciclo dia/noite)

1. Dia: O PV converte a luz solar em CC → o controlador carrega a bateria seguindo um algoritmo otimizado (MPPT melhora a colheita).
2. Noite: O controlador alimenta o LED de acordo com um perfil de escurecimento (por exemplo, 100% no pico de ocupação; 30-50% no final da noite) para equilibrar os níveis de luz e a autonomia de energia. (Prática geral em projetos de iluminação fora da rede). 

For a component-by-component explanation of charging, storage and control, read how solar lights work from sunlight to light at night.

Tipos e quando usá-los

System type	Best fit	Choose it when	Use caution when	Project inputs to confirm
Luz de rua solar tudo-em-um	Community roads, pathways, parks, parking areas and fast-deployment projects	You want compact equipment, minimal cabling and straightforward installation.	The site needs very large battery capacity, flexible panel orientation or extended low-sun autonomy.	Road width, pole height, mounting space, dimming profile and autonomy target.
All-in-Two Solar Street Light	Municipal roads, main corridors and sites where panel orientation needs more flexibility	You need a separate PV panel position while keeping the battery and luminaire in a compact assembly.	The buyer requires the smallest possible fixture or has very limited pole space.	PV orientation, pole-arm design, wind load, battery capacity and lighting layout.
Luz de rua solar tipo Split	Wide roads, higher-output public lighting, rainy-season projects and remote infrastructure	You need more flexibility to size and locate the PV panel, battery and luminaire separately.	The project cannot support more detailed installation, cabling and maintenance planning.	Solar resource, low-sun days, battery service access, cable route, theft risk and civil-work scope.

Need a deeper comparison? Read our All-in-One vs All-in-Two vs Split Solar Street Lights guide before choosing a system architecture.

Modelos de luz de rua solar All-In-Two

Nosso All-In-Two Solar Street Light is available in the JAGUAR, Falcon, and Bison series. Utilizing the latest semi-integrated design, the lithium battery and solar controller are housed within the light casing, while the solar panel is mounted externally. A separate design of the solar panel ensures a large solar panel capacity to achieve big LED output and the semi-integrated design simplifies installation while significantly enhancing anti-theft security.

Modelos de luz de rua solar All-In-One

Nosso Luz de rua solar tudo-em-umEstá disponível nas séries SIRIUS (INL-AIO9), GALAXY (INL-AIO6), ALIEN (INL-AIO5) e POLARIS (INL-AIO2). Utilizando o mais recente design integrado, a bateria de lítio, o controlador solar e o painel solar estão todos alojados no invólucro da luz. Esse design simplifica a instalação e aumenta significativamente a segurança antifurto.

For commercial, municipal and public-infrastructure applications, explore commercial solar street light systems and compare the project inputs for each type.

How to Select a Solar Street Light for a Road Project

Start with the road or site, not a nominal wattage. The lighting layout should define the required pole height, spacing, optical distribution, illuminance or luminance target, and uniformity. The solar system is then sized around the LED load, dimming schedule, local solar resource, system losses and required low-sun autonomy.

Use EN 13201 or IES road-lighting criteria where applicable, then verify the proposed layout with the relevant photometric files. A higher-wattage fixture is not automatically the better choice if its optics, pole layout or solar-energy budget do not fit the site.

Before requesting a quotation, confirm:

• Road width, traffic pattern and the area to be lit
• Pole height, arm length and planned pole spacing
• Required operating hours and dimming profile
• Installation city, shading, dusty season and expected low-sun period
• Wind, corrosion and foundation requirements
• Maintenance access, monitoring needs and project quantity

Sizing Checks Before You Request a Quote

The example below explains the calculation logic only. Final PV and battery sizing must be based on the actual installation location, solar resource, temperature range, required lighting profile, component specifications and approved engineering assumptions.

Entradas (exemplo)

• Potência do LED: 40 W
• Perfil de escurecimento: 6 h @ 100% + 6 h @ 30%
• Eficiência do sistema (controlador/fiação): 85%
• Bateria: Lítio, design DOD = 80%
• Tensão do sistema: 24 V
• Dias de autonomia: 2
• Horas de pico de sol (PSH) no pior mês: 4,0 h/dia
• Descarte de PV (temperatura/solo/envelhecimento): 0.75

1) Energia diária do LED (Wh):

• 40 W × 6 h = 240 Wh
• 0,3 × 40 W × 6 h = 72 Por que
• Total = 312 Wh/dia

2) Inclua as perdas do sistema:

• Energia diária ajustada = 312 ÷ 0,85 = 367,06 Wh/dia

3) Capacidade da bateria (Ah):

Fórmula: Ah = (Wh diário × Autonomia) ÷ (Sistema V × DOD)

• (367.06 × 2) ÷ (24 × 0.8) = 38,24 Ah
• Recomendação: escolher ≥ 40 Ah @ 24 V (≈ 960 Wh utilizáveis) para a margem.

4) Tamanho do arranjo fotovoltaico (Wp):

Fórmula: Wp = Wh diário ÷ (PSH × PV derate)

• 367.06 ÷ (4.0 × 0.75) = 122,35 Wp
• Adicionar ≥ margem de projeto 20% → 150-180 Wp recomendado.

Regras de ouro:

• A autonomia típica é de 2 a 3 noites; em regiões de inverno rigoroso/chuvoso, considere 5 a 7 noites.
• O LiFePO₄ suporta DOD mais alto, ajudando a reduzir o volume e a massa e mantendo a vida útil do ciclo.

For a project-specific calculation, send the site location, operating schedule, target autonomy, road geometry and lighting target. Inlux Solar can match the system configuration to the project inputs and provide the relevant technical documentation.

What Makes a Solar Street Light Reliable in Real Conditions?

Solar street light reliability is decided by the complete system, not by the lamp head alone. A suitable design considers the local solar resource, battery temperature, panel soiling, corrosion exposure, wind loading, optical performance and the practical ability to maintain the installation.

For hot, dusty, coastal or long-rainy-season locations, ask how the proposed PV panel, battery, controller, housing, pole and mounting system are configured for those conditions. The quotation should also state the operating profile and the assumptions used to calculate low-sun autonomy.

• Solar resource and seasonal shading
• Battery temperature and usable capacity
• Panel cleaning access and dust accumulation
• IP/IK requirements and corrosion exposure
• Pole, bracket, foundation and wind-load design
• LED optics, dimming profile and maintenance access

Need a Solar Street Light Design for Your Project?

Send your project location, road width, pole height, pole spacing, target lighting level, operating schedule, autonomy target and quantity. Our engineering team can recommend a suitable system type and provide product documentation, photometric files and layout support where available.

See solar street light project examples for applications across roads, communities and public infrastructure.

Lista de verificação de instalação e manutenção

For the on-site process, use our solar street light installation guide covering site survey, foundation, pole erection and commissioning.

• Local e sombreamento: Confirme a PSH no pior mês e evite a sombra de árvores/edifícios.
• Carga do poste e do vento: Verifique a área efetiva da vela (especialmente para cabeçotes tudo-em-um) e use flange e gaiola de ancoragem adequados.
• Ótica e mira: corresponder à largura e ao recuo da rua; verificar a iluminação/uniformidade no local.
• Firmware: Programar perfis de escurecimento baseados em tempo ou em sensores; registrar tendências de tensão/corrente.
• Cuidados de rotina: Limpe os painéis trimestralmente ou semestralmente (com mais frequência em áreas empoeiradas ou costeiras); reaperte os parafusos; analise a integridade da bateria anualmente.

Certificações e classificações

• Classificação IP (IEC 60529): para estradas e ambientes costeiros, IP66 é comumente especificado.
• Classificação IK (EN/IEC 62262): IK08-IK10 para resistência a impacto/vandalismo.
• UN38.3: testes de transporte obrigatórios para baterias de lítio (aéreo/marítimo/rodoviário).
• Uso IES RP-8 ou EN 13201 como sua base de aceitação para projetos de estradas e estacionamentos.

Perguntas frequentes