This past week DX3 Solar Lighting installed a new application of our next generation Cold Climate Solar Lighting. In the town of Vegreville, located in central Alberta on the #16 Yellowhead Trans-Canada highway, their village sign is illuminated at night using LED Solar lighting.
For this application we used a shortened version of our custom metal pole to install the LED Solar light head, battery box and Solar panel. The light head was mounted using a custom pole arm with a 90 degree upward bend to that the light was directed horizontally. The pole arm was mounted so that the top of the light head was at 6 feet in height.
The operation of the light is controlled by the ambient light level as received by the solar panel. As the sun sets, the voltage output by the solar panel drops. This voltage is monitored and the light is powered on as the system switches from solar charging phase to battery discharge/light illumination phase. The process is reversed in the morning as the sun comes up, automating the day/night cycle.
This application is important for the village as the sign is on the outskirts of town, close to the highway, far away from grid powered options. The cost of grid power infrustructure here is to large for the application of a single light to illuminate the sign. They would need to install power poles, a pole top transformer and an electrical panel at the sight, just to operate a luminary to light up their town sign at night. With the highway having a full bypass around the town, it makes it difficult to attract travellers to the towns services at night.
The DX3 Cold Climate Solar Lighting solution allows the town to illuminate their sign for a fraction of the cost of a grid power solution, as well as being green and renewable resource with low maintenance requirements. The best part, no monthly power bill where the distribution charges would dwarf the power consumption costs of a single light each month.