A trial of the UK’s first grid-connected solar streetlight has begun in South Mimms, Hertfordshire, undertaken by Connect Plus, the consortium tasked with upgrading and maintaining the M25.
If successful, the SunMast ‘eco streetlight’ could reduce the carbon footprint of street lighting by 120% per cent.
SunMast uses a series of photovoltaic (PV) panels integrated into the body of the mast to convert daylight to electricity. An inverter in the base of the mast converts the electricity from DC to AC and it is then exported back to the national grid, effectively becoming a distributed solar energy system. When night falls, street lights are then powered from the grid in the normal way.
SunMast is designed to generate more power than it consumes and is hoped to one day help achieve zero-emission street lighting. If just one per cent of the UK’s street lighting was replaced with SunMasts, a remarkable 24,840,000 kWh of renewable energy would be generated, enough to supply more than 6,000 UK homes with electricity each year.
It was designed by Danish solar-powered lighting developer Scotia ApS, which recently agreed a new partnership with KN Network Services Ltd who are based in the UK and Ireland. The new venture is called Scotia Light Limited, and will be responsible for bringing the SunMast and other solar products to market.
“The timing of the SunMast trial is perfect; with local councils across the UK under pressure to cut budgets, there has been much discussion about turning off street lights to save money,” said KNNS UK Managing Director Mark Cassidy.
“SunMast can not only play a major role in ensuring cities and roads stay lit without compromise to safety or quality, but as it generates renewable energy so easily, it can also put councils on the road to energy self-sufficiency.”
SunMast also enables Connect Plus to monitor energy use much more effectively, looking at electricity generation vs consumption in different light conditions. This is possible due to UK smart home technology firm PassivSystems, which has supplied its solar PV monitoring technology to the SunMast trial. Connect Plus will be able to remotely view the SunMast performance and take action if performance is not as it should be.
Unlike many solar monitoring solutions, PassivSystems collects data directly from the generation meter instead of the inverter, so the information on SunMast performance will be much more accurate.
“SunMast is a very powerful proposition and the ability to accurately monitor the performance of its solar panels is integral to its success,” said Colin Calder, CEO, PassivSystems. “Without effective monitoring its almost impossible to gauge the performance of any solar installation.
PassivEnergy solar monitoring allows users to monitor on a per installation basis or across a portfolio, to track performance and identify potential faults and so we look forward to working with SunMast further as it gains momentum in the UK.”
The SunMast’s photovoltaic panels, which are integrated into the body of the mast, are designed to work with any standard outdoor lamp as well as LEDs. Because the SunMast does not depend on batteries, which deplete quickly and require maintenance, it can also provide a completely reliable approach to road lighting. SunMast is also able to function despite the UK climate and was designed specifically for use in Northern Europe.
“The UK weather means there is a common misconception that solar power is not as effective in this country,” concluded KNNS UK managing director Mark Cassidy. “But SunMast uses a new breed of low-light sensitive PV cells that don’t require direct sunlight and work optimally with cloud cover, so it will work as well in the UK as anywhere else in the world.”
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