Sparks Electrical News January 2017

LIGHTING

14

SOLAR STREET LIGHT POLES USE LATEST IN LED TECHNOLOGY

S olar Eco Systems Africa’s range of self-sus- taining solar LED street lighting is available exclusively in Southern Africa from Magnet Energy. “These environmentally friendly solar pow- ered street light poles, which combine enhanced aesthetics and the latest photovoltaic (PV) and LED technology, are designed for energy conservation on streets, highways, pedestrian walkways, jogging paths and on housing estates,” says Kaylen Reddy, Magnet’s lighting solutions engineer. “Globally, solar energy is gaining popularity as a clean, sustainable and renewable source of energy that reduces the carbon footprint. This low mainte- nance system can run off grid, providing reliable per- formance independently of the national power supply – an important advantage during power outages. “These solar light poles significantly improve se- curity after dark, especially in remote areas with no access to electricity. As there are no requirements for major earthworks and cable laying, set up costs are significantly reduced.” The latest LED technology of this system has a particularly high luminous efficacy – up to 112 Lu- mens per watt. These LEDs consume about 50 W less power per lamp than other systems available, and offer about 75 000 hours’ of service life. The proprietary lens system focuses the light output and minimises unwanted stray light, which contributes to improved efficiencies. Patented PV technology encompasses high out- put, high efficiency solar cells that provide charging

internet connectivity. The solar power Wifi pole – cur- rently at its conceptual stage of R&D - will enable us- ers in the proximity of a pole to connect to the internet – a convenient facility, especially for schools in rural communities. The company will also soon be launch- ing solar powered cell phone charging poles based on the same technology. Included in this range are ‘Noor’ solar pedestrian light poles that provide uniform circular light distribu- tion essential for boardwalks, pedestrian lanes, parks and communal areas. These stand-alone light poles have a 6,25 m installation height and a light spot height of 4 m. ‘Shems’ solar street light poles, with lengthwise aligned light distribution, are designed for outdoor residential and municipal lighting in areas that in- clude streets, pavements and bicycle paths. This se- ries has an installation height of 6,80 m and a light spot height of 6,26 m. ‘Taqa’ solar highway street light poles provide uni- form lengthwise aligned light distribution for munici- pal street and roadway installations. This system has an installation height of 8 m and a light spot height of 7,65 m. These robust lighting poles, with a diameter of 180 mm, are manufactured from steel and are hot-dip galvanised paint coated for added protection. They have an IP 65 index protection rating to guard against the ingress of dust and water.

of up to 300 W per day, without the need for direct sunlight. These mono crystalline silicon solar cells are protected by a thick layer of Borosilicate glass, which aids in keeping the PV module clean, for maximum poly-directional 360˚ energy yield. Batteries are housed securely inside each pole – un- like traditional street light installations where battery boxes are buried in the ground to guard against theft. Lead acid batteries provide an minimum autonomy of two days based on a depth of discharge of 30%. A micro-controller is used for smart monitoring, intelligent communication and energy management. Each light pole communicates directly with the control centre, providing information that includes the need for maintenance and security sensors advise of theft or tampering. It is also possible to monitor every light pole’s power output to ensure optimum efficiency. An advanced security option includes a surveil- lance system that is integrated discreetly into the mast or head to monitor the environment. High reso- lution CCTV cameras have built-in sensors for auto- matic security alerts, with interchangeable lenses to meet exact requirements. Cameras can be supplied as a wide angle fish-eye lens type, or for tight angle facial recognition. This low power consumption sys- tem has day and night sensors and offers a good image quality, even in dark areas. There is direct re- cording to any IT storage device, without the need for central recording software or hardware. Solar Eco Systems Africa’s advanced technology will also soon be incorporated into light poles to offer

Solar Eco Systems Africa’s range of self- sustaining solar LED street lighting combine enhanced aesthetics and the latest photo- voltaic (PV) and LED technology. These solar street light poles offer energy conservation on streets, highways, pedestrian walkways, jogging paths and on housing estates

Enquiries: +27 31 274 1053

Reducing energy consumption with sustainable lighting

TACTILE DIMMER MODULE – DIMS NEW TECHNOLOGY AND TRADITIONAL LAMPS M ajor Tech’s Tactile Dimmer Module dims LEDs, halogen and incandescent bulbs independently or simultaneously. Werner Grobbelaar, Major Tech’s sales manager, says the tactile dimmer is used with a bell press switch to switch on or dim

JSE -listed MMI Holdings, a provider of long and short-term insur- ance, asset management, investment, healthcare administration, and rewards programmes amongst others through operating brands that include Momentum and Metropolitan. Metropolitan wanted to reduce its energy consumption, thereby saving on operational costs and low- ering its carbon emissions. Furthermore, the business also wanted to reduce its maintenance costs through the appropriate implementa- tion of long lifetime, low or zero intervention products. The company also wanted to enhance the lighting aesthetics and appeal of the architectural lighting at its Durbanville campus. By do- ing so, the company aimed to ensure the desired impact on its cus- tomer facilities to improve customer experience. The challenge At the front façade of the campus, Metropolitan had five mercury vapour (MV) 400 W mono white flood lights installed, which con- sumed a massive 2 kW of electricity per hour. Metropolitan wanted the façade to be washed in a blue light instead of mono white to reflect its corporate branding strategy and increase the visual impact of the building while delivering energy savings through the replace- ment LED solution. Accomplishing these goals was complicated by the fact the front façade incorporated dark marble tile that was reflective, so the SSLI project team had to ensure that the blue colour wash covered the complete façade and was not diluted by the dark stone finish. In addi- tion, the positioning of the LED floodlights had to be the same as the mono white floodlights being replaced. The solution Philips Lighting Southern Africa’s value added partner, Solid State Lighting International (SSLI), worked closely with Metropolitan to understand its business goals. SSLI then translated the company’s objectives into a lighting project that would realise those objectives

through the use of dynamic or mono LED lighting solutions. SSLI utilised design software as well as reference sites of archi- tectural installations locally and internationally where VAYA MP LED lights had been employed, in order to illustrate visual proof of concept to the client. Additionally, SSLI also did onsite mock-ups to determine the best beam angles to cover the curved building façade. Seven 68 W VAYA LED floods with various beam angles were used to ensure full coverage of the front façade of the Durbanville head office, which ‘bathed’ the building in a blue wash of light. Advantages Each LED floodlight consumes 68 W for a total power consump- tion of 476 W compared to the 2 000 W that the MV flood lights consumed per hour – more than a 75% reduction in energy usage. The VAYA LED flood lights are also low maintenance fittings with a life expectancy of more than 50 000 hours, thereby meeting all the client’s lighting requirements. The VAYA LED boasts a robust design that includes an IP66 rating making it perfect for outdoor use since it is water- and dust- resistant, and comes with a three-year warranty. Besides being more cost-effective than the fixtures they replaced, the VAYA lights are also more versatile. These high output colour-changing light fixtures are designed for spot lighting, wall washing, and flood lighting applications. The light levels achieved by this compact and lightweight fixture make it ideal for illuminating large-scale exterior facades, bridges, and monuments. In addition, the integrated power and DMX-512 control, allow it to be easily utilised with Philips’ own DMX controllers or even third-party DMX controllers in order to achieve fine-grained con- trol of the LED flood lighting system.

lights. “Simply hold down the switch to control the dim- ming function up or down to the desired lighting level. Once the level has been set, every time one turns on the lights, the light intensity will return to its previous memory setting,” he explains. Werner says Major Tech’s Tactile Dimmer Module is compatible with most leading brands. “Major Tech’s continuous success has always been result of innova- tive thinking, embracing new technology and promoting

industry best practices. Through innovation we are able to deliver cus- tomer value into the market, and our V404U5 dimmer is an example of this,” Grobbelaar says.

Enquiries: +27 11 872 5500

Enquiries: +27 11 471 5000

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

JANUARY 2017