Sparks Electrical News October 2023

LIGHTING

15

BEKA Schréder launches highmast solar lighting in Nelson Mandela Bay L eading local luminaire manufacturer BEKA Schréder has supplied a solar lighting highmast solution in the city of Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. This pilot installation, in Stanford Road, is in line with the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality’s plan to protect its streetlights by keeping cables out of the reach of thieves – BEKA Schréder’s Solarflood, which was used, is 20m tall. “BEKA Schréder’s Solarflood was chosen for this pilot project,” explains Peter Badenhorst, BEKA Schréder’s Branch Manager for the Eastern Cape region. “At 20m tall, the Solarflood will combat rampant cable theft and destruction of infrastructure in the city, while providing lighting for the community when there is loadshedding, thus increasing the safety and well-being of the community. This is the first solar highmast installation in the Eastern Cape, and a successful pilot project for the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.” It is all in the details The Solarflood solar lighting high mast solution is locally designed and performing robust option for off-grid solar lighting needs,” says Badenhorst. “The units come with a warranty of up to five years. We have designed the Solarflood in such a way that the corrosion-proof glass reinforced polymer box, which houses the Lithium energy source and other critical system components, is permanently positioned in the shade as the panel array faces north. This effectively blocks high temperatures that often cause premature battery ageing.” The Solarflood features a high Ingress Signify’s vertical farming bears fruit A ward-winning Dutch plant specialist Jarno Mooren and the research team at lighting giant Signify’s experiments have literally borne fruit. “When I brought a small pineapple shoot from my personal collection to our GrowWise research centre a few years back, I did not believe that it would ever bear fruit. Growing up in a forgotten and dark spot inside our single-layer cell, it had seen multiple tomato and raspberry trials come and go before it decided to give us this beautiful gift,” says Jarno, revealing to news site www.verticalfarmdaily.com that the vertical farming centre has produced a pineapple. “This achievement showcases the power and potential of vertical farming, and it serves as an inspiration to revolutionise our food production. If a pineapple can flourish without daylight, imagine what more we can achieve by exploring, innovating and collaborating to shape a brighter, more sustainable future,” he says. manufactured and can withstand the onslaught of inland and coastal environments. “The Solarflood provides a high

Protection level (IP 66), and the photovoltaic energy conversion has been optimised by highly efficient monocrystalline solar module technology. “This design, in conjunction with our Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) charging system and our lithium energy storage technology, provides a state of-the-art quality system that offers the required system autonomy, as well as a long-lasting solution to operate in any of our very challenging African environmental conditions,” concludes Badenhorst.

Enquiries: www.beka-schreder.co.za

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

OCTOBER 2023