Solar Light Bulbs
Solar powered LED lighting is energy efficient, has a long life, can be housed in a waterproof case, requires no external power source, requires no maintenance for up to five years, is very easy to install and is suitable for use in remote locations away from the power grid. Carmanah Technologies, Canadian manufacturer of these lights, has more than 250,000 installations in 110 countries and has supplied the lighting for the Khawr 'Abd Allah Waterway in Iraq and the Bagram airfield in Afghanistan (above).
The lights consists of light emitting diodes, a solar photovoltaic system, and battery all housed in a durable, waterproof polycarbonate case. They will survive extended exposure to the environment, extreme swings in ambient temperature from -40°F to 176°F (-40°C to +80°C), shock, heavy vibration and UV degradation.
The lights are used for a multitude of purposes including: airfield lighting, obstruction barrier and construction hazard lighting, marine navigation and hazard marking, bus stop and shelter lighting, pedestrian beacons, 24 hour flashing beacons, programmable school zone flashers, and railway bridge lights. They are also used for illuminated signs such as architectural and way finding signs, casino signs, home address signs, point of purchase lights, street name signs and regulatory roadway signs. They are most often justified by lower costs of installation and maintenance. Large installations, such as an airport or waterway, can save hundreds of thousands of dollars because there is no requirement to install an extensive wiring system and the ease of installation of the lights themselves.
Their products use three core technologies:
Light Emitting Diodes - At the heart of a Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamp is a silicon "chip" about the size of a grain of salt and made of a special blend of crystals. When a small electrical current is passed through the chip it generates light. Unlike incandescent bulbs or even fluorescent lamps, almost all of the energy used by LEDs is converted to light, rather than heat. Currently, LEDs are available in white, amber, red, green and blue output colors. The shape of the LED package focuses the light without the need for additional optical components, the lifetime of an LED is about 100,000 hours and LEDs are extremely durable. More....
Solar photovoltaic - Monocrystalline solar panel technology is the basis of its solar power systems. Originally designed for the U.S. armed forces, this technology has been thoroughly tested under extreme environmental conditions and is more efficient (up to 14%) than polycrystalline or amorphous (6-7%) solar panel technologies. Carmanah manufactures its products with a solar panel fully encapsulated in a patented polymer dome design which gathers light from all directions and keeps birds off the panels. More....
Energy storage - Carmanah has chosen to use a lead-acid technology, specifically a pure lead-tin acid electrochemistry utilizing a patented starved electrolyte because they can withstand temperatures of -85 to 176 F, it inhibits corrosion and acid vapor venting, they offer a long shelf life - up to 2 years, the batteries will tolerate trickle charging much better than NiCd or NiMH and they have a much longer operating life that NiCd or NiMH batteries. More....
Corporate website of Carmanah Technologies, Vancouver, Canada http://www.carmanah.com/
Solar energy firm sees brighter horizon, 8/8/05, GLOBEANDMALL.com
Technocrati tags: solar lighting, renewable energy, batteries, photovoltaic
Cool!Solar light
Posted by: wholesale | December 07, 2006 at 09:58 AM
i am interested on getting informatgion on how this is made like what really happens by tuesday umm can u help me?
Posted by: MP | March 03, 2008 at 07:52 PM
Really interesting stuff. The benfits of Led lights are huge. I would encourage people to use them in their homes and gardens as they will reduce costs and reduce energy wastage.
Posted by: Duncan Munday | May 21, 2008 at 06:03 AM
LED lighting may have a high initial cost, but the energy saving benefits and the fact they last for hours means the lamps will pay for themselves in a short amount of time
Posted by: Ace Lamps | July 28, 2008 at 05:17 AM