Solar street lights are a trendy thing right now. I have a lot of clients who are installing new solar lights. These things can last a long time, but there are a lot of factors that can influence whether or not they last a long time.
A good tech company that sells these things will tell you that every battery in the world dies. The real question is how long does it take that battery to die. I’ve had people tell me that you’ll get 2-5 years out of a battery. That really isn’t true.
Lifespan of Solar Street Lights
I have seen very good lights last 10 years. There are lights out there today that are using nickel metal hydride batteries that are full of cadmium—another heavy metal that is a problem. On the other hand, there are lights that are using either lithium iron phosphate or what are called 18650 batteries that have a good longevity. When you’re buying lights, you got to know what you’re buying and you have to have a plan in place should those batteries go bad.
If you have a company that’s selling you lights and doesn’t know anything about lithium batteries or nickel metal hydride batteries—if they can’t answer very simple fundamental questions about how those batteries function and how long they last, walk away.
What is the Life of Solar Street Lights?
If you get good quality lights, figure on ten years. That’s a good number. There are solar lights out there that have been around for twenty years. There are lights that I’ve seen last nine months. You need to figure that stuff out. The biggest problem is you have batteries, especially in this cold weather environment, with lead-acid batteries—they freeze and they die.
Do Outdoor Solar Lights Wear Out?
The biggest problem with solar lights is the battery. A battery is the weak spot in every battery-powered device in the world. There’s a guy out there right now trying to invent a new battery that’s going to change the world. If he ends up getting it built, it’s going to be worth billions of dollars, maybe even trillions of dollars. Batteries die, and it’s just a matter of when they die.
What is the Lifespan of a Street Light?
When you’re buying a solar light, one of the coolest things that ever happened to lights out here is the invention of the LED. Those lights used to be sodium vapor lights where everybody had to wear sunglasses at our house because our street light was so bright. Now, we have LED lights. They last longer, are more energy efficient, and are easier to recycle.
The lifespan of an LED light is roughly 20-25 years. Regular streetlights, the sodium vapor lights that they’ve had for so many years only lasted 20,000-24,000 hours. When you’re comparing LED streetlights to traditional streetlights, the LED lights last a lot longer.
Do Solar Lights Eventually Stop Working?
Solar lights and solar streetlights can last theoretically 20 or 30 years. I’m telling you, batteries usually last five to seven years. If you don't replace them, the lights will stop working. If you don’t replace the LED, the lights will stop working.
I had somebody invent a solar light for me. There were three stupid things he did: he picked the wrong battery, he picked the wrong LED, and he picked the wrong solar panel. Guess what? The light doesn’t work.
Conclusion
The bottom line is solar lights can last a long time if you take care of their battery. The bottom line is they can last a long time, but the number one problem that you’re going to face is making sure that your battery gets taken care of.
Would you like more details on solar street lights from Besenled, or do you have questions about custom designs for your specific needs? Feel free to contact me at sales10@besenled.com or visit our website at www.besenledlight.com.
